Bouldering in France

There are many bouldering areas within France, with Fontainebleau being the most extensive area. In fact Fontainebleau is simply described as the best bouldering area in Europe if not the world. Find out more about bouldering in Fontainebleau here.

Outside of Fontainebleau there are other excellent bouldering areas such as Targasonne, Le Prieure, and Kerlouan that are shown on the map opposite.

Targasonne (known locally as “The Chaos”) is located near the town of Font Romeu on the border with Spain near Andorra in the Pyrenees. The granite boulders scattered along the Pyrenees mountainside have been developed into the second best bouldering area in France (after Fontainebleau) and offer a good range of grades to suit everyone.

The bouldering consists of plenty of slabs, walls and overhangs, with the rough granite providing good friction. The boulders themselves are between 3 and 4m high, so bouldering mats are essential though the landings are usually very good. 

The bouldering at Targasonne is at an altitude of over 1,600m, which means the best time to visit is from late spring until early autumn. For accommodation there is a campsite called “La Griole Camping” that is situated within “The Chaos” or there are plenty of gites to rent in the area.

Le Prieure offers Fontainebleau style sandstone bouldering, which is located just outside of the town of Lodeve near Montpellier. The bouldering is situated in a beautiful and wild oak forest, and is accessed easily via a two-minute walk-in from the car park. There are over 200 documented problems, with scope for many more, which are generally in the Font 5, 6, and 7th grades. 

Most of the problems are on low sandstone boulders with flat sandy landings, though there are some very high boulders. At an altitude of 400m the best time to climb here is from October through to April. 

Kerlouan is situated on the north western tip of France, just north of Brest. Here there are 14 miles of pristine coastline, sandy beaches and lots of granite boulders. This place is idea for mixing a family holiday and doing lots of bouldering. There is a wide range of grades from Font 4a's to 8a's, with many of the landings on flat sandy beaches.

There are a number of sandstone bouldering areas around the cities of Reims (3 separate areas), Strasbourg (2 separate areas) and Lyon (4 separate areas). Though these bouldering areas are smaller than found in the rest of France, they offer good quality bouldering in a peaceful and quiet environment.