Plage De Piemanson

Located near the French city of Arles, Plage de Piemanson—also called Piemanson Beach, Plage d'Arles, and Plage de Salin-de-Giraud—is a large and four-kilometer-long beautiful beach with light brown sand, nearby sand dunes, and small lagoons. This beach is part of a nature reserve named Parc Naturel Regional de Camargue, and CNN Travel listed it as one of the 100 best beaches in the world in 2017.   It is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.

Plage Piemanson is frequented by the LGBTQ community and it is popular with gay men.  In addition, a section of the beach is also popular with nudist visitors – this nude beach is located at the beach’s eastern end, approximately one kilometer away from the beach’s lifeguard station.  This Plage naturiste de Piemanson nude beach area is easily identifiable through signs and flags.

Plage de Piemanson occasionally has lifeguards, usually between 10 am and 6 pm from July to August.  However, it does not have any other amenities, so please plan accordingly. 

Dogs on leash are allowed here.

Plage de Piemanson offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, snorkeling, boating, jet-skiing, water-skiing, sand yachting, paddleboarding, parasailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, scuba diving, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching. 

This beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers because the water here usually has gentle waves.  In addition, this beach is popular with kayakers.  If you are planning to swim, kitesurf, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.

This beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience because it sees fewer visitors as compared to other nearby beaches.  If you like birdwatching, you can see many varieties of migrant and resident shorebirds around this beach. 

Piemanson Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities. 

Getting to Plage de Piemanson is easy – this beach is located at the end of a road named RD 36D and it is easily accessible from the nearby village of Salin de Giraud.  There are street signs around Salin de Giraud that offer directions for this beach.

There is a large free dirt parking lot adjacent to the beach—this lot is open between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. We recommend visiting this beach early during the summers because it can sometimes get crowded. We also recommend reviewing the Meteo Plage de Piemanson weather reports online before visiting here because the weather can sometimes get significantly volatile.

This beach was earlier a popular site for camping and you could see many tents and Plage de Piemanson camping car areas here.  However, camping has been prohibited here since 2016 because of prohibition by the local government.  In addition, a local nudist club named Club Naturiste Camargue Soleil hosts fun events for nudist visitors at this beach.

There are many attractions near Plage de Piemanson within a 30-minute-drive.  Domaine de la Palissade is a protected natural area which offers an interesting insight into the biodiversity of the Rhone river delta – it offers many fun activities including hiking, wildlife watching, horse-riding, and picnicking and it also has a reception building with a shop and informative exhibits.  Point d’observation des salines is an observation area which offers views of the vibrant salt marshes around the village of Salin de Giraud.  Some of the salt marshes here also occasionally turn pink because of algae and you can also see many birds here – one of the birds that you can see here are pink flamingos.  Faraman Lighthouse is a historic stone lighthouse that is one of the oldest lighthouses in the region.  In addition, this lighthouse was featured in French director Robert Dhery's film Le Petit Baigneur.  Chateau de Tourvieille – also called the Tour du Tampan – is a historic site that was built in the 17th century.  This site offers an interesting insight into the local history and visitors can also explore the interesting marshlands around it.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Manade la grande Ponche is a ranch that has many bulls and horses – you can explore this interesting ranch through weekly guided tours.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Plage de Piemanson.  Chez Emi is a food truck on the beach that opens in the summer, and it is known for serving excellent sandwiches.  The other restaurants are located in and around the village of Salin de Giraud.  Hotel et Restaurant Les Saladelles offers excellent gourmet dishes created from local ingredients including seafood, steaks, burgers, and stews.  Hotel Restaurant La Camargue is known for serving great bouillabaisse and it also offers other great dishes including salads, steaks, seafood, and desserts.  Brasserie des Sports is a restaurant and bar that offers many delicious dishes including churrasco-style meat, salads, tarte de pomme, and seafood.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Chez Nina offers amazing pizzas and it also offers tacos, grilled meat, salads, and burgers.

If you are looking for a hotel near Plage de Piemanson, there are many great nearby moderately-priced and modestly priced options in the nearby village of Salin de Giraud.  The Camping Les Bois Flottes de Camargue is a campground that offers accommodation to tents and RVs and it also has rental cabins - it offers many amenities including a pool, a restaurant, a playground, a souvenir shop, and bike rental facilities.  L‘Effet Mer is set in a house dating back to 1896 and it offers a garden with outdoor sitting areas.  Un Nid en Camargue offers many amenities including a playground, table tennis, a garden, and a patio.  La Camargue Hotel-Restaurant offers a restaurant and a small lounge.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the Hotel et Restaurant Les Saladelles offers a restaurant and bike rental facilities.