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Travel – France

France Travel Tips Bodyboarding

INTRO / BONJOUR !

Welcome to the FRANCE TRAVEL SECTION of the site. This section was specially designed for foreign bodyboarders willing to surf in France. Lots of guys want to come and surf here but you can’t find much info about the place so here you go…More stuff will be added later. We’re trying to get some pics from all the different places and we’ll try to add some more info about spots and stuff but it takes quite a long time to gather everything and put it online. Plus i don’t want to upset anyone here since France is a small country and you can find all the good places by yourself.

NEED TO CONTACT SPONGERCITY™ TO GET MORE INFO ABOUT FRANCE BEFORE YOUR TRIP ?

Dont hesitate to send us an email. Go to the INFO section in the nav bar and click on the email link !

WHY SHOULD YOU SURF IN FRANCE ?

France has got a shit load of good spots to surf beside Biarritz or Hossegor or Lacanau which are the most famous places. You can find really good waves just driving along the french coast, from beach breaks in the South West to reefs up North. The waveriders attitude and vibe gets more relaxed and mellow as you go up the coast as well as the number of guys out.

The party scene gets pretty crazy here in the summer time and France is one of the few countries i know where you can pretty much do anything you want like running naked on the beach or park anywhere anytime… Oh and it’s one of the few countries where you don’t need to wake up at 6 am to get offshore winds (you’ll only get less guys out) coz when it’s offshore it usually stays off’ all day from july to november. Foreigners also say food is pretty good here and girls are nice.

Check our France winter Photo Gallery on spongercity.com.

Check our France summer Photo Gallery on spongercity.com.

Check a small Quicktime© Video from France.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME / SEASON ?

Well, perfect period to plan a trip here is from September through November. At this time of year you’ll get the best waves and the water will still be OK (so it’s the best waves / water temp bet) but the night life will kinda suck. If you want a taste of french night life then come in July or August.
July isn’t usually that good to surf while August can be good and the party will be in full effect since it’s holidays time. There will definitely be more guys out in the water though until September when everyone but students and oldpeople go back to school/work. As usual those who wake up early get more waves.

WHERE TO SURF ?

On the France maps below (see the USEFUL INFO paragraph below), are shown all zones ( from top North to down South ) and a few good spots but if you plan a short trip here for like a week up to a month and want to get good waves, then don’t bother about the Northern coast and spots and start your quest for perfect waves and girls in Brittany :
Brittany has kind of a cooler/colder water but it’s allright from July through November. It’s got reefs and big cliffs and a beautiful scenery plus the water is way cleaner here. The vibe in and out of the water is mellow and the nightlife is ok, depending where you stay. You can plan a road trip along the brittany coast and what’s called the wild coast out there if you stay long enough. There’re plenty of campings, waves and bars there…
Then you can also try to surf more South since there’s also a bunch of really good spots there ( reefs and beachbreaks ).I’m not going to give away all spots names but check out the islands along this part of the coast on any good swell and i bet you’ll get barreled…
Then you can go surf the Landes from Lacanau or a little higher ( where there’s less people ). Surfing the Landes’ millions of sandbars and shorebreaks requires patience, a car, nerves of steel and offshore winds or no wind at all. You gotta be at the right place, right time: tides really matter here but you can get some of the best waves of your life or the worst time ever running after the “place to be” to get a decent surf.
Last but not least : you’ve got the Basque coast which gets really nice after the month of August when a lot of the crowd leaves and is always a good bet. You can mostly surf beachbreaks and wedges next to the jetties in Anglet. You can also try to go surf in Spain’s part of the Basque’s coast which gets super good after July and maybe score mundaka ?

USEFUL INFO

Maps: here are a few maps we gathered for you.

Number 1 map is a France Global map: Check it out by clicking here.
Number 2 map is a France Spot map: Check it out by clicking here.
Number 3 map is a South-West France Spot map: Check it out by clicking here.
Google earth is your best friend wherever you go: Check it out by clicking here.

Water temperature: take everything from your boardshorts to a 3/2 fullsuit to surf during summer and/or until November. This is for the whole coast, water being warmer in the South though. If you come in the winter you’ll need a 4/3 in the south west and a 5/3 up north and booties. Adapt your board to the temperature as well if you know you like a stiffer board for summer or a more flexy board for the winter because the air temperature and water temp varies a lot in france between summer time and winter time .

Driving: you’d better rent a car if you don’t stay in the same place all the time next to the beach with a few spots around and no bus. Surfing in the Biarritz/Anglet area without a car is no prob’. You can also buy a cheap old car for nothing if you stay a long time with friends and share the price of your Rolls’ Royce.

Locals: assholes are everywhere these days but localism ain’t that bad at all in France, you can surf any beach you want, they’re all ok for surfers/spongers. There is more crowd pressure in summer and in the South coast.

Culture: French people are laid back and relaxed most of the time, not very welcoming sometimes but nice though when you show ‘em respect and smile at them. Lots of foreigners say french guys can be rude but they’re ok, just reckless sometimes, you’ll get used to it and they drive crazy so drive crazy too !

Guides and Roads: Get a roadmap for each region you go. Get yourself a “Europe Stormrider guide” before going on a trip, those guides are the best. Try here : lowpressure.co.uk.

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Travel – France

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