Marais Salants: The 5 Most Beautiful Salt Marshes in France

Why are salt marshes so colourful?

The colours of salt marshes come from the salinity of the water and the micro-organisms living in the ponds.

The French coast is not only about beaches! All year long, marais salants, or salt marshes, dazzle us with an astonishing mosaic of colours. Green, orange, pink: the water of the salt pans is a true rainbow, owing to the concentration of salt and the micro-organisms that thrive in each pond. Here is our selection of the most spectacular, from the Atlantic coast to the shores of the Mediterranean. If you wonder where all that salt comes from, read why the ocean is salty.

The Atlantic coast and its traditional salt marshes

On the Atlantic, Guérande, Île de Ré and Marennes-Oléron keep an age-old craft alive.

The legendary Guérande salt marshes. Over about 2,000 ha, the paludiers produce the famous Guérande salt, known around the world. Visiting these salt pans means discovering the passionate craft of the paludier, a know-how handed down over many centuries: you see how the sun, the wind and the tides shape the work, and the manual harvesting techniques, sometimes with a taste of fleur de sel at the end.

Île de Ré and its salt pans. Known for its wild landscapes and typical houses, the island is best explored by bike: the cycle paths in the north lead to a postcard setting between ocean and marsh. The salt marsh ecomuseum in Loix reveals the secrets of white gold, and you can watch the sauniers at work and spot unique wildlife and plants (glasswort, black-winged stilts, egrets). At sunset, the colours of the sky are reflected in the maze of ponds, a grand spectacle.

The Marennes-Oléron salt marshes. Long neglected in favour of oysters, these salt pans have regained their purpose thanks to a few enthusiasts. On the island of Oléron, around fifteen salt pans are in operation: head to Port des Salines (an Échappées Nature site) for a guided visit, a boat ride, or even an introduction to salt harvesting in summer.

The colourful salt marshes of the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean holds France's largest salt production, with spectacular pink hues.

The pink waters of the Camargue. At Aigues-Mortes, the salt pans cover more than 10,000 ha. You can tour basins ranging from pink to red on foot or on a little train, watched over by the emblematic flamingos. The pink comes from Dunaliella salina, a micro-organism that thrives in strong sun and high salinity, and flamingos take their colour from the same source. The visit ends at the top of a camelle, a mountain of salt, with views over the marshes and the town of Aigues-Mortes and its ramparts.

The La Palme salt pans. A few kilometres from Narbonne, this site blends sea, Aude scrubland and mesmerising colours. A tour by little train takes you across more than 400 ha of ponds, in a calm wetland where flamingos and gulls are at home.

To make the most of the marshes and the work of the sauniers, go in summer, which is the harvest season. So for your next holiday, Mediterranean or Atlantic coast? Find out about our favourite family seaside destinations.

Keep exploring: the difference between a sea and an ocean.