Arriving at a beach in the south of France, an American visitor finds part of it lined with matching loungers and part of it open. The division is regulated and its proportions are fixed.
The shoreline is public property
The French coastline below the high water mark belongs to the state, and free pedestrian access along it is a legal principle rather than a local courtesy.
Private ownership of a beach in the American sense does not exist there, and even a hotel fronting the sand does not own the sand.
What a business can hold is a temporary concession to operate on a defined portion, granted by the municipality for a limited term.
Concessions are capped in extent
Rules limit how much of a beach may be given over to concessions, so a substantial share must remain free and unequipped.
That is why the paid loungers appear in blocks with open sand between rather than covering the whole bay.
Concessions are also seasonal, and the installations must be removed at the end of the season, which is why the same beach looks entirely different in winter.
What the rental fee actually buys
The charge covers a lounger, an umbrella and service to it, typically including food and drink brought from the concession's own restaurant.
Access to the water is not part of the transaction, since the water and the wet sand are public regardless of what has been paid.
Walking through a concession area to reach the sea is therefore permitted, though the loungers themselves are reserved for paying customers.
Public sections come with public facilities
Municipal beaches provide lifeguards, marked swimming zones, showers and restrooms funded locally, and those services do not depend on renting anything.
Supervision is seasonal, with lifeguards on duty only during a defined summer period, and swimming outside those hours is unsupervised.
Shade is the real difference between the two sections, since public areas rarely provide any and the Mediterranean sun is unforgiving in the middle of the day.
How prices vary along a coast
Concession rates rise sharply on the most fashionable stretches and fall on beaches a short distance away with identical water.
Half-day rates exist at most concessions and are the sensible option, since the useful hours are morning and late afternoon rather than midday.
Booking ahead matters in peak season on the busiest beaches, where the loungers are effectively fully reserved before the day begins. Walking up at midday in August rarely produces a space on the well-known stretches.
Parking is the cost travelers forget, since coastal towns meter their lots heavily in summer and the walk from free parking can be substantial in full sun.