Beach
Baie des Dames, Pen Bé
Assérac · Loire-Atlantique
In Assérac, the Baie des Dames is the best known of the six small Pen Bé beaches, a fine-sand cove sheltered from the wind, reached by steps and facing a bay shaped by the tides and shellfish farming.
- Suggested time
- 1 hour 30 to 3 hours, more for a walk around Pen Bé
- Type of place
- Small sheltered fine-sand beach in Pen Bé bay
- Atmosphere
- Intimate, shellfish farming, peaceful and very tide-dependent
- Getting there
- Pen Bé peninsula, Assérac. The Baie des Dames is reached by steps.
Who this place suits
- With family
- 7/10
- As a couple
- 10/10
- With friends
- 8/10
- Solo
- 10/10
- With a dog
- 2/10
- Reduced mobility
- 2/10
These scores are calculated from what the page records: official rating, facilities, difficulty, duration and location. They are a guide, not a substitute for contacting the venue, especially about accessibility.
About
The Baie des Dames is Pen Bé’s signature beach in Assérac. The town says the bay has six beaches and presents the Baie des Dames as the best known. It is a small fine-sand beach, sheltered from the wind and reached by a flight of steps. At low tide, the sea goes a long way out and reveals the shore, the rocks and the shellfish farming areas. Shore fishing is a major activity, with mussels, clams, cockles, razor clams and shrimps, but always check the health orders first. The town reports excellent, stable water quality. The official monitoring describes Pen Bé as not lifeguarded and lightly equipped, with no shower or drinking water, no wheelchair access, and with toilets.
What you will see
- A small fine-sand beach.
- Pen Bé bay and its six beaches.
Practical information
- Getting there
- Pen Bé peninsula, Assérac; the beach is reached by steps
- Services
- Toilets
- Parking
- Can be very busy in July and August and on sunny weekends
- Pets
- Banned on the area’s beaches from April to September, according to the tourist office; check the signs
- Accessibility
- Steps, not suited to wheelchairs or pushchairs
- Lifeguarded swimming
- Not lifeguarded
- Water quality
- Excellent, stable water quality
- Tides
- Essential influence; at low tide, a wide shore uncovered; at high tide, the water is closer
- Activities
- Swimming, shore fishing (mussels, clams, cockles, razor clams, shrimps: check health bans, minimum sizes and quotas), photography, coastal walks, picnics
- Safety
- Choose a fairly high tide to swim; no lifeguards, access by steps, slippery rocks, check the shore fishing orders, respect the shellfish farming areas, do not go too far out on the shore
- Best time
- For swimming, around high tide; for shore fishing, low tide after checking the rules; for calm, morning; for photos, mid tide
- Photography
- The top of the steps, the Pointe de Pen Bé, the shore on a falling tide; late afternoon light
- Ideal for
- Calm, couples, shore fishing, walks, photography
- Nearby
- The Pointe de Pen Bé, Pont-Mahé, the salt marshes, Piriac-sur-Mer, Guérande, the Brière
Tips on the spot
- Check the tide times before you go, and download them for offline use.
- Check the marine weather, swell and wind.
- Read the signs at the entrance and respect the flags and instructions.
- Choose the lifeguarded area when there is one, and do not overestimate your swimming level.
- Watch children at all times, and set a family meeting point.
Show 7 more tipsHide
- Check the water quality in season, and do not swim if there is a ban.
- Arrive early in July and August; June and September are quieter.
- Use sun cream even when the sky is hazy, and keep a windproof layer.
- Respect the dunes and vegetation, and take all your litter home.
- If in doubt about conditions, do not swim.
- Come around high tide for a swim.
- Check the health orders before any shore fishing.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of beach is it?
Small sheltered fine-sand beach in Pen Bé bay.
Why come here?
A discreet, sheltered beach, ideal for calm, swimming at the right tide, responsible shore fishing and discovering a typical shellfish farming landscape.
How much time should I allow?
1 hour 30 to 3 hours, more for a walk around Pen Bé.
What is the atmosphere like?
Intimate, shellfish farming, peaceful and very tide-dependent.
Is the beach lifeguarded?
No.
Can you go shore fishing?
Yes, for mussels, clams, cockles, razor clams and shrimps, after checking the health orders.
Stay in Assérac
Places to stay that are still available, with current prices, compared across the main booking platforms.
Partner link: a booking made from this map may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Read in the journal
- RankingThe most beautiful beaches in Loire-AtlantiqueLa Baule, Monsieur Hulot’s beach, Le Croisic, Pornic and Saint-Brevin: the most beautiful beaches in Loire-Atlantique, from the Côte d’Amour to the Côte de Jade.
- DepartmentWhat to do in Loire-AtlantiqueNantes, La Baule, the Guérande salt marshes: the department with the most places in our guide, between the Loire and the Atlantic.
- ChristmasWhat to do in Loire-Atlantique during the Christmas holidaysLe Voyage en hiver and the Nantes Christmas market, Guérande and the wild coast, Clisson and the Brière: our ideas for the 2026 Christmas holidays in Loire-Atlantique.
Traveller reviews
Nobody has reviewed this place yet.