The Mediterranean beach resort of Cap d'Agde in the South of France is the biggest holiday resort in France. Famed for its 14km of sandy beaches, clear turquoise waters and steady supply of Mediterranean sunshine, the resort itself hides an interesting history. Cap d'Agde is located about 20 minutes drive south-east of Montpellier in the old Languedoc region of Southern France and 15 mins from Beziers airport. This Mediterranean resort is 5kms away from the old French town of Agde, situated on the banks of the Herault river. During the summer season, the population of Cap d'Agde resort grows from 3,500 permanent residents to nearly 200,000 visitors!

The beach resort of Cap d'Agde is set around a small peninsula which encompasses a large central harbour and 11 supervised beaches. The resort is well set up for holidays with a range of activities on offer from sailing to golf, horse riding, go-karting, kitesurfing and jet-skiing. For teenagers, Cap d'Agde has a a popular water park (Aqualand) and an Amusement park (Luna Park). For younger children you will also find smaller water parks (Aquapark, Pirates World and Captain Jako) and a dinosaur themed amusement park (Dino World).

For older visitors there is a range of attractions from a newly built Casino (Casino Barrière), one of the best nightclubs in France (Amnesia), dozens of beach bars, a range of seafood restaurants, and of course, the large Naturist village.

Cap d'Agde tourist information 

Cap d'Agde South France beach resort. Photo courtesy of DALLE D photographies [flickr.com/photos/77232093@N02]

Cap d'Agde has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance in recent years. Striking new buildings are going up around the town, the harbour area has been refurbished and you can see that money is being spent improving the resort. Cap d'Agde has always been successful at attracting traditional 'Sun + Beach' visitors (with a twist!), but now the strategy of the town is to extend the visitor season from Easter to October and provide more 5 star activities and attractions. 

Cap d'Agde has through time evolved into attracting 3 different types of visitors:

• Naturists - Cap d'Agde first became popular for its campsites and natural environment. From this grew a large Naturist community, which today has created its own gated village on the northern edge of Cap d'Agde. Cap d'Agde remains the largest Naturism resort in Europe.
• French summer holidaymakers - starting from the 1960s, Cap d'Agde also developed itself as one of the largest beach resorts in France. This attracted large numbers of working class families from Paris and northern France, who were searching out a cheaper alternative to Cote d'Azur and a hotter and sunnier destination than the old seaside towns of the North French coast could provide. Over 65% of visitors to Cap d'Agde are French, with a high proportion coming from the Ile de France region around Paris.
• Libertines - especially in the late 1980s and 1990s, Cap d'Agde attracted a more anything goes crowd, with clubs catering to libertines (Le Glamor club and Eros Café), swingers (Le Jul's and Kamasutra clubs), BDSM (Clair Obscur), fetish and gay & lesbian clients.

In 2023, Cap d'Agde attracted over 12 million overnight stays and has a total capacity of 175,000 beds per night. One interesting fact is how loyal the visitors to Cap d'Agde are. Over 70% of visitors in 2023 were return visitors (they had previously visited Cap d'Agde within the last 5 years). Whilst, Cap d'Agde remains popular with French tourists, over 30% of visitors were foreigners, with 6 countries comprising nearly 20% of visitors (Netherlands, Germany, Italy, UK, Sweden and Switzerland).

The aim for Cap d'Agde now is to attract a higher number of visitors outside of August (when traditionally the France arrive en masse) by promoting more annual events such as the Harley Davidson rally, the Comedy festival, the boat show and the Wine festival. The new casino and exhibition hall will certainly help draw in more visitors and new 5 star hotels are planned for the resort.

History of Cap d'Agde beach resort South France

The region around Cap d'Agde was first founded by the Greeks. They built a sea port at Agde in the 5th century BC. The Musee de l'Ephebe displays many of the Greek and Roman artifacts found around the region. Agde itself is an OK-ish town. It became a bit run-down during the 1980s and 1990s, although the local council are now trying to revive its fortunes. There are some nice restaurants on the river bank and the Cathedral made from dark lava stone looks particularly impressive lit up at night.

In 1680, a prison was built on a small volcanic island, just offshore from Cap d'Agde. Fort Brescou became the Alcatraz of its day and it housed French religious and political prisoners and general criminals until 1851. The prison was developed from an earlier Military fortification on the island. As the island is 1.5km offshore, escape was virtually impossible and there are only 25 recorded escape attempts. What I find quite interesting about, especially given the reputation that Cap d'Agde has in the present day, is that aside from the political prisoners, the fort also specialised in accepting a particular type of common criminal accused of being a “libertinage” - someone who had fallen into debt as a result of gambling, drinking, duelling and womanizing.

