Watersports Guide for Provence
Discover the top Provence watersports
Provence is a great place for watersports with its warm summers, lakes, gorges and interesting coastline.
There are plenty of watersports centres where you can learn to sail or enjoy thrilling white water rafting, and everything in between. To find companies offering lessons and equipment hire for watersports, take a look at our Watersports Centres page.
The most popular areas for watersports are along the Gorge du Verdon where you can kayak or canoe at a slow pace, or take on the rapids and white waters for more of a thrill.
The region also includes many lakes which are thriving with jet skis, wind surfs, cable wakeboarding and sailing. And of course if scuba diving and splashing around in the sea are more your thing then the French Riviera is right on your doorstop for some fantastic Mediterranean action.
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Canoeing / Kayaking
There are hundred of options for canoeing and kayaking in Provence, stretching from the Ardeche gorge all the way down into central Provence along the Durance river and across to the Gorges du Verdon. Whether you're looking to spend a few hours with the family on the river, or a multi-day trip with overnight stays on the river banks, there are plenty of companies offering all kinds of packages.
Canoeing / Kayaking Watersports in Provence
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Les Guides Action and Aventure, Aiguines
A team of state qualified guides sharing their enthusiasm for great outdoor activities with you.
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Verdon Canoe, Gorges du Verdon
Explore the beautiful Gorges du Verdon by paddling down the river in canoes or kayaks. A fun activity for everyone to explore the beautiful Gorges du Verdon and paddle on the beautiful blue water.
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Goud' Canoe, La Roque sur Ceze
The Ceze is a calm river and accessible for all. Along the trip you’ll find enough spots and beaches where you’ll be able to get out of your boat to eat, sunbathe or swim.
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Canoe Evasion, near Isle sur la Sorgue
This company offers a 2 hour river descent from Isle sur la Sorgue to Fontain de Vaucluse in canoes.
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Raille Lake Watersports, Apt
Just to the north of Apt lies the Plan d'Eau de la Raille. You can practice all sorts of watersports here, with a sailing & windsurfing school. All equipment is available to rent - dinghies, windsurfs, pedal boats and kayaks.
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Nice Rafting, Breil-sur-Roya
For those looking for an adrenalin rush, Nice Rafting is the place to go to!
Canyoning
Canyoning Watersports in Provence
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Caminaterra Activity Company, Vedene
This company offers all kinds of activities, from climbing and pot-holing to canyoning, canoeing, kayaking, hiking and via ferrata.
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Les Guides Action and Aventure, Aiguines
A team of state qualified guides sharing their enthusiasm for great outdoor activities with you.
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Bureau des Guides de Canyon, Castellane
Range of water sports and outdoor activities proposed by a professional guiding company.
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Nice Rafting, Breil-sur-Roya
For those looking for an adrenalin rush, Nice Rafting is the place to go to!
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Air Eau Terre Nature Activity Company, Breil-sur-Roya
This company are based in Breil sur Roya and offer a huge range of outdoor sports and activities for groups and individuals.
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Aventure et Nature Watersport, La Palude sur Verdon
The vastness and richness of this protected site offers an extraordinary dimension to sports such as rock-climbing and canyoning.
Diving & Snorkelling
There is some lovely snorkelling to be had around the coast of the French Riviera. There are plenty of the dive schools in St Tropez, Cannes and Antibes can sort you out with equipment if you don't have your own. The same areas used for diving are also suitable for snorkelling if you feel like trying that before you commit to diving.
Flyboarding
Hydro-speeding
Hydro Speeding Watersports in Provence
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Bureau des Guides de Canyon, Castellane
Range of water sports and outdoor activities proposed by a professional guiding company.
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Nice Rafting, Breil-sur-Roya
For those looking for an adrenalin rush, Nice Rafting is the place to go to!
Jet-skiing
Paddleboarding
Parasailing
Rafting
Rafting Watersports in Provence
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Les Guides Action and Aventure, Aiguines
A team of state qualified guides sharing their enthusiasm for great outdoor activities with you.
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Bureau des Guides de Canyon, Castellane
Range of water sports and outdoor activities proposed by a professional guiding company.
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Nice Rafting, Breil-sur-Roya
For those looking for an adrenalin rush, Nice Rafting is the place to go to!
