Plage de l'Espiguette

Plage de l'Espiguette is a 10 km beach of fine sand at the eastern end of the Gard coast, south of Le Grau-du-Roi in Occitanie, with no buildings behind it. Dunes, a nineteenth-century lighthouse and wide open space make it one of the wildest beaches on the French Mediterranean. It suits walkers, families who want room, and naturists.

A classified sand point in the Camargue gardoise

Sand carried by currents has built a wide point into the Mediterranean here, up to 2 km across. The point has been a classified natural site since 10 December 1998 and belongs to the Camargue gardoise, labelled a Grand Site de France in 2014. Behind the sand rises a band of dunes up to 12 metres high, from moving barchan dunes near the water to older, fixed dunes inland, covering some 534 hectares of protected land. The Sicarex lagoon nearby is a bird breeding area.

A lighthouse now 700 metres inland

The square lighthouse tower, 27 metres tall, was built in 1869 by Charles Dupuy, a councillor of Aigues-Mortes. It first stood about 150 metres from the water; the sand has built up so much that it is now about 700 metres inland. Listed as a historic monument in 2012 and handed to the Conservatoire du littoral in 2019, it opened to visitors in 2023 after restoration. Visit details are published on the lighthouse's own website. The route crosses open sand, so wear shoes.

Lifeguard hours and the naturist area

In 2026 the Pointe de l'Espiguette lifeguard post was staffed from 27 June to 31 August, from 11:00 to 18:30. Swim inside the flagged area at those times. A large naturist area lies further along, and the wildest stretch is beyond the lighthouse. Bathing water in Le Grau-du-Roi is tested weekly by the regional health agency and daily at six points by an independent laboratory since 2017; the town's beaches hold six Blue Flags. An adapted Handi Plage service runs at Boucanet beach in Le Grau-du-Roi in July and August (€2 an hour).