You take a boat trip out to Fort de Brescou and visit the tiny prison cells. You get the best view of the Fort from Richelieu Plage. There is also an underwater scuba diving trail around the fort where you can see a range of fish from Sea Bass and sea Bream to Eels and Lobsters. In the summer, the ramparts of the fort is used as a base for setting off fireworks on Bastille day and on certain nights in August.

Cap d'Agde is situated below an extinct volcano - Mont Saint-Loup - and it is well worth a walk up to the top to catch the views over Cap d'Agde and up to Sete in the north. Mont Saint-Loup was the scene of a fairly fierce battle during the Second World War and you can still see some of the reinforced fox-holes in the woods.

Cap d'Agde was also an important landing site for American soldiers during the Second World War and there is a monument to the beach landings on the Les Deux Frères headland close to La Grande Conque beach.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the area where Cap d'Agde is now located, became very popular with campers and many campsites were opened to accommodate these seasonal visitors. A harbour and Marina was built in 1970 and work began on draining a lot of the marshland. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was a rapid expansion of the resort, with holiday homes, hotels and apartments constructed and a giant man-made leisure island was built (Île des Loisirs) to accommodate numerous water parks, theme parks and night clubs. A fully-independent naturism village was also constructed during this time (see below).

Today, Cap d'Agde only has a population of 3,465 permanent residents who live all year around. However, during the summer season, the population swells to nearly 200,000. The resort has 45,000 establishments offering tourist accommodation (hotels, B&Bs, campsites and holiday apartments) and in total has a capacity of 175,000 beds.

To give you an idea about the scale of tourism in Cap d'Agde and what big business it generates, I only have to tell you a story about by eldest son. 2 years ago he got a job working with friends at a beach bar and shop in Cap d'Agde. This was just a basic no-thrills Spar (or Huit à Huit) shop, with a small Pizzeria kiosk and a bar which also sold fresh oysters, mussels and seafood (from the nearby Etang de Thau). That was it. It just has bare metal patio tables, concrete floor and some parasols. It was located at the back of Plage de la Roquille, so it had a steady stream of beach goers during the day and was then busy from about 6.00pm through to midnight. My son told me that they would make on average of 100-200 pizzas a night, shuck around 5,000 oysters and serve over 100-200 Moules marinières. This small shack was turning over €25,000-30,000 per night and would make over €2 million euros over the short season. I almost fell of my seat when my son told me the scale of the business. And that is without really trying. So you multiply that small shack by the many hundreds of bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, boat tours, ice cream vendors, boutiques, theme parks, amusements, water sports, nightclubs, etc, etc, - and you sort of get a sense of the scale of how important Cap d'Agde is to the local economy. 

Cap d'Agde beaches South France

The most famous beach in Cap d'Agde and one which originally attracted so many visitors to the area, is the Grande Conque. This horseshoe-shaped beach is situated at the foot of the volcanic headland (Les Deux Frères), which is a popular viewing point (and photo site for selfies). The water here is very shallow - you can walk out a long way before the sea reaches your waist. The beach itself is quite gritty (composed of dark volcanic sand and small pebbles). But it is popular for swimmers and it can get very busy (it is the closest beach to the centre of Cap d'Agde). One nice touch with the beach is that there is a small staircase carved into the volcanic rock which gives you access to the beach from the road behind. The staircase was carved in 1950 by a local man called Achille Irailles and there is now a plaque on the wall of the staircase recognising his work.

On the other side of the headland there is, in my opinion, a nicer beach (Plage de La Plagette) composed of golden sand. There is a large car park next to this beach, as well as a number of bars, cafes and restaurants.

The Môle beach is located a bit to the north of Grand Conque, in the direction of the Naturist village. La Môle is a large flat sandy beach, ringed by bars and restaurants at the back. It is popular with families (on account of the space and shallow waters). The beach is protected by two large breakwaters which, on clear days, give rise to lagoon-like pools of clear, shallow water. Many people sunbathe on the narrow sandy spurs between the bays, which are bathed on both sides by the sea.

Near to the Nudist Village you will find one of the nicest beaches in Cap d'Agde and also the site of my favourite beach bar. Plage de la Roquille is a large flat sandy beach, with sand dunes located at the back of the beach. There are a couple of restaurants and ice cream cafes at the back of the beach, but the main reason you will head to Roquille Plage is to go to Mangos beach bar. The beach bar has been running for a number of years and has a really cool and relaxed vibe about it. The food is pretty good and it is not too expensive to hire sun beds for the day. Cocktails at sundown is an absolute must-do.

