A surfing retreat in France allows you to experience a sporting holiday in total connection with the sea. Surfing is an all-round sport, which allows you to test your balance, experience an unrivalled gliding sensation, release stress and, what's more, it's a great fun activity! It's also a great way to admire the wonders of the coastline. Discover the 11 best surf retreats in France.
1. Surf retreat on the Crozon peninsula with Explora Project
- Where: Home stay
- How long: 6 days
- Specialty : combination of surfing and yoga
- Price: from €580
The Crozon peninsula is one of the most beautiful places in the Brittany region. A small, unspoilt paradise in Finistère, renowned for its jagged coastline and translucent beaches. Explora Project offers retreats combining surfing and yoga. After watching surf sessions, spending the night with local people and daily yoga sessions, the guide takes the athletes to the best surf spots on the Crozon peninsula. A place where wild lands face an ocean that doesn't hesitate to get moving. And everyone can take part, including beginners. Sessions are held in small groups to ensure maximum advice and rapid progress.
2. Surfing retreat in Charente-Maritime with Surf Club Royan Atlantique
- Where: Pontaillac
- How long: 3 to 5-day course
- Specialty: surfing, but also bodyboarding, longboarding and stand-up paddling
- Price: €170 or €210
The Surf Club Royan Atlantique is open all year round for surf lessons and also offers 3 or 5-day courses. Special courses for children aged 5 to 10 are offered in July and August. Lessons take place on Royan's Pontaillac beach. Qualified instructors help students discover surfing and its culture, while providing equipment adapted to each student's level. The instructors also raise awareness of environmental protection. A very positive point when you consider the damage pollution can do to marine biodiversity.
3. Surfing in Biarritz with Jo Moraiz
- Where: Biarritz
- How long: 3 to 5-day course
- Specialty: relaxed, intensive or free ride surfing courses
- Price: from 125€ to 360
The Jo Maraiz surf school has been teaching surfing since 1966. It's a mythical structure in Biarritz. Surf sessions take place on the splendid Côte des Basques beach, one of the best surf spots in France. There are several types of course on offer: relaxation, free ride or intensive for those wishing to make rapid progress. Experienced instructors are on hand to guide participants and give invaluable tips on maneuvering. All levels are catered for. Jo Maraiz also offers surf lodges, with studios and apartments for 2 to 4 people. They are located in a quiet part of town, just a few minutes' walk from the beaches.
4. Take on the waves in the Landes with Natural Surf Lodge
- Where: in Seignosse, in eco-responsible accommodation or a tepee
- How long: one-week course
- Specialty: surf and coaching, surf and yoga, surf and cross training, surf and well-being
- Price: from €545
Natural Surf Lodge welcomes visitors to a magnificent estate between Hossegor and Seignosse. Wondering what to do in the Landes? Don't hesitate to opt for a week-long surfing retreat, with a choice of accommodation in a lodge or tepee. 5 surf lessons of 1h30 each are given throughout the week, and equipment is provided for practice outside the lodge. Surf sessions can be combined with yoga, wellness or indoor sports. It's up to you to choose the surf camp that's right for you. The jacuzzi is a great way to soothe your muscles on the way back from the beach!
5. Surf retreat in Corsica with Capo Surf Club
- Where: Ajaccio
- How long: 5 days
- Specialty: surf, paddle and kayak
- Price: from €545
Capo Surf Club offers multi-activity courses in the pre-season. Registration possible from age 8. What a pleasure to learn to surf in the Gulf of Ajaccio, on one of Corsica's most beautiful beaches: the magnificent Capo di Feno. It's often windswept, which is why it's one of the best places in Corsica to discover surfing. To vary the pleasures, the course, which runs from Monday to Friday, is multi-activity. Paddleboarding and kayaking are also available. Surfing on the turquoise waters of one of Corsica's must-see spots is definitely possible. And that makes the experience all the more magical.
6. Grab the board in northern Brittany with Kazaden
- Where: Locquirec
- How long: 5 days
- Speciality: full-time surfing
- Price: from €230
Kazaden is an adventure travel agency. And its offer includes surfing courses onone of Brittany's most beautiful beaches. At Locquirec, in northern Finistère, instructors offer small-group courses, with 10 surfing lessons of 2 hours each over 5 days, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. During their stay, participants discover half a dozen surf spots around the town. Mostly on secluded beaches. There's no need to worry about equipment - it's all provided. For those who wish, individual sessions are available at extra cost.
