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Kitesurfing in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
17 spots · 4 destinations · 19 schools
L'Almanarre at Hyeres runs on municipal kite channels and west-to-northwest Mistral, with schools, an active local association and a history of hosting international events.
Prado in Marseille is the technical urban counterpart: the Vieille-Chapelle/Epluchures zone works Mistral year-round, but local guides call the launch and navigation demanding and steer beginners away. Inland, Lac de Serre-Poncon runs on a reliable midday-to-afternoon thermal through summer.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur holds 17 kitesurf spots in our atlas, grouped into 4 destinations. Riding here is mostly flat water and lagoons. Something is rideable here in every month of the year.
8 of them suits beginners. 19 schools operate in the region. The busiest areas are Hyères - Presqu'île de Giens (L'Almanarre), Marseille and Camargue - Port-Saint-Louis.
When you may ride
the rules these spots carry, with the year on each
L'AlmanarreHyères - Presqu'île de Giens2026has a date window2026 Hyeres municipal rules, decree no. 1420 and the city good-practice flyer: kitesurf navigation is forbidden inside the 300 m coastal strip except through the kiteboard channels, and Hyeres and Giens have two, Merou and Almanarre.
2026 Hyeres municipal rules, decree no. 1420 and the city good-practice flyer: kitesurf navigation is forbidden inside the 300 m coastal strip except through the kiteboard channels, and Hyeres and Giens have two, Merou and Almanarre.
BeauducCamargue2026has a date window2026: kitesurfing is authorized only in the La Comtesse sector, to the right when arriving at Beauduc, subject to the posted regulations.
2026: kitesurfing is authorized only in the La Comtesse sector, to the right when arriving at Beauduc, subject to the posted regulations.
Pointe de la GracieuseCamargue - Port-Saint-Louis20262026: Port-Saint-Louis posts municipal kite panels at Plage Napoleon and Carteau, citing municipal orders 2015/982 and 2012/DATT/441. Under 2012/DATT/441 motor vehicles and wind-towed craft are barred from the Theys Saint Antoine (south bank), the Mazet and the Levant, and its article 3 makes putting a kite or a windsurf board in the water from those Theys prohibited, with any breach subject to a proces-verbal.
2026: Port-Saint-Louis posts municipal kite panels at Plage Napoleon and Carteau, citing municipal orders 2015/982 and 2012/DATT/441. Under 2012/DATT/441 motor vehicles and wind-towed craft are barred from the Theys Saint Antoine (south bank), the Mazet and the Levant, and its article 3 makes putting a kite or a windsurf board in the water from those Theys prohibited, with any breach subject to a proces-verbal.
Prado BeachesMarseille2023has a date window2023 Marseille municipal beach/buoyage plan: the Vieille-Chapelle channel is reserved for transit of planches nautiques tractées (PNT/kites), and bathing, beach craft and non-registered craft are prohibited in that channel; from early May to late September the port-side buoyage forms a narrower cone about 60 m wide at the shore and 150 m at the 300 m limit, while from early October to late April it forms a wider cone averaging about 300 m.
2023 Marseille municipal beach/buoyage plan: the Vieille-Chapelle channel is reserved for transit of planches nautiques tractées (PNT/kites), and bathing, beach craft and non-registered craft are prohibited in that channel; from early May to late September the port-side buoyage forms a narrower cone about 60 m wide at the shore and 150 m at the 300 m limit, while from early October to late April it forms a wider cone averaging about 300 m.
Brutal BeachVar20262026: the spot is signed as open all year, but kiteboarding is forbidden in summer (exact dates unconfirmed); stay inside the riding zones.
2026: the spot is signed as open all year, but kiteboarding is forbidden in summer (exact dates unconfirmed); stay inside the riding zones.
CabassonVar20262026-2027: the Cabasson kitesurf spot is listed as open from 1 October 2026 to 31 May 2027, every day, free of charge, and gliding activities are prohibited on the beach in the summer period.
2026-2027: the Cabasson kitesurf spot is listed as open from 1 October 2026 to 31 May 2027, every day, free of charge, and gliding activities are prohibited on the beach in the summer period.
CarteauFos-sur-Mer / Camargue20152015: Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone municipal arrete n°2015/982 regulates windsurfing and kitesurfing inside the 300 m band at Carteau.
2015: Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone municipal arrete n°2015/982 regulates windsurfing and kitesurfing inside the 300 m band at Carteau.
Grande Plage de La CiotatBouches-du-Rhône20262026: kitesurfing is prohibited within 300 m of Grande Plage in July and August, the summer holiday season, and the schools use boat support to ride outside that band.
2026: kitesurfing is prohibited within 300 m of Grande Plage in July and August, the summer holiday season, and the schools use boat support to ride outside that band.
L'Ayguade - Le MérouVar20262026, Hyeres municipal decree no. 2026-1420 (which replaced decree no. 1281 of 26 June 2026), Article 7: inside the 300 m coastal band, kitesurfing from the town's beaches is allowed only for departure and arrival, and only in the zones specially marked for it at Plage du Merou and Plage de l'Almanarre; outside those two zones kitesurfing in the 300 m band is forbidden all year.