To the south of Cap d'Agde's harbour, you will find two of the best beaches. Richelieu Plage is the first beach you will come to and this wide-open sandy beach offers great views out across the sea to the Fort de Brescou. From Richelieu Plage you take a boat trip out to Fort de Brescou and visit the tiny prison cells, as well as undertake a scuba-diving tour around the island.

Richelieu Plage also has a popular beach bar (Manovi Plage) which is open from 10.30am to 23.00pm every day during the season.

Overall though, my favourite Cap d'Agde beach has to be Rochelongue. It is not quite as busy as some of the others and it has a really cool cafe bar on the beach. Rochelongue is a lovely wild beach with sand dunes at the back of the beach and lovely views down to the Pyrenees and Spain in the distance. It is easier to find a place to park at Rochelongue Plage (compared to Richelieu or La Môle) and there are some nice restaurants and cafes at the back of the beach. 

Cap d'Agde resort, South of France

When we first arrived in France in 2006, we spent a lot of time going to the beaches and port of Cap d'Agde, but then we tailed off visiting for quite a while. I can't really put my finger on why we didn't visit so much, but the place just became a bit sad. Cap d'Agde had obviously developed quite rapidly and it was still attracting thousands of visitors each year, but seemed to take its foot off the gas and stopped investing.

But recently, a lot of investment has gone into Cap d'Agde. Two striking buildings have been constructed, just as you enter the resort, which house the Palais de Congrès and the Casino Barrière. A beautiful 5 star hotel has also been built just next to these two buildings, as well as an iconic Apartment complex. So now the impression you get as you arrive in Cap d'Agde is Wow! The harbour area has been refurbished and now includes the obligatory Big Wheel.

My favourite part of Cap d'Agde is to the south of the resort. Here you will find the old fishing port of Grau d'Agde, which has some excellent restaurants (L'Kalamar and Les Vagues). Further south you will find the really tranquil beach of La Tamarissiere (or La Tiramasu as our kids call it). 

I think overall, this is an attempt to reinvent Cap d'Agde and try and to pull in more visitors all year around. It will always be attractive to working class families and Naturists during the high season in August, because that in essence is what Cap d'Agde is all about. But the resort is looking to attract a different demographic at other times of the year.

The Palais de Congrès is a special venue for theatre, music, exhibitions and events throughout the year. Inside there is a large auditorium capable of holding over 1,000 spectators and various exhibition rooms, including a large lounge on the top floor with panoramic views over the Mediterranean.

Photo courtesy of Palais de Congrès [https://www.facebook.com/PalaisdesCongresCapdAgdeMediterraneeOfficiel/]

Cap d'Agde has quite a long season stretching from April through to October. There are numerous events and festivals held throughout the year, including a Harley Davidson rally, Classic Car show, a Comedy festival, Boat Show and National Tennis Championships, as well as numerous special club nights at the various venues throughout the resort.

Casinos really aren't my thing at all. But we have two friends (with the rather catchy names of Sandy & Andy) who have an apartment in Cap d'Agde and they swear-by Casino Barrière. There is an excellent restaurant here and a really classy bar that they say is surprisingly, not too expensive. Casino Barrière is open until 03.00am, so Sandy & Andy tend to pop into the casino when the bars and restaurants around the port start to close down. They don't bet themselves, but the Casino has 150 slot machines, plus the usual poker tables and card games. But the best bit is that the Casino puts on live cabaret shows which are free to guests.

Naturism village Cap d'Agde

Nowadays, if you think of Cap d'Agde and then you probably think of the naturist beaches (or noo-de-doody beaches as my children call them) and the large Naturism village situated in the heart of Cap d'Agde.

The land adjoining the long sandy beach at Cap d'Agde was for many years covered with olive groves behind the sand dunes adjoining the beach. After the Second World War the area became popular with campers, many of whom liked to swim and to sunbathe nude. Two enterprising brothers spotted a good opportunity and developed the first caravanning and camping resort dedicated solely for naturists. The camp grew increasingly popular, especially with German and Dutch tourists.

In the early 1970s the government of Georges Pompidou drew up plans for the development of the Languedoc-Roussillon coastline. Naturism initially had no part in these proposals, but Rene Oltra, one of the brothers, persuaded the authorities to include plans for a naturist resort at Cap d'Agde. In 1973 the beach was officially designated as a naturist beach.

