This summer I had the privilege of traveling to the South of France. When reading “South of France” you might be thinking of the Côte d’Azur and cities like Nice and Cannes. But I actually went to the South West of France, near Spain in a region called Occitanie.

Canet-en-Roussillon, Argeles-sur-mer, and Collioure are three beautiful cities and a great alternative to the more expensive, tourist-packed Cote d’azur! My partner and I found a cute Airbnb with a view on the beach in Canet-en-Roussillon! It was such a relaxing and fun vacation!

The perks of vacationing in Canet-en-Roussillon included:

Less tourists. Being in a city with less tourists means that the beach wasn’t full and we could find a place to relax any time.

Beautiful blue water. Despite this side of the South of France not being as well known, the water is just as beautiful with its light blue colour. The water was also very clean and there were no jellyfish!

Lots of fun activities. My partner does not like laying on the sand and tanning all day, so this location was a good compromise between beautiful sand beaches and lots of outdoorsy activities. We went sea kayaking, on a cruise for dolphin observation in the Mediterranean (we saw a group of 10 dolphins for about 1 hour!!!) and explored the port city Collioure. Also, there is a rich nightlife that we loved discovering with awesome bars, great hidden restaurants and overall very happy/friendly staff.

Student friendly prices. Canet-en-Roussillon was more affordable than the Côte d’Azur since it is not as well known (less touristy). The money that we saved went into doing more activities which made lasting memories.

So if you are a student who wants a fun, relaxing, affordable vacation, this destination in the South West of France might be a great option for your next summer trip!

Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever been to the South of France and what you liked most!