Plage du Grand Travers
Between Carnon and La Grande-Motte · France
Montpellier's local nude beach: a long strip of sand behind the dunes with a naturist section and a gay end.
- Status
- Tolerated
- Crowd
- Gay-popular
- Country
- France
- City
- Montpellier
- Water
- Sea
- Best time
- May to September
- Confidence
- Medium
Find it
43.5555° N, 4.0400° EThe gay end
The naturist stretch, with the boys gathering at one end. Follow the crowd.
Crowd A nude beach for everyone with a gay end everyone knows about. Walk in the direction the guide says and you will find the boys.
Getting there
Park along the D59 between Carnon and La Grande-Motte and cross the dunes. Twenty minutes from Montpellier.
The rules
Tolerated. Not designated, but nude bathing has been the custom for years and is left alone. Rules and patrols can change, so read the signs when you arrive.
No photos of anyone, sunscreen everywhere, cover up the moment you leave the nude stretch, and go home with the light. It is a beach: sunbathe, swim, talk, flirt. Anything more belongs somewhere private.
Questions people ask
Is Plage du Grand Travers a gay beach?
It has a gay end. The naturist stretch, with the boys gathering at one end. Follow the crowd. Montpellier's local nude beach: a long strip of sand behind the dunes with a naturist section and a gay end.
Is it legal to be nude at Plage du Grand Travers?
Tolerated rather than designated. Not designated, but nude bathing has been the custom for years and is left alone. Rules and patrols can change, so read the signs when you arrive.
How do I get to Plage du Grand Travers?
Park along the D59 between Carnon and La Grande-Motte and cross the dunes. Twenty minutes from Montpellier. Best time: May to September.
More in France
Method
Status says what the law and the locals allow; crowd says who is on the sand. Both come from gay-travel guides, the national naturist federations and members who were just there, scored on sources, recency, crowd, legal footing and safety. How we rank. Pins mark the beach; the gay end is described above. Last reviewed September 2026.