The Naturist Village became a controlled zone during the season, with regulated access. Everyone entering was informed of the regulations and required to comply with them. The Naturist Village continued to prove a popular resort and it developed an easy and pleasant atmosphere. There were so many German visitors that the Post Office even had a designated post-box for letters and postcards being sent to Germany. During the 1990s, the resort became associated with many 'swinging' and 'libertine' nightclubs and a part of the naturist beach was reserved for people to engage in sex acts in front of others - careful where you put your towel !.

Today the naturism resort is actually the most popular naturist location in Europe. In summertime, the population of Cap d'Agde naturists resort rises to as many as 40,000 and it promotes itself as one of the best naturism destinations in the world.

At the heart of Cap d'Agde's naturist village you will find over 30 restaurants catering for every taste from a pizza, Mexican, fish restaurants and romantic French bistros overlooking the naturist beach. Within the naturist town there are many grocery stores, bakeries, bank, and even a post office.

Amnesia nightclub Cap d'Agde

Photo courtesy of Amnesia [https://www.instagram.com/amnesiacap/]

Amnesia was voted the best Nightclub in France in 2023 and was the 21st best club in the World. It is not to be confused with the club of the same name in Ibiza. The club is part open air and part enclosed. In total, in can hold up to 5,000 people, although most club nights it gets around 3,000 people, with Wednesday nights being very popular. Opened in 1984, Amnesia has been a regular host to famous DJs such as David Guetta and Bob Sinclair.

Our boys go all the time when they are back for a weekend. It is not cheap to get in (around €30) and drinks are very expensive. Our boys tend to chip in with their mates and buy a bottle of Vodka for €150 which seems to last them most of the night.

Aqualand Cap d'Agde

The Aqualand water park in Cap d'Agde was the very first water park in France when it opened its doors in 1983. Forty years later, in 2023, the water park attracted over 200,000 annual visitors (which is pretty impressive considering it is only open for 12 weeks during the summer season). The water park has over 14 different rides, as well as a large wave pool and lazy river. It is not cheap to get it (Adults €32 and Children €25), but I would advise anybody going to Aqualand to purchase a VIP ticket, because otherwise you will spend half your time queuing for rides. The Aqualand water park is located on the Île des Loisirs at 2 avenue des Iles d'Amérique 34300 Cap d'Agde.

See Aqualand Cap d'Agde for up to date ticket prices and opening times.

Cap d'Agde golf course

 Cap d'Agde's golf course was opened in 2014 and features a hotel and restaurant. It lies right in the heart of Cap d'Agde and provides a nice green space in contrast to all the cream and brown apartment developments of the resort. There is an 18 hole course and a 9 hole course, as well as a driving range. My mates who play golf say that the 9 hole course is the most pleasant to play on, as it is situated between pine forest and the foot of Mont St Loup.

Further information and tee prices can be obtained from https://www.golfcapdagde.com/

Cap d'Agde tennis centre

Cap d'Agde is also home to one of the best Tennis Centres in Europe. Throughout the year, the Tennis Center hosts numerous competitions, such as the French National Tennis Cup (for amateur club players) and numerous youth championships. The tennis centre is located right in the centre of Cap d'Agde and comes with 20 outside courts, 7 indoor courts, 8 Padel courts and 1 Squash court. The centre runs an Academy providing coaching for promising young players and is fully open to members of the public to reserve a court. The centre is open from 08.30am to 19.30pm throughout the year.

For more information, visit Tennis Cap d'Agde.

Visit Cap d'Agde the largest beach resort in South France

Cap d'Agde has always had an amazing capacity to reinvent itself - from camping to Naturists to Sports resort to Swingers and now to high-end tourists. It does now have some first class facilities and attractions, but it will always retain its loyal customer base. And this is what Cap d'Agde has been so successful at. It is able to attract different types of visitors who happily co-exist with one another. You only have to spend half an hour drinking a beer and people watching down by the port, to see what an eclectic mix of people come to Cap d'Agde. Strolling along the promenade around the harbour you will see rich Yacht owners, working class families, motor bikers, teenagers on their first holiday together, elaborately dressed people having a stroll before hitting the clubs, gay couples happily walking hand in hand, old French couples happily walking hand in hand, tight speedos and leopard print bikinis - you name it and you are going to see it.

That is what Cap d'Agde provides. Yes it has the water parks, some really nice beaches, over 250 days of sunshine a year, great sports facilities, theme parks and more kids entertainments than you can shake a stick at. But the essence of Cap d'Agde is that people are just coming here to have fun and nobody gives a monkeys what you do or what you are into. It is inclusive without needing to trumpet it.

So from a former marshland to a successful beach resort, Cap d'Agde looks likely to continue its popularity well into the 2030's and 2040's.