Saint-Tropez is the most famous fishing village in the world — a sun-drenched Provençal port on the French Riviera where billionaires’ superyachts bob alongside traditional wooden pointus, the glitterati gather at the legendary Club 55 on Pampelonne Beach, and the soft Mediterranean light that inspired Matisse and Signac still bathes the pastel-coloured houses of the old port. Despite its jet-set reputation, old Saint-Tropez retains a genuine charm: the morning fish market on the Place aux Herbes, the cobbled lanes of the La Ponche quarter, and the view from the Citadelle across the Gulf of Saint-Tropez remain as beautiful today as when Brigitte Bardot put the town on the map in 1956.
Quick Facts: Saint-Tropez, France
- Best time to visit: May–June and September for warm weather without the peak July–August crowds; September for the Voiles de Saint-Tropez sailing regatta
- Top attraction: Pampelonne Beach (5km of golden sand, home to the exclusive beach clubs), the old port, and the Musée de l’Annonciade (outstanding collection of Pointillist and Fauvist art)
- How to get there: ~1.5 hours from Nice Airport by car; ~1 hour from Toulon-Hyères Airport; limited train service to Saint-Raphaël + bus or ferry
- Avoid the traffic: In July–August the single road in and out becomes gridlocked — arrive by ferry from Saint-Raphaël or Sainte-Maxime for a far more pleasant experience
Saint-Tropez is a town, 104 km to the east of Marseille, in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southeastern France.
Saint-Tropez is located on the French Riviera, and it is known today for its famous and extremely wealthy summertime guests. It has been dubbed the ‘playground to jetsetters, fashion models, and millionaires’, and it is most-enduringly known as the place the iconic Brigitte Bardot “discovered” and for its role in the liberation of southern France during World War II. During the 1960s and the 1970s, the famous film series Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez with Louis de Funès further contributed to the town’s reputation.
The port is now primarily a tourist spot besides being a base for many well know sail regattas.
The inhabitants of Saint-Tropez are called Tropéziens[1], and the town is familiarly called “St-Trop”.
View Saint-Tropez – the town on French riviera in a larger map
Have you strolled Saint-Tropez’s old port or found the French Riviera’s quieter side? Share your Côte d’Azur experiences in the comments! ⛵
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