Explore your living choices in the South of France

A beach resort as well as an old town set back from the sea. The beach resort is very crowded in summer with a lot of campsites nearby (the most in Europe). Long-term residents feel that Argeles-sur-Mer has improved over the last few years.

The sea-front promenade is quite nice with a selection of restaurants and bars sitting across some gardens from the main beach. Behind the promenade are several streets full of touristy shops, bars and restaurants serving a mainly budget-conscious clientelle of holiday-makers. At the south end there are a number of large attractive old villas. This area mostly closes down from October to April, although you can find a few places open even in the winter. 

At the northern end of Ageles-Plage is a area of apartment blocks and villas build among pine trees. Most of these properties are second-homes and there is a large campsite to the north, which explains why the nearby group of snack-bars, shops and restaurants is closed outside the tourist season. 

To the south of the promenade is Port-Argeles, a modern marina, surrounded by apartment blocks with many restaurants that do stay open in winter. Further south is the pretty little beach-village of Le Racou, popular with locals as well as visitors but with limited property available. 

The old town of Argeles-sur-Mer is inhabited and lively all year round and has a good selection of shops, restaurants and cafés as well as a great market. With two indoor swimming pools, a train station, a big commercial centre, medical facilites and numerous sports grounds Argeles-sur-Mer is a popular choice for living close to the beach.