Plage de Sylvabelle, Mediterranean beach in La Croix-Valmer, France.

Plage de Sylvabelle is a sand beach on the Mediterranean in La Croix-Valmer, at the foot of a valley that opens onto the water between high cliffs and natural vegetation. The cove is reached on foot from the cliff top, and the surrounding slopes frame the shoreline.

The white villa above the beach is the Villa Sylvabelle, built for Sarah Bernhardt, who stayed here around 1900. The beach takes its name from this property. Bernhardt was one of the best-known French actresses of her day, and her presence drew attention to this cove between Le Lavandou and Cavalaire.

The beach takes its name from the Sylvabelle estate above it, and the white villa associated with actress Sarah Bernhardt stands as its landmark. Bathers reach the sand on foot down the valley, and the cove stays without beach clubs or rows of parasols. The surrounding slopes of the Massif des Maures remain wooded, so the shoreline keeps the character of a small cove rather than a resort strip.

Access involves descending a series of steps from the cliff top, which can be tiring in warm weather, especially on the return walk uphill. A free shuttle service operates during summer months to help ease the physical effort needed for the climb back.

The beach lies at the mouth of a small coastal valley that runs down to the sea, with the sand set between the slopes and the water. The site is about 700 km south-east of Paris, on the Mediterranean coast of Var.