The 7 Best Surf Camps in France [2024] - Surf Atlas (2024)

Star Surf Camp, Moliets

Best all-round surf camp in France in 2024

• Location: Moliets
• Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $608 (£483) per person

One of the OGs of the Landes surf-camp scene, Star Surf Camp has risen to become arguably the most sought-after stay for the youngish – let’s say 20-35 – crowd in the last 13 years. It’s all about getting a taste of the “good life” on the Atlantic coast, which means more than just a daily rigmarole of get up, surf, sleep.

The accommodation itself is in glamping bell tents that are tucked into a sandy patch in the middle of the aromatic pine forests literally steps back from the main beaches. They’ve created a super cool space, with sprawling canvas abodes that have double beds, twin options, and more, al fresco band stages for live music in the evenings, a communal cooking area, and a fantastically well-stocked board stash.

It’s gotta’ be one of the best glamp-surf-camp setups we’ve seen.

The 8-day chill package is coupled with a 6-day surf course. It’s very high-quality stuff, especially at the beginner end of the spectrum, since group sizes never exceed eight surfers per instructor and they’ve got a top array of learner foam boards, and the sessions aren’t just about hitting the waves, you also do breathing workshops, proper warm ups, and surf theory lessons.

Solo travelers and couples should feel especially at home here. You’ll finish on the waves and then return to camp for cheese and wine nights, jam sessions, and cold beers in the hammock.

St Girons Surf House, Vielle-Saint-Girons

Best for: Being right on the beach!

• Location: Vielle-Saint-Girons
• Price: 8 days $721 (£572) per person in shared accomodation

Step out of the dorm and double rooms at the St Girons Surf House and you’ll find your feet right in the sand. That’s how close this highly rated lodge comes to the wonderful beaches of Landes department.

And they really are wonderful beaches for surfers. You get 365 days of pumping Atlantic swell here thanks to direct exposure to the W and NW channels. That means the summer – when the camp runs between June and September – offers great conditions for learners, even when the wind is still and the sun is shining.

The program is simple but effective. There are 5 lessons of 2 hours each throughout the week, backed up by expert surf theory classes and pinpoint video analysis. All that should help you improve, while the relative quietness of the beaches here compared to, say, Hossegor, makes them perfect for improvers who don’t like crowds.

You can choose between single beds in shared rooms or go for a private double as a couple, costing around $1,663 for the whole package. Breakfasts are included, as is one BBQ dinner.

La Dune Surf Camp, Messanges

Best budget surf camp in France

• Location: Messanges
• Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $399 (£317) per person

The endless, endless beach breaks and sandbanks of Messanges make it a great alternative to Hossegor and Mimizan. Come here if you hate sharing waves and want to find not a soul in the lineup on the dawnies. It’s often empty in the shoulder season, and sees only a trickle of other surfers in the high season (at least compared to France’s more popular spots).

The lodge of choice? Uber-bargain La Dune. Set in Messanges town just back from the coast, it’s a welcoming little French coast villa with lots of character. Rooms are simple but cozy, you get a shared kitchen and nice garden for hanging out, and there’s even an on-site skate ramp for practicing cutbacks and whatnot on dry land.

The package here is all about value for money. They achieve that – you’re looking at 5 days of surfing and 6 nights of lodging for under $400 – by keeping it simple. You do two hours of surfing each day on the local beaches, then have lots of free time to chill. Equipment and tuition are included but meals aren’t.

Pura Vida Lodge, Mimizan

Best for: Surfers in their 30s and 40s

• Location: Mimizan
• Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $723 (£568) per person

We’ve only heard good things about the Pura Vida lodge down in Mimizan and we have to give them kudos for developing one of the few surf camp packages that’s solely aimed at people in the 30-40 age group. (As someone who’s smack dab in the middle of that, I appreciate. I appreciate very much!).

The idea was to create an itinerary for folks who want to break into the sport but have pipped past the supple 20s and feel like practicing with peers in their own age group is the better way to go. It lasts eight days and seven nights, includes six hours of surfing spread out through the week, and a daily yoga session – perfect for us older peeps who need a downward dog to stretch out the lumbar before paddling out.

True to the name, the lodge itself channels a touch of that Costa Rican exoticism. It’s got a garden that blooms with flowers in the summer, a vine-strewn hammock cabana, and a lovely pool in the grounds. It’s also within easy striking distance of Mimizan-Plage town, where you’ll head to socialize with fellow surf campers (all in their 30s of course) and even hit the town (you know, like you used to!).

Alma Libre, Benesse-Maremne

Best for: Yogis

• Location: Benesse-Maremne
• Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $1,039 (£816) per person

Alma Libre is one part yoga retreat, one part surf house. It’s run by the always-smiling duo of Andia and Davi – him a surfer out of Brazil, her a skier and yogi from the French-Italian Alps. Together, they’ve created a space that’s all about revitalizing and getting close to nature through a balanced program of morning stretches, meditation, and – of course – surfing on the lovely Landes coast.

To be frank, the packages run here are probably a bit more about deepening your yoga practice than advancing your surfing – you get seven yoga sessions to five surf sessions included in the main itinerary. That’s great for people looking for a more holistic health retreat, especially since they cover the gamut of yoga disciplines, from Hatha to Ashtanga and more.

The surf is by no means bad, though. Consider it quality over quantity, and there’s some great potential to hit some of the best spots in southern France because they’ll transport you up to waves in Capbreton, Seignosse, and Hossegor among others.

The lodge where you’ll stay is pretty slick. It’s got a fantastic communal dining-kitchen space where you’ll hang and eat together. There’s a raised pool in the garden for post-yoga chills. And it’s close enough for a visit to the hip town of Biarritz, home to chic beach casinos, edgy co*cktail bars, and some great urban surf spots.

The Cheeky Family Surf Camp, Lacanau

Best for: Families

• Location: Lacanau
• Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $800 (£629) per person

We don’t think there’s any camp that can match the family offering at the Cheeky Family Surf Camp down in Lacanau – the clue’s in the name, eh?

It’s basically a curated package aimed at multi-level, multi-age groups. It’s exceptionally accessible, includes 12 hours of surf tuition that’s in groups of no more than six learners at once, breakfast each day, and accommodation in shared dorms that you can book out for the whole family. Look at it as a sort of all-inclusive holiday resort only with surfing thrown in for good measure.

The beginner sessions here deserve a special mention. The camp is armed with a series of very high quality Softech boards that work a wonder on the cruisy beach breaks of Lacanau throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Sessions are also very well tailored to levels, so you can expect to improve even while surfing alongside less- or more-advanced compadres.

Hoya Surf Camp

Best non-package surf camp

• Location: Biscarrosse
• Price: Starting at $70 (£56)/night

Lastly, there’s the budget-friendly option of the Hoya Surf Camp. Set between the high pine woods of the more northerly Landes region, it’s known as a bit of an easier-going version of Hossegor.

If that sounds like just about the perfect place for a beginner or family surf retreat, then that’s because it is. The waves here peel mellow and easy into sand-bottomed runs of sand. And they’re less busy on the whole than their compadres to the south.

Hoya is a book-it-yourself stay that offers a taste of cabin life. You’ll bed down in small wooden pods between the stone pines, and have hammocks strewn between the trees for chilling in. There’s a communal pool, but really it’s all about two things: The low rates and the walking access to the plage, which has consistent waves.

You can pay for add-on surf lessons, board rental, and paddle sessions on site when you arrive.