France · Hérault
Carnon - Petit Travers
Hérault, France
On the beach
Right now
Sample dataIllustrative conditions — the live Open-Meteo marine feed wasn't reachable, so these are deterministic placeholder values that will be replaced automatically once the feed is available.
7-day outlook
Sample dataModeled placeholder forecast for demonstration — will be replaced by a live marine-weather feed.
Sea temperature
Next 7 days, °C
Wave height
Next 7 days, metres
View as table
| Day | Sea temp (°C) | Wave height (m) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 | 28.4 | 0.5 |
| Thu 3 | 28.5 | 0.5 |
| Fri 4 | 28.1 | 0.5 |
| Sat 5 | 27.6 | 0.5 |
| Sun 6 | 27.3 | 0.5 |
| Mon 7 | 27.5 | 0.5 |
| Tue 8 | 28.0 | 0.5 |
Water quality history
Official EEA classification, one rating per bathing season, 2015–2025 — real data reported by national authorities.
- 2015: Excellent2015
- 2016: Excellent2016
- 2017: Excellent2017
- 2018: Excellent2018
- 2019: Excellent2019
- 2020: Excellent2020
- 2021: Excellent2021
- 2022: Excellent2022
- 2023: Excellent2023
- 2024: Excellent2024
- 2025: Excellent2025
Excellent in the most recent season, and 11 of 11 classified years rated Excellent or Good.
- Excellent
- Good
- Sufficient
- Poor
- Not classified
View as table
| Year | Classification |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Excellent |
| 2016 | Excellent |
| 2017 | Excellent |
| 2018 | Excellent |
| 2019 | Excellent |
| 2020 | Excellent |
| 2021 | Excellent |
| 2022 | Excellent |
| 2023 | Excellent |
| 2024 | Excellent |
| 2025 | Excellent |
Typical sea temperature by month
Modeled estimatePlausible seasonal climatology derived from latitude, for illustration — not a measured average.
Monthly sea temperature
Typical range across the year, °C
View as table
| Month | Typical sea temp (°C) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 16 |
| Feb | 15 |
| Mar | 16 |
| Apr | 18 |
| May | 20 |
| Jun | 23 |
| Jul | 25 |
| Aug | 26 |
| Sep | 25 |
| Oct | 23 |
| Nov | 20 |
| Dec | 18 |
Location & nearby beaches
Nearby beaches
- Carnon - Les Dunes742 mHérault
- Carnon - L'Avranche1.4 kmHérault
- Carnon Centre2.5 kmHérault
- Carnon Palavas - la Roquille3.4 kmHérault
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- Easy by car — there's parking close to the beach.
- Bus stop: Petit Travers, about ~140 m away.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest town: La Grande-Motte, about ~6.3 km away.
- 2 places to eat within 1 km
What kind of beach is this?
With no facilities mapped nearby, this beach is usually on the quiet side even in season — worth knowing if you're after solitude, but also worth bringing your own water and shade.
Estimated from OpenStreetMap surroundings data (ODbL).
- Families
- A quiet swim
Is the water clean at Carnon - Petit Travers?
Carnon - Petit Travers sits on a stretch of coast classed as a coastal bathing site, carrying an official EU Bathing Water rating of Excellent for the 2025 season. Under the EU Bathing Water Directive, national authorities test for intestinal enterococci and E. coli through the season and report the results the following spring — the 2025 rating was published in spring 2026, and 2026's won't follow until spring 2027. In addition to that yearly rating, some national authorities — for Croatia, the national environmental authority — publish individual water sample results during the season itself, ahead of the annual report. It sits in Hérault. There's parking about ~270 m from the beach.
That rating has been consistent: every one of the 11 classified seasons on record has come back Excellent or Good. If you're timing a visit around water temperature rather than crowds, July–September is the safest bet, with August typically the peak — expect a cooler, calmer sea either side of that stretch. The nearest town, La Grande-Motte, is about ~6.3 km away.
“Excellent” is one point on a four-step scale — Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor — assigned once per year from that season's water samples, not a live reading. It describes how the site performs on average across the season, not the exact water quality this afternoon; for day-to-day sea conditions, see the “Right now” and 7-day outlook panels above.
Frequently asked questions
Should you swim at Carnon - Petit Travers?
Carnon - Petit Travers is rated Excellent for 2025 — the top EU Bathing Water classification — with 11 of 11 classified seasons rating Excellent or Good, so yes. It's also held steady at Excellent for 11 straight years.
What is the sea temperature at Carnon - Petit Travers today?
The figure above (about 28°C) is placeholder data — the live marine-weather feed wasn't reachable when this page was built, and the real reading will appear automatically once it is. That's the reading right off Hérault. On the modeled climatology here, August usually runs warmest.
When does Carnon - Petit Travers have the warmest water?
If you're planning around water temperature, July–September is the window to target — the modeled sea temperature is typically highest then. That applies to the water around Hérault. Within that window, August is typically the single warmest month.
How is bathing water quality actually assessed?
Behind the annual grade: a season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli, reported to the European Environment Agency each spring under the EU Bathing Water Directive. A few countries, Croatia via IZOR included, also publish individual in-season samples ahead of that report, but Carnon - Petit Travers doesn't have one published yet.
Is there parking near Carnon - Petit Travers?
By car, it's easy — parking is right by the beach. By bus, the nearest stop is Petit Travers, about ~140 m away. The nearest town is La Grande-Motte, about ~6.3 km away.