Mimizan Surf – The Best Beginner Surf Town in France?
Mimizan surf is a beginner and intermediate dream in the summer, when 10 clicks of classic western French coast opens up for learners and improvers.
An introduction to Mimizan
It’s tempting to put Mimizan down as just another in the long line of high-quality and uber-reliable surf destinations on the southwest shores of France.
It’s certainly true that the town benefits from the almost never-ending swell that hits Landes via the Atlantic NW channels. However, it’s got something that neighboring places don’t: Space.
Mhmm, a whopping 10 kilometres of uninterrupted French shoreline goes north and south of the main beach. There’s not another resort close by, so that’s your whole surf playground. If you like empty lineups, this could be the place for you!
On top of that, Mimizan surf tends to buck the trend a little when compared to Landes stuff in that it’s really great for beginners and intermediate improvers between May and August.
Easy 3-4-foot high wedges that peel right and left are there for the taking, and you get all that room to go get a spot to practice in without worrying about bashing anyone with the foamy.
Oh, and we’d say this one has arguably the best array of surf schools and surf camps in the whole of France. Or, at least, it’s a close-run thing between here and Moliets a little to the south.
It’s also worth saying that Mimizan surf is certainly no beginner’s-only affair.
The waves will really pick up and shape up here around September time. Winter can be rough with the Atlantic storm systems but there’s the potential for big, beefy slabs if you’re up for it.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in France
Mimizan surf at a glance
The good:
- Fantastic surf schools
- Beginner-friendly waves in the summer
- Loads of space
The bad:
- The town’s quite far from things
- Wind can ruin the breaks
What’s in this guide to Mimizan surf?
Where is Mimizan?
Neatly wedged between Biscarrosse (to the north) and Moliets-et-Maa (to the south), Mimizan occupies some prime surf territory in the Landes department.
You’re really looking for the smaller resort town of Mimizan Plage. It’s connected to its namesake village by a direct road through the pine forests and spreads out right in front of the Atlantic Ocean.
The nearest major airport is in Bordeaux, about 2.5 hours’ drive away. Or, you could fly into Biarritz and make a surf odyssey out of it, going up the west coast of Nouvelle-Aquitaine before arriving here.
We’d 100% reccomend the latter if you have the time for it. Rent a car in Biarritz and just drive. There are endless beach breaks, rivermouth wedges, and secret spots to discover in the 1.5-hour drive, not to mention cute French seaside towns with sparkling beaches.
Mimizan surf spots
The place you’re likely to surf most days if you stay in Mimizan itself is Plage Centrale, named so because it’s right in front of the town.
It’s a fun, solid option with good swell consistency and classic French beach A-frames.
Going north a little will ease the crowds and open up the more family-friendly beach breaks of Biscarrosse (one of the best family surf towns in the world if you ask us).
Going south means finding long runs of working coastline set between the pine woods, running all the way to Moliets some 17 miles away – a good way to go if you really hate surfing with anyone else.
Biscarrosse
North of Mimizan and on the very edge of the Landes coast, Biscarrosse is another long run of sandbank-defined breaks that are good for families and seasoned surfers at different times of the year.
It’s worth a visit on days without wind but can suffer from offshores.
To be honest, we’d either pick Biscarrosse OR Mimizan. You can travel from one to the other and they kinda’ offer something very similar: Beginner-friendly beach breaks aplenty from late spring onwards.
Where to stay?
Check out our complete guide to the surf in Biscarrosse
La Garluche
La Garluche is the name of one of the most decorated Mimizan surf schools and the name of the break on the north side of the river mouth. It’s a wide, frothing beach break with plenty of power.
In the summer, it’s a beginner’s dream, crumbling into mush that’s perfect for foamy riding.
At other times it can get big, but wouldn’t be our pick in the winter because of close out potential and wind. Come here to learn and you won’t be dissapointed.
Goëlands
Goëlands is an interesting little jetty break that forms off the breakwater on the north end of the southernmost Mimizan beach.
The main peak goes right into the bay and is very reliable on decent spring and autumn swells that are in the W channel. There’s a bodyboarding academy right there, too, so watch out for folks on sliders.
Plage Sud
This is where the town stops and starts to filter into the wild pine forests. The beach starts to roll southwards from the shops and bars into long runs of undeveloped sand.
As such, Plage Sud is the Mimizan surf to chase if you like being totally alone in the line up. There’s no really saying what the waves will be like.
