Welcome back to The Velvet Runway and this feature about What to Pack for a Beach Vacation.
There is a particular kind of packing I’ve come to believe in after thirty years of chasing the coast — not the frantic, everything-just-in-case kind, but the kind the women of Biarritz and the French Riviera seem to do without trying. A handful of pieces, chosen with intention, that carry you from the sand to a late lunch on a terrace without a single wasted thought.
That’s the spirit behind this list. Not everything you could pack for a beach vacation — just what earns its place in the bag.
What to Pack for a Beach Vacation
Updated August 2026: This guide has been completely refreshed with new packing advice, practical tips and a more intentional approach to travelling light.
1. The Capsule for the Coast
The key to packing for the beach? Choose versatile, lightweight pieces that can be mixed and matched.
Forget the urge to pack for every possible version of yourself. The French approach to beach dressing is built on repetition done beautifully: one exceptional swimsuit worn with confidence beats three mediocre ones, and a single striped or linen piece can be dressed up or down depending on the hour.
Think in terms of a small, considered wardrobe: your swimsuit, a breezy cover-up shirt or kaftan, a pair of linen shorts or a dress, one tank in a colour that works with everything else, a cardigan for cooler evenings. Add a wide-brimmed hat and/or a good pair of sunglasses — both worn as much for the shade they cast on a sunburnt afternoon as for the effortlessness they lend to the simplest outfit.
For your feet: comfortable footwear is a must – such as leather sandals you can wear to walk in a cobbled village without regret.
And of course, you’ll need a durable, roomy beach tote that holds all your essentials without weighing you down. If you’re still rounding out the list, this edit of must-have beach accessories is worth a browse before you close the suitcase.
The Summer Escape Edit
To bring this capsule wardrobe to life, I’ve curated a selection of timeless summer pieces inspired by effortless French style, from linen essentials to classic accessories designed to be worn season after season.
- an oversized linen shirt that works beautifully thrown over swimwear or styled for relaxed summer evenings.
- a timeless Breton top that feels equally at home layered over swimwear or paired with relaxed summer separates.
- a flowing midi dress for slow afternoons and seaside dinners.
- comfortable leather sandals for wandering villages and markets.
- a woven basket or raffia tote to carry beach towels, books, and market finds.
- a lightweight cardigan for changing coastal weather.
- a timeless swimsuit that works for beaches, lakes, and thermal spa escapes alike.
- simple gold jewellery to keep packing light but polished.
- oversized sunglasses for unhurried afternoons.
2. Pharmacy-Approved Sun and Skin Care
If there’s one lesson the French pharmacy has taught me, it’s that sun protection and skincare aren’t separate rituals — they’re the same one. Your lineup of beauty beach essentials should start with a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher (Avène and La Roche-Posay both make formulas gentle enough to wear daily,) and make sure to reapply more often than feels necessary, especially after swimming.
SVR Sun Secure Blur SPF50+ is one of my personal favourites when I want my sunscreen to do a little more than simply protect my skin. Its mousse-like texture helps to visibly blur the appearance of pores and imperfections, leaving the skin with a smoother-looking, soft-focus finish. It is particularly lovely under makeup, or whenever you want the effect of a primer without adding another product to your routine.
SVR Sun Secure Eau Solaire SPF50+ is also a personal favourite, this time for the body. Its lightweight, sprayable texture makes it easy to apply generously, which is exactly what you want from a body sunscreen. It is a particularly useful option for holidays, long summer days outdoors and everyday summer sun protection.
A lip balm with SPF and a soothing after-sun gel — Nuxe’s Huile Prodigieuse works as well on wind-burnt skin as it does on a good hair day — round out the essentials.
To maintain a healthy, radiant glow while you´re away, consider incorporating anti-aging skincare into your skincare routine. Products packed with antioxidants, peptides, and hydrating ingredients help defend against sun damage while keeping your skin glowing.
Hair deserves the same attention. Salt water and sun are no kinder to colour-treated hair than they are to skin, so a UV protecting spray, a wide hat, or a leave-in oil will save you the tangled, brittle ends that tend to follow a week at the beach.
3. The Art of Doing Very Little, Well
The best beach days are the ones where nothing goes wrong so that that you never notice the planning behind them. A sand-resistant towel, a reusable water bottle, and a dry bag or waterproof phone case for anything you’d mourn losing to the surf are the quiet infrastructure of farniente — the particular French talent for doing absolutely nothing, beautifully.
A slim portable charger earns its weight for the days that stretch past sunset, and a small first-aid pouch — plasters, antiseptic wipes, something for motion sickness, something for a headache — is the kind of unglamorous packing that pays for itself the one time you need it.
Eco-friendly gear is also gaining popularity now we see more people turning to natural sun care and biodegradable wipes, which are gentler on your skin and the ocean. If you’re ready to level up your beach setup beyond the basics, it’s also worth taking a look at some of the top-rated beach gadgets and gear making the rounds this season.
Velvet Tip : Quick dry towels can be really useful and bring a small foldable cooler bag which is ideal for snacks and drinks when you’re on the sand all day.
4. Before You Leave: The Essentials
Keep these together, close at hand, rather than buried at the bottom of a suitcase:
- Passport or ID : Make sure it’s up to date (and for travel to some countries you need a passport with at least six months validity)
- Visa (where applicable)
- Travel Insurance Details
- Printed Copies of Reservations (coastal wifi has a way of failing you at the worst moment)
- Credit Cards and Some Cash
Velvet Tip: It’s also a good idea to keep digital copies of all important documents, and you might even want to leave copies with family or a friend.
5. A Few Notes from Experience
Packing cubes keep a suitcase from becoming chaos the moment it’s opened — one for swimwear, one for daywear, one for the rest. Rolling rather than folding saves space and spares you the iron when you land. A small drawstring bag for sandy, damp clothes keeps the rest of your case dry. And leave more room than you think you need — a beach town has a way of sending you home with a new sarong or a piece of local jewellery you hadn’t planned on.
If I have one real trick, it’s this: pack a small pouch — sunscreen, sandals, swimsuit, hat — and keep it at the very top of your bag, so the moment you arrive, you can be on the sand before you’ve unpacked a single other thing.
A Few Questions Before You Go
Q: How many swimsuits should I actually pack?
A: One for every two to three days is plenty — you’ll want time for each to dry between wears, and a single excellent piece worn twice draws far less notice than a suitcase full of mediocre ones.
Q: Do I need reef-safe sunscreen everywhere?
A: It’s not required everywhere, but it’s the better habit regardless — mineral formulas are gentler on both your skin and the water you’re swimming in, and several destinations (parts of Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean among them) now require it by law.
Q: What if I forget something?
A: Rarely a disaster. Most beach towns are well-stocked for exactly this — a forgotten hat or sarong often becomes the one souvenir you didn’t plan for, and sometimes the best one. remarkably quiet.
Final Thoughts on
What to Pack for a Beach Vacation
Packing for the coast doesn’t need to be complicated. Choose well, pack light, and leave room — for the sun, for the sand, and for whatever you bring home that you didn’t expect to.
For more on dressing for the season ahead, visit the Velvet Edit — this month’s edit is live now.
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