2026, Hyeres municipal decree no. 2026-1420 (which replaced decree no. 1281 of 26 June 2026), Article 7: inside the 300 m coastal band, kitesurfing from the town's beaches is allowed only for departure and arrival, and only in the zones specially marked for it at Plage du Merou and Plage de l'Almanarre; outside those two zones kitesurfing in the 300 m band is forbidden all year.
Lac de Serre-PonçonHautes-Alpes20262026: Plage des Eaux Douces at Crots is the designated kitesurf area on the lake, chosen for safety and access. Navigation is governed by the règlement particulier de police of June 2020 (arrêté 05-2020-06-10-003).
2026: Plage des Eaux Douces at Crots is the designated kitesurf area on the lake, chosen for safety and access. Navigation is governed by the règlement particulier de police of June 2020 (arrêté 05-2020-06-10-003).
Le JaïBouches-du-Rhône20262026: the spot is regulated, with a kitesurf zone marked by yellow buoys out to about 300 m, separate bathing zones, and an inner sector to the southwest kept for beginners.
2026: the spot is regulated, with a kitesurf zone marked by yellow buoys out to about 300 m, separate bathing zones, and an inner sector to the southwest kept for beginners.
Les LecquesVar2026has a date windowEvery year the Baie des Lecques kitesurf site opens outside the bathing season only, 16 October to 14 March, which for 2026 means 1 January to 14 March and then 16 October 2026 through to 14 March 2027. Beach departures are from the southern end of Plage des Lecques, at the corner of the Hotel Tapis de Sable by parking plage 3, and the riding area is outside the 300 m band.
Every year the Baie des Lecques kitesurf site opens outside the bathing season only, 16 October to 14 March, which for 2026 means 1 January to 14 March and then 16 October 2026 through to 14 March 2027. Beach departures are from the southern end of Plage des Lecques, at the corner of the Hotel Tapis de Sable by parking plage 3, and the riding area is outside the 300 m band.
Palm Beach CannesAlpes-Maritimes20262026: kiting is allowed all year on the south side of the Palm Beach parking, the only stretch in Cannes where it is permitted, and the site carries the FFVL label.
2026: kiting is allowed all year on the south side of the Palm Beach parking, the only stretch in Cannes where it is permitted, and the site carries the FFVL label.
Plage de l'ArgentièreVar2026has a date window2026: the Argentiere kitesurf spot is listed as open from 01/10 to 31/05 and free of charge.
2026: the Argentiere kitesurf spot is listed as open from 01/10 to 31/05 and free of charge.
Plage du CavaouBouches-du-Rhône2026has a date window2026: the kite spot is reportedly open from 15 September to 15 June and closed in between, when the beach is run for family bathing with a lifeguard post and a first-aid station.
2026: the kite spot is reportedly open from 15 September to 15 June and closed in between, when the beach is run for family bathing with a lifeguard post and a first-aid station.
Saint-AygulfVar2026has a date window2026: the summer spot is Plage du Pacha at the Argens mouth, set by a municipal decision of 23 September 2021 and buoyed with the maritime authority since 2022. The marked channel runs out to 300 m in yellow buoys with a closed buffer zone on each side, there as a margin for a kite going down.
2026: the summer spot is Plage du Pacha at the Argens mouth, set by a municipal decision of 23 September 2021 and buoyed with the maritime authority since 2022. The marked channel runs out to 300 m in yellow buoys with a closed buffer zone on each side, there as a margin for a kite going down.
Saint-Laurent-du-VarAlpes-Maritimes2026has a date window2026: Saint-Laurent-du-Var is an FFVL-approved spot. Launch only from the nautical-centre beach; the windsurfing-school basins are closed to kites, and the airspace over the airport is a strict no-fly zone.
2026: Saint-Laurent-du-Var is an FFVL-approved spot. Launch only from the nautical-centre beach; the windsurfing-school basins are closed to kites, and the airspace over the airport is a strict no-fly zone.
Each block is the opening of the record's own rule, kept in its own words. Where two postings do not line up, both are kept and neither is picked for you.
The winds here
what the spot records call the wind, and the knots they quote
Mistral
named by 12 spots here
- Carteau30-40 knots
- L'Almanarre15-35 kt
- Lac de Serre-Ponçon20-30 knots
- Le Jaï30-40 kt
Marin
named by 5 spots here
- Grande Plage de La Ciotat20-25 kt
Two or more spots name each of these here as well: Tramontane. The knots a spot quotes for one of them are on that spot's own page.
The spots this region is known for
tier 1 of the 17 spots here
Destinations in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
All spots in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Beauducmixed · beginner okBrutal BeachseaCabassonseaCarteauflat · beginner okGrande Plage de La CiotatseaL'Almanarremixed · beginner okL'Ayguade - Le Mérousea · beginner okLac de Serre-Ponçonflat · beginner okLe Jaïlagoon · beginner okLes LecquesseaPalm Beach CannesseaPlage de l'ArgentièreseaPlage du CavaouseaPointe de la Gracieuseflat · beginner okPrado BeachesmixedSaint-Aygulfsea · beginner okSaint-Laurent-du-Varsea
Regions come from OpenStreetMap administrative boundaries; each spot page carries the record behind it. This list runs A to Z; the block above it is the tier order.
Last updated September 2026