After several months of waiting, summer has finally arrived in France. But if you’ve been seriously lacking in vitamin D this year, don’t panic. The ranking of the sunniest cities in France has just been published. Are your bags ready?
Although we have gone through a (brief) period of heatwave in recent days, it is clear that summer, and the heat that goes with it, has had difficulty taking hold in France this year. But that’s it: the sun is there. And almost throughout the country please! Result: the platform Holidu has just revealed its ranking of the sunniest French cities in 2024.
Unsurprisingly, it is the PACA region which largely dominates this top, with no less than 19 of the 20 cities where the sun shines the most in France. In second position, we find Provençal Venice, Martigues, closely followed by the second largest city in France, Marseille, which has also attracted many Parisians lacking sun in recent years. Aubagne and Salon-de-Provence, also located in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, are also at the top of the ranking. The only municipality located outside the said region is none other than Perpignan which is located in Occitanie, and accumulates some 261.05 hours, or 10 days, of sunshine per month.
However, if this ranking is largely dominated by the PACA region, it is not only full of good students on the sunny side. And for good reason, believe it or not, it is the town of Gap which has the fewest hours of sunshine on the clock this year. With only 96.6 hours, or 4 days, of sunshine per month on average, it comes far at the end of the pack. The towns of Rezé and Sables d’Olonne, both located in Pays de la Loire, arrive just ahead.
If you are in dire need of vitamin D, opt instead for Fréjus which won the Palme d’Or for the sunniest cities in 2024. With no less than 269.43 hours or 11 days of sunshine per month on average, this city ideally located in Marseille and Nice will warm your hearts in a fraction of a second thanks to its record sunshine. Note that Fréjus made a very nice comeback: it actually came in sixth position in this top last year!
