Plage Napoléon, Beach in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, southern France
Plage Napoléon is a long sandy beach in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, in the south of France, running along the edge of the Mediterranean near the mouth of the Rhône. The beach is flat and open, backed by dunes held in place by wooden barriers made from chestnut wood, which slow the wind and support local plants.
The sandy coastline around Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône was shaped over time by the Rhône delta, with sandbars slowly joining together to form the beaches that exist today. In the early 20th century, a shipwreck at the northern end of the beach contributed to the formation of a sandbar now known as They de la Gracieuse.
The name Plage Napoléon is said to be connected to ships or captains that sank in the area, whose wrecks gradually formed new sandbars called Theys. These sandbars eventually joined together over time to create the long sandy coastline that visitors walk along today.
The beach is reachable by car along a road that passes by ponds, and a bus service runs during the summer season. Dogs are allowed on a leash outside the supervised swimming area, and lifeguards are on duty during the warmer months.
Near the northern end of the beach, the Anse de Carteau forms a small bay where local mussel and oyster farms operate, fed by the flow of the Rhône. This means that the water conditions in that corner of the beach are shaped as much by the river as by the sea.
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