France · French Riviera
Saint-Tropez
The fishing port that painters and cinema turned into the Riviera's most famous name, with Pampelonne's sands just over the hill.
Saint-Tropez is a small fishing port at the tip of a peninsula on the Var coast. Painters found it first, then 1950s cinema made it the byword for Riviera glamour. Superyachts now line the old harbour under pastel fishermen's houses. Out on the peninsula, the long sands of Pampelonne are lined with beach clubs, and behind them sit vineyards and hilltop villages. It is a village first, and in winter it goes quiet.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
French
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+2
Why you'll love Saint-Tropez
The old port Pastel fishermen's houses and painters' easels face a quay where superyachts moor stern-to and the whole village strolls at dusk
The painters' light Signac, Matisse and Bonnard worked here, and their canvases hang in a museum on the harbour
Pampelonne A long curve of fine sand on the open sea, lined with beach clubs and backed by vineyards
The peninsula A coastal path, pine-covered capes and the perched villages of Ramatuelle and Gassin are all within easy reach
Best time to visit
Feb-Sep, Dec
13-32° days
43.273° N, 6.641° E
UTC+2 · Europe/Paris
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Weather & when to go to Saint-Tropez
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Feb-Sep, Dec
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Saint-Tropez
No bad season for weather, though the mistral can blow hard for days at a time. High summer is the catch: the single road onto the peninsula jams for hours, and the village and beaches are packed and at their most expensive. From late autumn to early spring many hotels, restaurants and beach clubs close, and the village feels shuttered.
Top things to do in Saint-Tropez
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Vieux Port - yachts and the painters' quay
scenic 👍 PopularThe heart of the village: a harbour ringed by tall ochre and pink houses, with cafe terraces facing the moored superyachts and painters selling canvases along the quay. Come early for the fishing-boat end of things, or at dusk for the passeggiata.
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Musee de l'Annonciade - Signac and the Fauves
culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedA former chapel on the harbour holds a fine small collection of pointillist and Fauvist painting, including Signac, Matisse, Bonnard, Derain and Braque. Many of the works show Saint-Tropez itself, so you can look from the canvas to the view outside.
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Citadelle - maritime history above the town
history scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedThe early 17th-century hilltop fortress has ramparts with sweeping views over the gulf to the Maures and the Esterel. Its keep houses a museum of the town's seafaring past, and peacocks roam the moat.
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Place des Lices - market and petanque
food shopping 👍 PopularA big plane-shaded square where games of petanque run all day. On Tuesday and Saturday mornings it fills with a Provencal market of produce, cheese, linen and antiques. Try the tarte tropezienne, the cream-filled brioche the town is named for, from one of the nearby bakeries.
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Plage de Pampelonne - the beach clubs
nightlife music 👍 PopularSeveral kilometres of pale sand on the Ramatuelle side of the peninsula, lined with beach clubs from the long-established Club 55 to louder party spots. Public stretches run between the clubs, and the water is clearer than on the gulf side.
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Sentier du Littoral - the coastal path
nature wildlife scenicThe customs officers' path leaves town past the old cemetery and runs along the rocky shore, past small coves such as Les Graniers and the Baie des Canebiers, toward the lighthouse capes and Pampelonne. You can walk a short stretch for a swim or go on for hours.
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La Ponche - the old fishermen's quarter
historyBehind the harbour, lanes and an old gateway lead down to a tiny beach where the fishing boats are still pulled up. It is the calmest corner of the village and the best place to see how Saint-Tropez looked before it was famous.
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Musee de la Gendarmerie et du Cinema - the films that made the town
culture artsThe old gendarmerie from the Louis de Funes comedies is now a museum of the town's police history and its long run as a film set, from Bardot onwards.
Best areas to stay in Saint-Tropez
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Saint-Tropez village
First-time visitors $$$Harbour, lanes and boutique hotels
Explore hotels in Saint-Tropez village →
Ramatuelle and Pampelonne
Beach lovers $$$Beach hotels, vineyards, perched village
Explore hotels in Ramatuelle and Pampelonne →
Sainte-Maxime
Families $$Family resort across the gulf
Explore hotels in Sainte-Maxime →
Port Grimaud and Grimaud
Rentals and quiet $$Canal village and hilltop castle
Explore hotels in Port Grimaud and Grimaud →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Saint-Tropez
Getting to & around Saint-Tropez
Getting there
Fly into Nice Cote d'Azur (NCE) and continue by road or seasonal boat; there is no train station on the peninsula
Flight
Nice Cote d'Azur Airport (NCE)
Most people drive or take a private transfer, about 1.5-2 hours, and much longer on summer weekends when the peninsula road jams. Coaches and seasonal boats also run, and helicopter transfers land in minutes. Toulon-Hyeres airport is closer but has far fewer flights.
