MapFrancePresqu'île de Giens (L'Almanarre), HyèresL'AlmanarrePresqu'île de Giens (L'Almanarre), Hyères

L'Almanarre

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · Hyères - Presqu'île de Giens · Var · Hyeres

also known as Plage de l'Almanarre, La Capte (adjacent), Almanarre, Route du Sel, La Madrague (northern continuation), Les Estagnets (southern end)

Part of Presqu'île de Giens (L'Almanarre), Hyères →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlyhigh crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Apr–Oct

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

tight

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

24 °C in summerWest and NW Mistral produce chop, shorebreak and small wind waves

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Jul Aug Jun Sep

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Toulon-Hyeres Airport is the nearest airport

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

From June to September a west thermal builds from late morning into the early afternoon and holds into the evening at roughly 12-20 kt, soft enough to be the learning wind here. Mistral is synoptic and keeps no clock: it can be up at first light and run for days.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

La Capteno page yet
Presqu'île de Giens east sideno page yet
La Madragueno page yet
Le Merouno page yet
La Bergerieno page yet
La Badineno page yet

The spot

L'Almanarre is the west-side beach of the Presqu'ile de Giens at Hyeres, strung along the Route du Sel with the old Salins and the Etang des Pesquiers behind it. In a west to northwest Mistral the beach is exposed and the water is choppy, sometimes wavey: this is a freeride, big-air and rough-water spot, not a flat beginner lagoon.

Wind and glassy conditions

Swing the wind to the east and the Almanarre side goes glassy, but east is offshore here, so that session belongs to riders who go upwind without thinking about it, or to someone with boat support.

Launch challenges

The launch is the real limit. The beach is narrow, the coast road runs right behind it, and the official kite area covers accesses 16-21 with a channel you have to use to get out. Beginners do learn here, through the schools, with a boat behind them. Turn up alone and you need a controlled launch on a crowded strip of sand, a fast exit through the channel and your own rescue plan.

The wind

locals call it Mistral / west to northwest; east wind / Levant-style easterly; light west thermal in summer

Direction

cross-on

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

W to NW is the classic exposed direction. SW, W, NW and E are the directions that actually work here.

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Kite sizesFor a 75-85 kg rider on a twintip: 12-14 m for the 12-15 kt summer thermal, 10-12 m at 15-18 kt, 9-10 m at 18-22 kt, 7-9 m at 22-27 kt, and 5-7 m in a hard Mistral.The sizes you see most on this beach are 7, 9 and 12 m, which fits a spot that mostly delivers 15-25 kt. Foilers ride the light thermal on much bigger gear. In a west or northwest Mistral, size for the gusts rather than the average: the chop punishes an over-sized kite.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

20.5 knots is the only average published for the spot and it is indicative at best: there is no station climatology for Hyeres or Almanarre itself, only nearby stations.

Typical strength

15-25 kt is the regular working band. Mistral days run 15-35 kt; the summer thermal sits around 12-20 kt and is the gentler learning wind. Easterlies can be strong too, and they are offshore on this side.

Mistral/west is frequent, strong and can be gusty with chop or shorebreak; east wind is offshore on Almanarre and usually much flatter but demands confident upwind ability and rescue judgement.

Works year-round, with the zoning that matters running spring-autumn. The kite channel is marked April-October. Light west thermals run from June to September and carry the foilers; the flatter easterly offshore days cluster November to April.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · the wind series here holds no strength figure

No month-by-month share of windy days is held for this spot. The months riders and schools name are May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Apr.

Measured at Toulon-Hyères Airport (nearest windfinder candidate; L'Almanarre itself has no statistics), ~4 km from the spot.

How this was measuredmeasured

The source named below holds no month-by-month figure for this place, so no season is drawn from it. The season is the one the spot record names.

Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

Toulon-Hyères Airport (nearest windfinder candidate; L'Almanarre itself has no statistics) · Windfinder

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Sandy bottom with shallow water over a usable stretch in front of the kite area between accesses 16 and 21 — enough to stand and sort out a dropped kite, which is why schools and children use it. It is not uniform: the northern end of the beach shelves away faster and drops into deep water quickly.Look at the day's water rather than treating the whole bay as a standing lagoon.

Tides

Small Mediterranean tide range; tide predictions for Hyeres/Almanarre on 2026-08-26 show lows/highs around 0.33-0.50 m, so sessions are usually wind/zone-driven rather than tide-driven.

Temperature

24 °C summer · 13.6 °C winter

Wetsuit

Summer: boardshorts/shorty or light neoprene top depending on wind; winter: full suit, commonly 4/3 or warmer for long Mistral sessions.

Currents

none significant reported

Conditions

West and NW Mistral produce chop, shorebreak and small wind waves; east wind is offshore on the Almanarre side and flattens the water.

August water at Hyeres averages 24.2 °C and February 13.6 °C, with the Almanarre peak range at 22–27 °C and a winter low around 12–13 °C.

Jellyfish turn up in warm summer water.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Good for lessons and progression with a local school and boat support, but not a casual first-timer beach launch.

Under the 2026 Hyeres rules, confirmed riders depart from the Merou or Almanarre kite channels and beginner riders depart from the sea, which in practice means going through a school.

Independent riders need a controlled launch on a narrow beach, quick line handling, upwind ability and judgement about offshore east wind.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridefreestylebig airwaveskitefoilwingfoillessons with boat support

Who it suitsbeginner

High-profile French kite and windsurf beach with an active local association and a dense school scene. Organised, and busy in summer; outside the holiday periods it loosens up.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

10 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: tight

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

5 spots nearby

All 5 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

VHF channel 16

Rescue — full text1 min read

A beach marshal patrols the kite zone in season, tasked with advising, monitoring, accompanying and rescuing kitesurfers. Two sets of dates are in circulation, 1 June to 31 August and 15 June to 15 September, so read the sign on site.

