Dave Johnson

Hyères is about 150 kilometers southwest of Nice and just 180 kilometers from the Italian border, but you can still expect a driving time of around 11 hours and almost 1,000 kilometers each way from Munich or Salzburg. Probably too far for a long weekend, but if you bring a few days of vacation with you, you will definitely get on the water on the Almanarre peninsula! The Bay of Almanarre is one of the most popular kite surfing areas in France. Spring and autumn, when there are no bathers claiming the beach for themselves, is probably the best time for this kite spot. The kilometer-long sandy beach offers an incredible amount of space for setting up and launching the kites and even on days with many kitesurfers it doesn't get too tight on the water. In the summer months I assume that you are only allowed to take off and land in the marked kite zone in the middle of the bay of Almanarre. The zone is marked with buoys on the water and in my opinion not too big. When the mistral blows in full force, a nice wind wave builds up in the bay, which can reach up to 2 meters high in some places. Even if it's fun with the directional in Hyères, there are still better spots for wave kiters. France has always been a kitefoil nation and it shows on the water. Even in strong winds you can still see a few kite foilers darting around the water with insanely small kites. The somewhat choppy conditions in the onshore Mistral give twintip riders a bit of trouble, but still offer some jump ramps. At this kite spot there are no significant dangers or obstacles. In the onshore conditions, the current sometimes brings less seaweed to the shore, which does not pose a danger, but sometimes smells a bit unappetizing.