Plage des Chalets (Gruissan)

Plage des Chalets is a long, open sand beach in front of the chalets district of Gruissan, a seaside commune near Narbonne in the Aude, Occitanie, facing the Gulf of Lion. It is known for the 1,330 wooden houses on stilts that line it and for the film 37°2 le matin, and it suits families and anyone curious about this unusual setting.

About 1,330 stilt houses in named blocks

The Occitanie tourism board counts about 1,330 stilt houses along the beach, a site it describes as unique in France; their origins go back to the 19th century. They are laid out in named blocks such as the Ilot des Macareux and the Ilot des Pluviers. The beach became famous through Jean-Jacques Beineix's 1986 film 37°2 le matin, which was shot among the chalets, and some rentals still trade on that link.

Fine sand below the Clape massif

Kilometres of fine sand run along the shore, with the Clape massif behind. Swimming, stand-up paddle and giant paddle outings are the main activities in summer, and the Pôle nautique Gruissan near the district offers water sports in season. The wind on this coast also draws windsurfers and kitesurfers. Pétanque, barbecues and evening aperitifs are part of chalet life.

Circulade village, Tour Barberousse and salt pans

The old village of Gruissan, about 2.5 km away, is a circulade, its lanes winding in rings around a rock topped by the Tour Barberousse. The tower is all that remains of a castle built at the end of the 10th century to watch the approaches to the port of Narbonne; it was enlarged in the 12th century by the archbishop of Narbonne and dismantled in the 16th century on Richelieu's orders. The salt pans of the Île Saint-Martin, about 3 km away, have produced salt since antiquity and are still worked; the Salin de Gruissan sells sea salt made on site.