France was responsible in developing a surf culture in all of Europe. With a coastline of 310 miles, this wine, cheese and baguette country offers some of the best surf breaks around. There are seven main areas of surfing in France: North Brittany, South Brittany, Pays-de-Loire, Poitou-Charente, Gironde, Landes and Basque Country. With that said, you can score perfect waves in France.
It wasn’t until the 80’s that French people started surfing in droves and the surf industry began to take shape in the Basque region by having more surf contests. Though the number of pro surfers coming out of France is small, compared to California, Australia or Hawaii, the number of top male and female French pro surfers is almost equal.
Some of the more popular surf breaks in France are: Biarritz Grand Plage, Hendaye Plage, Plage des Basque, Dossen, Pors Ar Villec, La Côte Sauvage, Hossegor and Lafitenia.