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Air Eau Terre Nature Activity Company, Breil-sur-Roya
This company are based in Breil sur Roya and offer a huge range of outdoor sports and activities for groups and individuals.
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Roya Evasion Activity Company, Breil-sur-Roya
This company offers a range of outdoor activities mostly based around canyoning and rafting white water, as well as via ferrata and mountain biking experiences and snowshoe walks in the winter.
Sailing & yachting in Provence
Again the ports and marinas of the French Riviera are the perfect place to go sailing or charter a yacht for a day, a week...or even a month.
You can moor up between the rich and famous during the Cannes film festival or the Monte Carlo rally. And what better way to experience the coastal towns than to sail along and stop in at each one.
Yacht Charter in Provence
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Baby Magic Superyacht
Baby Magic is a beautiful 23 metre Aikon yacht for charter in France. She was first constructed in 2006 by the renowned Italian shipyard Aikon Yachts. Then in 2018 she underwent an extensive refit, including a new painted hull. Thanks to said refit, she is in great condition and certainly has a quality design. Baby Magic is based in Frejus, making her the ideal choice for cruising around the sunny South of France and the West Mediterranean waters.
Waterparks
Waterparks & Aquariums in Provence
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Aqualand Waterpark, St Cyr Sur Mer
Aqualand in St Cyr Sur Mer offer you 11 wicked slides in a great park environment with drinks, food, and shops for you to enjoy.
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Domaine Le Sagittaire Waterpark, Nyons
In the depths of the Drôme countryside in the French Provence, this 5 Star Residential Campsite comes complete with an entirely heated Aquatic Complex, which is open to the public.
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Aqualand Waterpark, Sainte Maxime
This is probably the most family orientated waterpark on the Cote d'Azur. With several friendly slides, a fun pool, food and drinks, ice creams, and shopping all at hand.
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Aqualand Waterpark, Frejus
With numerous slides, including the King Cobra - unique is western Europe - this is the largest waterpark on the Cote d'Azur! Inludes a rest area, show area, clockroom, fast food, grill and pizzeria, ice creams, drinks, and shop.
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Wave Island Waterpark, Monteux
This huge waterpark covers an area of 4.7 hectares and includes a surf simulator, waterslides and a river feature called river land.
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Nyonsoleiado Waterpark, Nyons
Waterpark complex that contains a lagoon, 25m pool, whirlpool basin, waterslides for children and adults, cascades of water, rivers, paddling pools and much more.
Waterskiing & Wakeboarding
An alternative for wakeboarders is the cable-ski which is available in a lot of the big lakes across Provence. They have a slow and gentle pull for beginners, and kickers and sliders for those who know what they're doing.
Jetski rental can be found at most sailing centres. You don't need a license for this activity but you must follow some straightforward rules: Stay 250m away from beaches and 50m from cliffs, 100m from other jetskis and 50m from diving buoys. It's a legal requirement to wear a life-jacket.
Windsurfing & Kiteboarding
There are wind surfing and kite surfing schools at several of the large lakes and it's also possible to hire equipment without tuition.
Other surface watersports
Canoeing in Ardeche Review
With a long bank holiday weekend in store it made sense to venture to the outskirts of Provence to see what the Ardeche region and the famous Ardeche Gorge has to offer.
Cruising on the River Rhone
Afternoon on a boat? Yes please! There are lots of awesome cruising options if you feel like exploring the Rhone during your stay in Avignon. Taking a tour or even a dinner cruise on one of the Grand Boats of Provence is a great way to see the region. Plus, the views are spectacular and the wind on the water is refreshing.
Kayaking with Goud-Canoe
With the many rivers around Avignon there are plenty of opportunities to kayak in gorgeous natural surroundings. We headed just 50 kilometres north-west to the village of Goudargues, near La Roque sur Ceze, to try Goud' Canoe’s “Nature” package; which is an 8km route with plenty of picnic areas, swimming spots and sun-bathing sites along the way.
Summertime swimming spots in Provence
Cooling off during the hot summer months in Provence tends to involve heading to the nearest swimming spot to take a dip, whether that's at a swimming pool, a waterpark or somewhere in a more natural setting.
Top 10 adventure sports to try in Provence
Coming on holiday to Provence doesn't necessarily have to mean that you have to step down a gear and enjoy a slower pace of life, although there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
