If you're dreaming of a sun-soaked vacation in France, skip the northern cities. Not every southern destination delivers equal sunshine. Before booking Biarritz for an August tan, Futura-Sciences has ranked the 20 sunniest French cities based on reliable meteorological data. Spoiler: Biarritz lands last, and no northern spots make the cut.
Unsurprisingly, the top three hail from southeastern France: Marseille, Toulon, and Ajaccio. Marseille leads with 2,858 sunshine hours and 170 sunny days (about 5.6 months), making it the ultimate spot for perfecting your tan. Toulon follows closely with 5.5 months, and Ajaccio with 5.2 months. Other southern standouts include Toulouse (13th, 2.8 months), Nice (4th, 4.9 months), and Perpignan (7th, 4 months). Trailing at the bottom are central cities like Clermont-Ferrand (17th, 2.4 months), Limoges (18th, 2.4 months), and Poitiers (19th, 2.3 months). Biarritz surprisingly ranks last with just 2.3 months, thanks to the region's rainy oceanic and mountainous climate.
Full ranking: 1. Marseille, 2. Toulon, 3. Ajaccio, 4. Nice, 5. Montpellier, 6. Bastia, 7. Perpignan, 8. Montélimar, 9. Carcassonne, 10. La Rochelle, 11. Grenoble, 12. Bordeaux, 13. Toulouse, 14. Lyon, 15. Bourg-Saint-Maurice, 16. Tarbes, 17. Clermont-Ferrand, 18. Limoges, 19. Poitiers, 20. Biarritz.