7. Surf house retreat in Capbreton with Wood'n Sea Surf Lodge
- Where: in a surf hostel in Capbreton
- How long: as you wish
- Specialities: Surfing, yoga, beach fit and modeling
- Price: from 33€ per night for accommodation and 39€ for surf lessons / à la carte
Wood'n Sea Surf Lodge is ideally located between La Piste beach and Capbreton town center. This surf house offers a choice of shared dormitories or single rooms. It features a communal kitchen and shared outdoor areas (garden, BBQ, jacuzzi...). The site offers access to the legendary surf spots of the southern Landes region, including La Gravière, Santocha and Les Estagnots. Holidaymakers can take individual surfing lessons, or opt for 3 or 5 lesson courses. Other à la carte activities include yoga, beach fit, sea gym and wellness massages.
8. Surfing every day with Lacanau Surf Camp
- Where: in a surf house in Capbreton
- How long: as you wish
- Specialty: Surfing
- Price: from €32 per night for accommodation and €140 for courses
Lacanau's waves are renowned throughout the surfing world. They make the resort one of the best in the world for winter and summer surfers alike. The HCL Lacanau Surf Camp offers accommodation in shared rooms. The house has its own kitchen and terrace. The days are filled with surf sessions on the central beach of Lacanau-Océan. You can come and stay for a night, a few days or a whole week. Courses are, of course, the best way to make rapid progress, with 5 x 2-hour lessons or 10 x 2-hour lessons for the most motivated.
9. Learn to surf in the Mediterranean with ESM Aloha
- Where: Sanary-sur-Mer
- How long: 2 to 5 days
- Specialty: Surf, paddle, kayak
- Price: €130 for 5 x 2-hour sessions
The Mediterranean has a reputation for calm seas. But it's actually possible to surf the turquoise waters of the Grande Bleue. In the small, colorful town of Sanary-sur-Mer in the Var, one of the prettiest spots on the Côte d'Azur, the Mediterranean Surf School is run by an instructor who has been surfing in the south of France for 16 years. He offers courses during the school vacationsand meets up with sports enthusiasts on the Plage Dorée. Those looking for a change of scene can opt for paddleboarding or kayaking. Yes, the Mediterranean is much more surprising than you might think.
Discover our Top 15 most beautiful beaches on the Côte d'Azur.
10. Surf in Normandy with Viking Surf
- Where: Saint-Jouin-Bruneval, Seine-Maritime, France
- How long: as you wish
- Specialty: Surfing
- Price: 5x2h group lesson package: €200
Surfing against the backdrop ofthe beautiful cliffs of Haute-Normandie, that's what the Viking School in Saint-Jouin-Bruneval has to offer. Between Le Havre and Fécamp, you'll discover that the sea can also create rollers that are ideal for an introduction to surfing or for perfecting your technique on Normandy's most beautiful beaches. Lessons are adapted to your age and level. They are supervised by professionals who are members of the French Surfing Federation. For those who want to take a course outside the summer months, wetsuits, gloves and booties are provided.
Take advantage of your surfing retreat to discover some of Normandy's must-sees!
11. Surfing retreat in Vendée with Manu Surf
- Where: Gîte, private camp, tipi or house in Longeville-sur-mer
- How long: a weekend or a week
- Specialty: surfing, but also yoga and pilates
- Price: from €25 per night in a dormitory, €165 for a 5-day course
With Manu Surf, surfers can spend a weekend or a week, with family or friends, in a private house or camp. Surfers from all over the world can also come on their own in hostel mode, and are guaranteed to meet new people. The surf school offers accommodation and surf lessons, including for beginners and teenagers. Yoga and pilates classes can also be booked. The atmosphere is always top-notch, with surfing, aperitifs and shared meals. Surfing takes place on the legendary Bud Bud spot, in the commune of Longeville-sur-Mer in the Vendée.
Did you enjoy your surfing retreat in France? Now discover the 10 best places for a yoga retreat!
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