Anse Lazio — the famous one

The postcard: granite boulders, takamaka trees, water in six shades of blue. It sits at the island's northwest tip, reached by a short, steep-ish road over the headland from Anse Boudin.

  • Drive time — ~20 min from Côte d'Or, ~25 from Grand Anse.
  • Parking — a car park behind the beach; it's paid, about SCR 100. It fills by mid-morning in season.
  • Timing — come before 10:00: catamaran day-trippers from Mahé arrive late morning and leave around 16:00, so early morning and the last two hours of light are magic and half-empty.
  • Facilities — a couple of restaurants; no loungers to rent by default. Swimming is usually calm, but respect any flag warnings — there's occasional current at the outer edges.

Anse Georgette — the one you earn

Consistently rated Praslin's most beautiful beach — and deliberately hard to reach, which keeps it quiet. It lies at the island's northwest corner behind the Constance Lemuria resort, and there is no public road to the sand.

Your car gets you to the approach: park near Anse Kerlan / the Lemuria gate area, then either register at the resort gate for the walk through the grounds (free, but they cap daily visitor numbers — calling a day ahead is wise) or take the longer coastal trail. No facilities at all on the beach — carry water and shade. The reward: often just a few dozen people on one of the world's great beaches.

Anse Volbert (Côte d'Or) — the easy one

The island's main beach strip: several kilometres of calm, shallow, family-friendly water facing Curieuse Island. Restaurants, kayak rental and shade trees along the whole length.

  • Parking — roadside bays along the strip: the easiest parking on Praslin.
  • Best for — families, swimmers, your first evening on the island. Much of Praslin's accommodation sits here, so your hotel may be walking distance — and the car is for everywhere else.

The east coast pair: Anse La Blague & Anse Possession

Quiet coves on the road less driven, past Baie Ste Anne. The narrow coastal road itself is a highlight — ocean on one side, jungle on the other. Small sandy pull-offs serve as parking; you'll often have a cove to yourself on a weekday. Snorkelling is decent off the rocks at Anse Possession at high tide.

The south: Grand Anse & Anse Kerlan sunsets

Grand Anse village is Praslin's workaday coast — shops, the airport, fuel — and its long beach picks up seaweed seasonally. But keep driving toward Anse Kerlan and the sunset side of the island opens up: wilder water, fewer people, and the best evening light on Praslin. Turtles nest along here October–February; keep to the paths and give any marked nests space.

A one-day beach circuit

07:30 Anse Lazio (empty) → 11:00 coffee at Côte d'Or, swim at Volbert → 14:00 east-coast coves → 17:30 sunset at Anse Kerlan. Total driving: under an hour for the whole day. That circuit is genuinely impossible by bus and costs a fortune by taxi — it's the single best argument for having your own car on Praslin, from about €40/day with no deposit.

FAQ

Where do you park for Anse Lazio?

A car park sits directly behind the beach; it's paid, about SCR 100. It fills by mid-morning in high season — arrive before 10:00 or after 15:30.

Can you drive to Anse Georgette?

No — there's no public road to the sand. Drive to the Anse Kerlan / Lemuria area, park, and walk in through the resort (register at the gate; visitor numbers are limited) or via the coastal trail.

Which Praslin beach is best for families?

Anse Volbert (Côte d'Or): calm shallow water, easy roadside parking, restaurants and shade along the whole strip.

Do Praslin beaches get crowded?

Only Anse Lazio, and only between the day-boat arrivals (~10:30) and departures (~16:00). Early mornings and late afternoons are quiet everywhere; the east-coast coves are quiet all day.