There is no year-round public rescue boat for autonomous riders. Schools run their own safety boats for lessons and supervised sessions, and on a crowded day the usual incident is a collision, not a drowning.

At sea, alert on 196 or VHF channel 16 to CROSS MED La Garde; the city's kite good-practice sheet carries the numbers for the nearest first-aid station, the fire brigade and the police.

Launch

The official Almanarre kite area sits between beach accesses 16 and 21 on the Route du Sel when it is marked, and riders use the kite channel to get past the 300 m coastal strip. The rideable frontage is only about 800 m and the beach is narrow, hemmed by ganivelles protecting the dune with the road immediately behind, so rigging, launching and landing need discipline and lines rolled the moment you land.ParkingParking is at the Almanarre roundabout and along the Route du Sel in season; it saturates fast on a windy summer day, and the northern road can close in winter.

Hazards riders report 13 reported

Wind

Offshore east wind creates flat water but can prevent return for weak upwind riders

Crowds and zones

narrow beach gets very crowded in July/August
busy coast road right behind the beach - launching mistakes can end on the road
Very crowded in summer, with bathers, windsurfers, wings and kiters sharing a regulated shoreline
Vehicle theft is reported around beach parking areas.

Waves and currents

gusty chop in strong Mistral
Strong/gusty Mistral and winter winds; west/NW can produce heavy chop and shorebreak

Protected areas and rules

marked swim zones with buoys - riding outside them risks fines
Navigation prohibited inside the 300 m strip except through the official kite channel under the 2026 Hyeres rules
Regulated kite-zone enforcement in season; fines are reportedly handed out to riders who ignore the zone

Other

quick drop-off into deep water
Narrow launch with road and dune fencing/ganivelles close behind it
Possible jellyfish in warm summer water

Rules & access

1 min read

Legal zones

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.

The channel is an exit and return corridor only, no jumping and no lingering near shore, and the buffer zones beside it are closed to kitesurfing and to swimming. Confirmed riders depart only from the Merou or Almanarre channels; beginners must depart from the sea, which in practice means going through a school.

Gear preparation happens in the marked kite area, riders may not stay static on the beach after launching, and lines are rolled immediately after landing. Beach-marshal instructions are binding.

Seasonal rules

The Almanarre zone sits between accesses 16 and 21 and is marked April to October. Two marshal seasons are in circulation for 2026, 1 June to 31 August and 15 June to 15 September, so verify on site.

Kitesurfing is not permitted at La Bergerie, where the beach is too small.

Permits and liability

No paid municipal kite permit and no compulsory club membership apply to a visiting rider in 2026: the local association takes memberships alongside FFV or FFVL licences, but that is voluntary, and the usual French third-party liability cover is what actually matters.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Check the Hyeres balisage and municipal-rule pages before you drive down; the city reissues documents and moves the seasonal dates.
Use the Almanarre kite channel as an exit and return corridor only, and get past 300 m before you ride properly.
Skip the east-wind flat-water session unless you go upwind reliably or have a boat behind you; east is offshore here.
Come for the afternoon thermal in summer, 12 to 20 kt, not the morning, and park early with nothing left visible in the car.
Roll your lines the moment you land; on 800 m of narrow sand with a road behind it, that rule is the whole safety system.
If the west or northwest chop beats you up, ask a school or the association about Merou, La Badine or La Madrague, and note that kitesurfing is not allowed at La Bergerie.

Getting there

Airport

Toulon-Hyeres Airport is the nearest airport; Marseille Provence is a longer alternative cited at about 1.5 hours by car.

Route

From Toulon and the A570, head for Giens les Iles and then the Route du Sel to the kite zone between accesses 16 and 21. Hyeres has a rail station, local buses, taxis and car rental, but with kites in the boot a car or a school transfer and boat setup is the practical choice.

Transfer

About 8-10 minutes from Toulon-Hyeres Airport to the Almanarre/Giens area; about 90 minutes by car from Marseille Provence in normal traffic.

Cost level

mid

Staying

Campsites on the Presqu'ile de Giens are the closest beds, Camping International Giens and Camping La Presqu'ile de Giens among them. Schools carry partner rentals and residences, and there are hotels and B&Bs around Hyeres and the port.

No-wind days

Presqu'ile de Giens coastal path, Porquerolles trips, cycling, paddle/SUP, diving/snorkeling including the Olbia underwater archaeology area, e-foil, Hyeres port restaurants and birdwatching around the Salins/Etang des Pesquiers.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at L'Almanarre?

The marked kite-channel season runs April to October, with light west thermals from June to September and more easterly, flatter days from November to April.

Is L'Almanarre suitable for beginners?

Beginners can learn through local schools using boat support, but it is not a casual first-timer beach launch given the narrow shore and offshore east-wind risk.

What is the wind like?

West to northwest Mistral is the classic exposed direction, commonly 15-35 knots and gusty with chop; east wind is offshore and flatter but requires strong upwind ability.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

Under 2026 Hyères municipal rules, kite navigation is forbidden inside the 300 m coastal strip except through the Merou or Almanarre kite channels, and beginner riders must depart from a boat by contacting a school.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, including KGG École de Kitesurf, Le Spot Kitecenter, MF Kite and Ecole Kite Almanarre.

The bigger pictureEverything about Hyères - Presqu'île de Giens (L'Almanarre)

Last updated: August 2026