We have just spent a wonderful lazy Sunday afternoon at Gruissan Plage. 
Gruissan is a real mix of old and new. It’s a wonderful sleepy village in the winter and a bustling tourist resort in the summer. On a winter’s day you struggle to find restaurants open; in summer you struggle to get a table!
The old part of Gruissan – Gruissan Village is a circular village with a 13th Century tower occupying the central position. Bastille Day firework celebrations are stunning from the tower showering out across the étang (lake). The sunsets over the lake with their matching flamingos are simply beauty at it’s best!
The beach part of Gruissan is for me divided into two distinct parts, the”sauvage” side (wild) where we went off-roading and the commercial side. The commercial side has row upon row of beach chalets, 1300 in all. I suppose there is a quaintness to them but not on a French scale! They date back to the beginning of the 19th century and even became famous during the filming of Betty Blue. 
And then there is Gruissan Port with over 1000 berths for boats, restaurants and bars and all the local tourist attractions.
Gruissan is an ideal holiday base, it has so much to offer and for us we have the added luxury of it being only a half hour away from home. So, we are able to pop down to the port out of season and dine in peace, wander around the étangs surrounded by the cackle of flamingos or plunge our way down the dunes in the 4×4! What more could you ask for?
