Nice best: Excellent
Pebble beach, a long promenade and a lively old town on the Riviera.
The heart of the French Riviera with a world-famous beach promenade, and gateway to the tiny nation of Monaco
Vitamin D in France: best months for sun and a travel guide
The best months for vitamin D in France are June to September. In July, a full dose of about 1,000 IU takes around 7 minutes at midday for skin type III at age 30, with 9.4 usable sun hours a day. For a beach stay it is too cool from November to May.
France month by month
France is rated at its median coastal place, for skin type III at age 30. Click a month for the details.
| Month | Rating | Sun window | Peak UV | Full dose, age 30 | Full dose, age 65 | Afternoon high | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Too cold | 0.2 h | 1.9 | – | – | 13°C | 10/30 |
| February | Too cold | 2.8 h | 3.0 | 18 min | 33 min | 16°C | 6/30 |
| March | Too cold | 5.0 h | 4.3 | 12 min | 23 min | 17°C | 10/30 |
| April | Too cold | 7.3 h | 5.8 | 9 min | 17 min | 20°C | 5/30 |
| May | Too cold | 8.6 h | 7.0 | 8 min | 14 min | 22°C | 9/30 |
| June | Excellent | 9.0 h | 7.1 | 8 min | 14 min | 25°C | 7/30 |
| July | Excellent | 9.4 h | 7.4 | 7 min | 14 min | 30°C | 0/30 |
| August | Good | 8.3 h | 6.6 | 8 min | 15 min | 32°C | 2/30 |
| September | Good | 5.8 h | 5.1 | 10 min | 20 min | 26°C | 5/30 |
| October | Fair | 3.4 h | 3.4 | 16 min | 29 min | 22°C | 11/30 |
| November | Too cold | 1.2 h | 2.4 | – | – | 18°C | 4/30 |
| December | Too cold | 0.0 h | 1.6 | – | – | 14°C | 15/30 |
Sun window is the number of hours a day with UV Index 2.5 or higher. Full dose is the minutes at midday for about 1,000 IU of vitamin D with a quarter of the body bare, for skin type III. Rainy days are days with at least 1 mm out of 30.
Travel guide: why go to France
Why go
France mixes beaches with art, villages and food. The Riviera is the sunny glamour coast, Corsica has wild beaches, and the Atlantic coast offers surf and sea air.
Best for
Couples, families, art and food lovers, drivers and sailors.
What to expect
Hot dry summers on the Mediterranean and a cooler, windier Atlantic. August is the French holiday month, so prices and crowds peak. Many Riviera beaches are pebbly.
France in more detail
Where to base yourself
The French Riviera (Nice, Antibes, Cannes) is the glamorous sunny coast, with pebble beaches and a lively old town in Nice. West of it, Provence and the Calanques near Marseille and Cassis have rocky coves and clear water. Corsica is a separate island of wild beaches, and the Atlantic coast (Biarritz, La Rochelle) offers surf and cooler sea air. Brittany (Saint-Malo) is cooler still.
Choosing the month
On the Mediterranean the strong sun runs from May to September, with July and August the hottest and, because of the French holiday month, the most crowded and expensive. In winter the sun is weak in the whole country, so France is mainly a spring-to-autumn destination for vitamin D.
Getting around and good to know
The Riviera is easy by train and bus. Corsica is best with a hire car. Many Riviera beaches are pebble or have private beach clubs that rent sunbeds, with a free public strip beside them. Book August stays early.
Places in France
Each place has its own climate, so its best months can differ from the country as a whole.
Cannes best: Excellent
Film festival town with sandy beaches and luxury shops.
Saint-Tropez best: Excellent
Famous for yachts, beach clubs and a pretty harbour.
Antibes best: Excellent
Walled old town, a market and quieter beaches.
Marseille best: Excellent
Gritty, vibrant port city with coves and islands nearby.
France's cosmopolitan second city, known for its Mediterranean harbour, its calanques, and its seafood
Cassis best: Excellent
Small harbour town at the edge of the Calanques cliffs.
Biarritz best: Excellent
Elegant Atlantic resort and the surf capital of France.
La Rochelle best: Excellent
Old port town with islands, oysters and cycling paths.
Ajaccio best: Excellent
Napoleon's birthplace, with sandy bays and mountains behind.
Bonifacio best: Excellent
Clifftop old town above turquoise water at the south of Corsica.
Porto-Vecchio best: Excellent
Gateway to some of the best beaches in Corsica.
Saint-Malo
Walled port town in Brittany with big tides and a cool sea.
Some short descriptions come from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Questions about vitamin D in France
When is the best time to visit France for vitamin D?
The best months for vitamin D in France are June to September. In July, a full dose of about 1,000 IU takes around 7 minutes at midday for skin type III at age 30, with 9.4 usable sun hours a day.
Can you get vitamin D from the sun in France in December?
Not really. In December the sun in France is too low or too weak to make useful vitamin D, and afternoons are cool. Plan your sun for other months.
How long do I need in the sun in France?
In July, the best month, about 7 minutes at midday with a quarter of the body bare, for skin type III at age 30; about 14 minutes at age 65. Darker skin needs longer and fair skin burns sooner, so keep sessions short. This is an estimate for planning, not medical advice.
Which months should I avoid in France?
For a beach stay, avoid the months when it is too cool from November to May.
What is the best place in France for vitamin D?
In July the strongest sun of the places we rate is around Bonifacio. Each place has its own rating, so open the place list to compare them.
Plan by month
- Jan Too cold
- Feb Too cold
- Mar Too cold
- Apr Too cold
- May Too cold
- Jun Excellent
- Jul Excellent
- Aug Good
- Sep Good
- Oct Fair
- Nov Too cold
- Dec Too cold