We've talked it about it before in an 2007 post, but we have to mention it again as a "Best Beach" on the Western French Riviera.

The eastern side of the French Riviera is beautiful, vibrant, cultural, but the western side of the Cote d'Azur is where you'll find the best beaches...

What makes it a best beach?

Plage de la Tortue imports tons of fine soft white sand and the scenery is gorgeous: red rocks of the Esterel around, lush green of parasol and maritine pines, deep blue of the sea, lapping waves ahaead and this powdery white soft sand. Pure pleasure for all senses.

The beach is rarely over-crowded, which is a real plus on the French Riviera in the middle of summer.

The white-sanded part of the beach is part of a private beach club. You can rent your plush lounge chair with parasol for a half-day or a full day. Current (2015 fees) = Morning 1/2 day costs 9 € from 9AM to 1PM, afternoon 1/2 day 14 € from 1PM to 7PM. Full day 19 € from 9AM to 7PM.

The restaurant next door serves decent food, especially good with seafood even if fish is inevitably the more pricy option on the menu. They often serve the day's fresh local catch with sea bream, sea bass and even swordfish on occasion. If you're looking for a simpler alternative, the restaurant serves lots of creative salads too.

Where is Plage de la Tortue?

Plage de la Tortue is in the seaside resort town of Boulouris, between Saint-Raphael and Agay on the Western side of the French Riviera in the Var region of France.

You can reach it by train, stopping at the Gare de Boulouris train station. You can reach it by bus from Saint-Raphael (AggloBus bus 5, not a very frequent line but convenient for access to lots of beaches) or of course by car (park in the Boulouris "Parking de la Gare" open lot)