Fishing village, beach & salt
Gruissan
Barely a quarter of an hour from Salty Dayz lies our favourite place for the sea: Gruissan, an old fishing and salt village that curls in concentric rings around a ruined tower. Around it: wide sandy beaches, chalets on stilts and pink shimmering salt lakes where flamingos wade. A little Camargue, a little cinema — and for us, the quickest way onto the sand.
The circular village below the Tour Barberousse
Gruissan's old core is a circulade: in narrow, circular lanes the houses nestle ring upon ring against the rock, crowned by the Tour Barberousse — the ruin of a medieval castle whose name recalls "Redbeard". From the top you take in the whole village, the lagoons and the sea at a glance. Down in the lanes, the sitting is lovely: we like La Cranquette and Le Plan B, and for a coffee in between, the small, friendly Le Nopal.
Market days are Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, mornings in the old village centre — olives, cheese, fish and the fleur de sel from the salt pans. Narbonne keeps to entirely different days; we have listed them all here.
The beaches — the quickest from Salty Dayz
Gruissan has kilometres of gently shelving sandy beaches — and the two quickest for us to reach are here: the Plage de Mateille and the Plage des Chalets, which you will find on Google Maps most easily via the restaurant Le Paparazzo. Officially, Mateille takes a good 20 minutes — but there is a small, slightly adventurous shortcut (a narrow wooden bridge, a stretch of gravel) that gets locals there in around ten. We will gladly show you on site. The Plage des Chalets by Le Paparazzo takes about a quarter of an hour. Both are ideal for families: plenty of space, a gentle entry and beach bars with your feet in the sand. And if you prefer to swim without swimwear: nude bathing is common at the far left end of Mateille.
One tip for the drive: on the road that leads from us straight to the salt pans, the flamingos often stand just a few metres from the tarmac — pull over, look, drive on. The loveliest accident on the route.
If you would rather spend the day on a sunlounger with table service, there are beach clubs too: Mosquito Coast at Mateille and Le Pacha in Gruissan. Our favourite, though, is one village along in Narbonne-Plage — the beach club of the Château L'Hospitalet wine estate, with loungers right by the sea.
Les Chalets & "Betty Blue"
A chapter of its own is the Les Chalets quarter: around 1,300 colourful houses on stilts, built straight into the sand so the floods cannot touch them. The cinema made them famous — Jean-Jacques Beineix shot his cult film "Betty Blue" (37°2 le matin) here in 1985. Today it is a lively beach quarter: you wander between the colourful chalets, treat yourself to an ice cream and sit down to eat right on the sand.
The pink salt pans
Right by the village begin the Salins de Gruissan — salt gardens whose basins glow from soft rose to vivid pink depending on the light. Flamingos wade between the evaporation ponds, and an old salt barge bears the name Gruissan. Salt is still harvested here today; best take some fleur de sel home with you. Stop at the Cambuse du Saunier — with a view over the pink lagoon, oysters and a glass of wine taste twice as good.
The salt meadows and their most famous residents — here all year, and at their pinkest in courtship season from December to mid-February.
The old port
Honestly, Gruissan's port is no postcard motif — but it belongs to the picture. Around the harbour basin you find cafés, ice-cream parlours, restaurants and the little shops that are simply part of a seaside summer. A nice place for an evening stroll, when the boats bob and the terraces fill up.
Fish straight off the boat
If you would rather cook than eat out, buy your fish in Gruissan where it comes ashore. At the harbour stands the Halle aux poissons et aux coquillages — a plain sales hall where several Gruissan skippers share the counters. It opens in the morning from around 8 am, governed by the weather and the catch rather than by a calendar. Things get even more original at the far end of the Île Saint-Martin: on the Étang de l'Ayrolle sits a little village of fishing huts where the Pêcheurs de l'Ayrolle sell their catch directly — sea bass, sea bream, mullet, eel. The same applies here: go in the morning, from about half past eight, and go relaxed about the chance that there is nothing today. That is precisely the charm of it.
Eating, drinking & with kids
For eating out in and around Gruissan we like Mamamouchi, Le Paparazzo on the beach and — for freshly caught seafood — La Perle Gruissanaise. Travelling with children? The amusement park Pirat Parc only opens in the evening (usually from 8 pm) — perfect for winding down a long beach day. You will find our full list of favourites in our restaurant guide. And for a bottle for the evening: our favourite wine shop Vie d'Oc sits by the Mateille — the master caviste knows every one of his winemakers personally.
Frequently asked questions
- How far is Gruissan from Salty Dayz?
- Around 15 minutes by car. The closest beaches — the Plage de Mateille and the Plage des Chalets (by the restaurant Le Paparazzo) — are 15 to 20 minutes away, ideal even for a spontaneous afternoon by the sea.
- Which beach is quickest to reach from you?
- The Plage de Mateille and the Plage des Chalets, which you will find on Google Maps most easily via the restaurant Le Paparazzo. Both are wide, gently shelving sandy beaches — perfect for families. The Plage des Chalets takes a good quarter of an hour, Mateille officially a good 20 minutes — via a little shortcut we will show you on site, around ten.
- What should you see in Gruissan?
- The circular old village with the ruined Tour Barberousse, the famous stilt chalets (film location of “Betty Blue”), the pink shimmering salt pans with their flamingos and of course the endless beaches. Half a day gives you a first impression, a full day covers it all at leisure.
- When is market day in Gruissan?
- Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The market in the old village centre is a lovely morning stop for olives, cheese, fish and the typical fleur de sel from the salt pans.