France · Charente-Maritime
Plage de la Salee
Charente-Maritime, France
On the beach
Right now
Live conditions from Open-Meteo, refreshed hourly.
7-day outlook
7-day marine forecast from Open-Meteo.
Sea temperature
Next 7 days, °C
Wave height
Next 7 days, metres
View as table
| Day | Sea temp (°C) | Wave height (m) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 | 22.4 | 0.6 |
| Thu 3 | 22.8 | 0.5 |
| Fri 4 | 22.9 | 0.6 |
| Sat 5 | 23.4 | 0.7 |
| Sun 6 | 23.1 | 0.8 |
| Mon 7 | 23.0 | 0.9 |
| Tue 8 | 22.9 | 1.3 |
Water quality history
Official EEA classification, one rating per bathing season, 2015–2025 — real data reported by national authorities.
- 2015: Excellent2015
- 2016: Good2016
- 2017: Good2017
- 2018: Good2018
- 2019: Good2019
- 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 | Good |
| 2017 | Good |
| 2018 | Good |
| 2019 | Good |
| 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 | 15 |
| Feb | 14 |
| Mar | 15 |
| Apr | 17 |
| May | 19 |
| Jun | 22 |
| Jul | 24 |
| Aug | 24 |
| Sep | 24 |
| Oct | 22 |
| Nov | 20 |
| Dec | 17 |
Location & nearby beaches
Nearby beaches
- Plage de Montamer652 mCharente-Maritime
- Plage de Basse Benaie824 mCharente-Maritime
- Plage Des Grenettes3.3 kmCharente-Maritime
- Plage Sud - la Chaussee4.0 kmCharente-Maritime
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- Easy by car — there's parking close to the beach.
- Bus stop: Sainte-Marie-de-Ré - Place d'Antioche, about ~1.0 km away.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest village: Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, about ~1.1 km away.
- 5 places to stay mapped nearby Closest is Cote Sauvage, about ~830 m away.
What kind of beach is this?
This beach belongs to a small coastal village. It's usually calmer than a resort or town beach, though a popular village spot can still fill up on the best summer days.
Estimated from OpenStreetMap surroundings data (ODbL).
Is the water clean at Plage de la Salee?
Thinking of swimming at Plage de la Salee? The short answer: its official EU Bathing Water rating for 2025 is Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment. That rating is set once a year under the EU Bathing Water Directive, from a full season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli reported to the European Environment Agency the following spring, so the 2025 season's grade appeared in spring 2026 and the 2026 season won't be graded 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's been a consistently reliable spot too — the rating has held at Excellent for 6 straight years. There's parking about ~150 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, Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, is about ~1.1 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
Is Plage de la Salee safe to swim in?
Yes — Plage de la Salee carries the top EU Bathing Water classification, Excellent, for 2025, and 11 of its 11 classified seasons have rated Excellent or Good. It's also held steady at Excellent for 6 straight years.
What temperature is the sea at Plage de la Salee right now?
The most recent reading for Plage de la Salee shows the sea at around 22°C. For live, up-to-the-hour conditions, see the “Right now” panel above. That's the reading right off Charente-Maritime. On the modeled climatology here, August usually runs warmest.
When should you plan a swimming trip to Plage de la Salee?
For the warmest water, aim for July–September — that's when the modeled sea temperature is typically at its best. That applies to the water around Charente-Maritime. Within that window, August is typically the single warmest month.
How is bathing water quality actually assessed?
Once a year, national authorities report a full season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli to the European Environment Agency, which grades the season Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor under the EU Bathing Water Directive. A handful of countries, including Croatia via IZOR, also publish individual in-season samples ahead of that report — Plage de la Salee doesn't have that feed set up yet.
What's nearby Plage de la Salee — parking, buses, or a ferry?
By car, it's easy — parking is right by the beach. By bus, the nearest stop is Sainte-Marie-de-Ré - Place d'Antioche, about ~1.0 km away. The nearest town is Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, about ~1.1 km away.