It’s a seemingly endless run of shifting sandbars that change every season, though the slight south-west orientation of the coast probably favors right-handers.
Moliets
Moliets isn’t that close, but it’s also not that far.
We’d say it’s pretty pointless making the trip down here unless you’re stringing together a Landes road trip – the breaks are just so similar to Mimizan.
Again, it’s relatively empty stuff with loads of pine forests to the back, great family campgrounds and surf camps, and some brilliant whitewash waves for total beginners.
Where to stay? Star Surf Camp – our top-pick surf camp in the whole of France is in Moliets.
Read our complete guide to the surf in Moliets
Where to stay (when surfing) in Mimizan?
The surf accommodation has to be one of the best things about surfing in Mimizan.
As an out-and-out summer resort town, this place has a great variety of options.
What’s more, there are some dedicated surf and hostel stays that can help you get rentals sorted and tuition if needed.
- Single Fin Hotel & Lodge – Part surf camp, part charming French B&B, this fusion hotel is an awesome spot to settle for bit of wave riding in Mimizan. The vibes are uber chilled, with a cafe-bar that’s decorated in boards and jute rugs. There are rooms for twins and doubles. Oh, and just check out that sun-splashed terrace. It’s really, really nice.
- Logis Hotel de France – Open the window – the beach is right there running north-to-south with its waves and powdery sand. Rooms cozy and the service is top notch. Lovely French breakfasts to start the day, too.
- Holiday Home Villa Marine by Interhome – For a family group or a group of friends, this self-catering cabin is hard to beat. It’s got comfy bedrooms, is super close to the sea, and has a massive terrace for evening dining.
One solid way to find the right location for a surf stay in Mimizan is to use the Booking.com map feature, which lets you zoom in and check exactly where a stay is.
Surf camps in Mimizan
There are some pretty good surf-camp options in Mimizan these days. They’re mainly focussed towards the family and grom end of the spectrum, but also cater to solo travelers and young surf groups.
The stand-out for us has to be Surflife. We rank them among the top surf packages in the whole of France for a few reasons…
- 10 hours of guided surf tuition throughout the week.
- Very nice glamping tents (we think it’s one of the best glamping surf camps out there today!).
- Free surf as much as you like.
- Good vibes in the camp – nightly entertainments and things.
When to surf in Mimizan?
The summer is the peak season to surf in Mimizan, but not becuase it has the most consistent swell. It’s peak because it’s the top time for beginners and this is really a beginner’s town. Autumn is better for more advanced surfers.
Mimizan might be known as one of the top places to learn to surf in France, but the truth is that’s only the case in the summer months.
The swells are much tamer than in midwinter then, and there can actually be days without any surf to be seen.
For most people, we’d say shoulder season trips in spring and autumn are the best choice. That’s not just because there’s more thump in the waves, but also because there won’t be so many people around.
Summer (June-August)
Crowds descend on Mimizan-Plage by the thousands in the summer months – it’s one of the closest resorts to Bordeaux, after all.
That shouldn’t be a problem like it is in, say, Hossegor, though, because there’s 10km of beachfront to surf on. Swell wise, this is the easy stuff.
Most days don’t have wind and averages are 2-3 foot clean. It’s nice for longboarding and learning. Occasional off days. Occasional big days.
Bring sunblock! We can highly reccomend Suntribe stuff. It’s low in chemicals that are bad for the ocean, plus they offer our readers 10% off (code: Surfatlas10).
Autumn (September-October)
The Atlantic will start to send down some of those legendary NW swell punches in the fall. Beginners will want to watch for them, because it will crank up the joule count in the breaks here considerably.
With good sandbanks in place, intermediate riders can look forward to punchy A-frames all up and down Plage Centrale. Get out early to dodge the winds, though.
Winter (November-Feb)
Winter storms wreak havoc on the sandbank formations on the Mimizan surf beaches.
The season is very unpredictable – some days are glassy lefts and rights that roll for hundreds of meters. Others are beefed up slabs that barrel.
Others are complete close outs. The wind is is the stat to watch because strong easterlies can ruin anything that the Atlantic can muster.
Spring (March-May)
Transition time in Mimizan when the surf is regularly improving in quality as the sandbanks settle.
We love spring surfing here, especially in late April and early May. That’s before the summer crowds have come but after the dominant winds have calmed down. Find the sweet spot and you’ll love it!
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