Train
Saint-Raphael-Valescure
The nearest station on the main coastal line, with high-speed trains from Paris; continue by regional bus or by seasonal boat
Ferry
Vieux Port
Seasonal passenger boats arrive from Saint-Raphael, Sainte-Maxime and other Riviera ports, skipping the road traffic
Cruise
Vieux Port
Cruise ships anchor in the gulf and tender passengers into the old harbour
Getting around
Walking
The village, port, citadel and Place des Lices are all a few minutes apart on foot
Free
Shuttle boat
Boats cross the gulf to Sainte-Maxime and Port Grimaud, often faster than driving in summer
TBC
Bus
Regional buses link the village with Ramatuelle, Gassin, Grimaud and Saint-Raphael station
TBC
Scooter or bike
A popular way to reach Pampelonne and the capes while the cars queue
TBC
Day trips from Saint-Tropez
Ramatuelle and Gassin
Half dayPerched hill villages
Two medieval villages on the hills behind Pampelonne, with stone lanes, flowered archways and views over the vineyards to the sea. Gassin sits higher and looks over the gulf; Ramatuelle is the livelier of the two.
Getting there
car | bus
About 15-20 minutes by car or bus
Port Grimaud and Grimaud
Half dayCanal town and castle
Port Grimaud is a 1960s lagoon village of pastel houses and canals, where boats moor at the front doors. Above it, old Grimaud climbs to the ruins of its castle, with views across the gulf.
Getting there
ferry | car
About 20 minutes by shuttle boat or car
Porquerolles
Full dayIsland national park
The largest of the Iles d'Hyeres is car-free, with pine woods, vineyards and white-sand beaches in clear water. Hire a bike in the village and ride out to the coves on the north shore.
Getting there
ferry | car
Seasonal boat from the port, or about 1 hour by car to Hyeres and a short ferry
Massif des Maures
Full dayForested hills
Wild cork-oak and chestnut hills behind the coast, crossed by winding roads. Stop in Collobrieres, known for its chestnuts, and visit the remote Chartreuse de la Verne monastery.
Getting there
car
About 45 minutes by car
A little history of Saint-Tropez
The town takes its name from Torpes, a Christian said to have been beheaded under Nero. According to legend, his body was set adrift in a boat with a cockerel and a dog and washed ashore here. The medieval village was later ruined in the wars along this coast and left almost empty. In 1470 it was resettled by Genoese families under Raphael de Garezzio, and it grew as a small, fiercely independent port. In 1637 its militia drove off an attack by Spanish galleys.
Its fame came late. Paul Signac sailed in in 1892 and stayed, and other painters followed. Allied troops landed along this coast in 1944, and retreating German forces blew up much of the harbour front. Then in 1956 Roger Vadim filmed And God Created Woman here with Brigitte Bardot. Together with the Gendarme comedies of the 1960s, the film made the fishing port a world name.
By legend, the body of the martyr Torpes washes ashore and gives the town its name
Genoese families under Raphael de Garezzio resettle the abandoned village
The citadel is built on the hill above the town
The town's militia repels an attack by Spanish galleys
Paul Signac arrives by boat and settles, drawing other painters after him
Allied landings in Provence; much of the harbour front is destroyed
And God Created Woman is filmed here with Brigitte Bardot
Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez, starring Louis de Funes, is released
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / E
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+33
Mobile network & SIM card
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FAQs about Saint-Tropez
▸ When is the best time to visit Saint-Tropez?
Late spring and early autumn are the sweet spot, with warm weather, a swimmable sea and everything open, but without the midsummer crush. High summer is the scene at its peak, crowded and costly, with heavy traffic. Winter is mild and very quiet, and many hotels, restaurants and beach clubs close.
▸ Is Saint-Tropez expensive?
Very, especially in summer, for hotels in the village, harbourside terraces and the Pampelonne beach clubs. It gets cheaper if you stay in Sainte-Maxime or Grimaud and come in by boat, eat a street back from the port, shop at the market and use the public stretches of beach.
▸ How do I avoid the traffic getting to Saint-Tropez?
Only one main road runs onto the peninsula, and in summer it can back up for hours. Park in Sainte-Maxime or Port Grimaud and take the shuttle boat across the gulf, arrive early in the morning, or come by sea from Saint-Raphael.
▸ Are the beaches in Saint-Tropez free?
Yes, access to the sand is public. Pampelonne has free stretches between the private clubs, which charge for loungers, and the small coves along the coastal path near town are free to use.
▸ Is there anything to do in Saint-Tropez besides the beach?
Plenty for a short stay: the Annonciade's paintings, the citadel and its maritime museum, the market on the Place des Lices, the coastal path, and the hill villages of Ramatuelle, Gassin and Grimaud.
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