We're flying into Marseille and would like to spend a few days at a decent beach before driving into the Aix and northern Provence. We don't want to drive as far as the Cote D'Azure and were wondering about beaches near Marseille or in the eastern Camargue.

Optimally, we are looking for a sandy beach that is not too honky-tonk or loud, near a hotel, and within an hour's drive of Marseille airport. We'll be traveling in June.

Any help from my fellow Fodorites is greatly appreciated.

The main beach in Marseille itself is the Prado. It can get crowded since it is in the city and also because big sand beaches are a rare commodity along the coast there.

Away from Marseille you might want to look into Les Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer or La Grande Motte, which has aged quite well after being so appalling when it was built.

I agree with Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and there are other huge sandy beaches in the Camargue, such as Plage de Piémanson. East of Marseille I once stayed in the little family resort town of Carqueiranne, which has nice sandy beaches, and near to there is the Giens Peninsula. Nice places nearby to visit are Cassis, Île-de-Porquerolles, Collobrières, Bormes-les-Mimosas, Hyères and Grimaud among other places.

apart from Marseille few city beaches, nearby there are also some small beaches on Frioul islands (no hotel onn island I think), then some beaches just west of Marseille on "La Côte Bleue" (towns La Couronne, Carry-le-Rouet) and in Camargue (but Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is more than 1 hour drive from Marseille). On East side, you have beaches in Cassis (small), La Ciotat and a bigger one in Les Lecques.
Overall there are not enough beaches around Marseille and they are all crowded in the summer, including weekends in May-June.

Thanks for everyone's help. I have a lot of new information to digest and research.

We spent two weeks last June in Languedoc and two of the days we went to La Grande Motte, which had a very nice sandy beach. it is, however, more than an hour away from Marseille; maybe 1.5 hrs.? June was a great time to be there b/c it was ahead of tourist season, and there were few people on the beach.

Le Grau-du-Roi is right across from La Grande Motte but it's a nice little town - - way more quaint and townish than La Grande Motte- - nice streets for strolling/restaurants/shopping (and not honky tonk or loud). That area is a bit easier for daytrips than St. Maries de la Mere if you don't want just beach alone.

Here are views to the three beaches - - I think Ste. Marie is a bit scraggly, as beach scene goes: http://www.net-provence.com/villes/s...s-maries-3.jpg

La Grande Motte is a big beach, but in a kind of sterile/austere setting: http://cdn.logitravel.co.uk/contenid...10/8563592.jpg

And here's Le Grau du Roi (in June it will not be this crowded): http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/3964792.jpg