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Best Coastal Hikes in France

There are 101 hikes in France in our database that fit. They average 16.0 km and 346 m (1,135 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 299 km.

That is 1 percent of the 11,497 routes we map in France.

Coastal walking is exposed, open and completely different in every wind direction. These routes keep the sea in view for most of their length. The mix is broad: 54 are rated easy and 16 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Moderate

Cassini

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
9.2 km
/ 5.7 mi
Elevation gain
323 m
Typical duration
2 hr 24 min
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Moderate

Aire-de-Côte

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
7.8 km
/ 4.8 mi
Elevation gain
223 m
Typical duration
1 hr 57 min
  • Coastal
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Northern Route (Basque Country)

Nouvelle-Aquitaine · France

Distance
230 km
/ 143 mi
Elevation gain
5,050 m
Typical duration
61 hr
  • Coastal
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Sentier Littoral Nord Atlantique

Martinique · France

Distance
47.6 km
/ 29.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,048 m
Typical duration
12 hr
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Sentier du Littoral

Hauts-de-France · France

Distance
299 km
/ 186 mi
Elevation gain
1,523 m
Typical duration
73 hr
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Mare à Mare Sud Principal

Corsica · France

Distance
82.4 km
/ 51.2 mi
Elevation gain
5,000 m
Typical duration
26 hr
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Littoral du Léman

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · France

Distance
85.5 km
/ 53.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,881 m
Typical duration
22 hr
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

La Côte des Blancs

Grand Est · France

Distance
44.1 km
/ 27.4 mi
Elevation gain
971 m
Typical duration
11 hr
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Sentier Littoral

Réunion · France

Distance
9.8 km
/ 6.1 mi
Elevation gain
217 m
Typical duration
2 hr 23 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Sentier Littoral Est

Réunion · France

Distance
11.9 km
/ 7.4 mi
Elevation gain
262 m
Typical duration
2 hr 52 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Circuit du mont Alban

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
5.0 km
/ 3.1 mi
Elevation gain
220 m
Typical duration
1 hr 22 min
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Château de Roquebrune

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.2 mi
Elevation gain
240 m
Typical duration
1 hr 26 min
  • Coastal
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Côte Longue- Les Chaussets

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
28 m
Typical duration
19 min
  • Coastal
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Côte de la Fleur - Les Sagnes

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
23 m
Typical duration
15 min
  • Coastal
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Entre ville et nature (Istres)

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
13.3 km
/ 8.3 mi
Elevation gain
293 m
Typical duration
3 hr 13 min
  • Coastal
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Le Bois de la Côte

Grand Est · France

Distance
8.1 km
/ 5.0 mi
Elevation gain
179 m
Typical duration
1 hr 58 min
  • Coastal
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Les Pyroles

Hauts-de-France · France

Distance
14.7 km
/ 9.1 mi
Elevation gain
324 m
Typical duration
3 hr 33 min
  • Coastal
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Les sentiers de la côte

Grand Est · France

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
33 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Coastal
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Boucle 1 - Costa Verde

Corsica · France

Distance
11.5 km
/ 7.1 mi
Elevation gain
630 m
Typical duration
3 hr 20 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Boucle de la Côte

Nouvelle-Aquitaine · France

Distance
6.1 km
/ 3.8 mi
Elevation gain
135 m
Typical duration
1 hr 29 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Capu Rossu Principal

Corsica · France

Distance
4.5 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
99 m
Typical duration
1 hr 5 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Capu Rossu Variante

Corsica · France

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
40 m
Typical duration
26 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Châteaux de La Napoule

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
5.0 km
/ 3.1 mi
Elevation gain
160 m
Typical duration
1 hr 17 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Circuit de Bon Voyage

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
130 m
Typical duration
52 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Circuit de l'Aiguille

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
4.4 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
160 m
Typical duration
1 hr 10 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Circuit de l'Esquillon

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
150 m
Typical duration
1 hr 12 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Circuit de la Chaude Côte

Grand Est · France

Distance
7.5 km
/ 4.7 mi
Elevation gain
165 m
Typical duration
1 hr 48 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Circuit de la Rade

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
100 m
Typical duration
1 hr 3 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Col de l'Oule - Point Côte

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
3.8 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
84 m
Typical duration
55 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
CassiniParc national des Cévennes (cœur)9.2 km323 m2 hr 24 minModerateApril to October
Aire-de-CôteParc national des Cévennes (cœur)7.8 km223 m1 hr 57 minModerateApril to October
E2 Ouest France: Section Route du LittoralHauts-de-France96.3 km2,118 m25 hrExpertApril to October
GR 5 Alpes Côte d'Azur Variant Canal des ChapellesAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes2.3 km50 m33 minEasyApril to October
Northern Route (Basque Country)Nouvelle-Aquitaine230 km5,050 m61 hrExpertApril to October
Sentier Littoral Nord AtlantiqueMartinique47.6 km1,048 m12 hrExpertApril to October
Sentier du LittoralHauts-de-France299 km1,523 m73 hrExpertApril to October
Col de Côte-Longue - Cabane des ParisiensParc national des Écrins (cœur)0.5 km10 m7 minEasyApril to October
Col de Côte-Longue - Col de la PisseParc national des Écrins (cœur)2.0 km44 m29 minEasyApril to October
Mare à Mare Sud PrincipalCorsica82.4 km5,000 m26 hrExpertApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Cassini, Aire-de-Côte, GR 5 Alpes Côte d'Azur Variant Canal des Chapelles. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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