KITESURFING in FRANCE

ORGANISE YOUR TRIP | OUR FAVOURITE KITESURF SPOTS | FEATURED VIDEO | KITESURFING GALLERY

The moment you arrive at the beach, surrounded by sand, water, sun and wind, you know you're in your element! Kitesurfing has exploded in popularity in recent years. And it's little wonder when you consider it's relatively easy to learn, amazing fun, keeps you fit and takes you to some of the world's most beautiful destinations.

FRANCE - A WORLD-CLASS KITESURFING DESTINATION

In France, there are hundreds of kitesurfing spots along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines. The south of France gets 2 strong northwesterly winds; the Mistral and the Tramontana, which can kick in at any time but are most consistent in winter and spring. In summer, southerly thermals kick in around lunchtime making for some unforgettable late afternoon sessions. Each April, Leucate hosts the Mondial du Vent kitesurf event which sees the world's best kitesurfers battle it out in optimum conditions just metres from the beach.

KITESURFING FOR BEGINNERS

Unlike learning to windsurf where you can spend hours dragging the sail out of the water, with kitesurfing you can make quick progress. Despite the fact that when you're starting out you drop your kite occasionally, you'll quickly get that magic sensation of skimming across the water. However, kitesurfing can be dangerous and to stay safe you need to make sure you take some lessons with a qualified kitesurf instructor. There are lots of good kitesurf schools across France offering introductory lessons and multi-day courses.

With a bit of practice, you can start doing a few jumps and before long you'll be blasting along and launching skywards. The sky really is the limit. The beauty of kitesurfing is that you can make continuous incremental progress in every aspect of the sport.

Travelling kitesurfer Johannes Völkner reminds of a joke amongst the windsurfing community: “What’s the difference between a kitesurf beginner and a pro?” The answer: “One week”. Obviously, it’s not that easy but with a bit of effort (some natural talent always helps as well) you can be kitesurfing and staying up wind within 10 days or less.

ORGANISE YOUR KITESURF TRIP

Once you've chosen the perfect destination for your ability and style of kitesurfing, you need to organise your accommodation, airport transfers, kitesurf rental and lessons. We've got your back. We work with the best companies in the industry to help you organise an unforgettable kiteboarding trip.

THE BEST KITESURF SPOTS IN FRANCE

Here's a selection of our favourite places to go kitesurfing on France's Mediterranean coast. See all kitesurf spots.

WATCH THIS: Strapless Kitesurfing in France.

Riders from Hibiskite ramp up the skill level with some strapless kiteboarding in the waves at l'Espiguette near Grau du Roi in the Camargue.

KITESURFING FRANCE INSTA GALLERY

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Please leave a comment below if you need specific advice for your kitesurf trip to France, or if you have any recommendations to help us improve this page. Happy holidays!