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A place that’s famous for Brigitte Bardot, fine dining and the biggest super yachts you’ll ever see, this is my love note to St-Tropez in France.
St-Tropez almost needs no introduction. It’s a place that just oozes opulence and wealth, a place where you need to be seen to be seen, but there’s another side to this little fishing town, a side that not many people realise.
During the summertime, St-Tropez balloons from just fewer than 4,000 inhabitants to over 80,000 a day, a number of those mooring up in the bustling harbour, but even then, even with the streets teeming with people, you still get a glimpse of the true majesty of this place, the real jewel on the Cote d’Azur.
St-Tropez is a place that’s been beguiling people for centuries, and it seems I was no different. Now, I don’t own a super yacht, nor could I afford most of the shops I walked into, but I just loved how St-Tropez captures the heart.
I was lucky enough to visit St-Tropez in the summer. I say lucky because St-Tropez is genuinely one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to in France. I’d even go as far to say it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to in all of Europe, and that’s really saying something.
Travelling around France? Then check out my guides to Cannes, Chatel and Paris to help plan your trip.
Quick overview
Where: St-Tropez (Saint-Tropez in full) is a small port town on the Côte d’Azur, in the Var, between Toulon and Cannes.
Getting there: There’s no train station. Take the train to Saint-Raphaël-Valescure or Toulon, then a ZOU! bus, or catch the boat from Sainte-Maxime.
Nearest airports: Nice Côte d’Azur and Toulon-Hyères.
How long to stay: Two or three nights.
Best time to visit: Late May, June and September.
Market days: Tuesday and Saturday, 8am to 1pm, on Place des Lices.
Don’t miss: The Citadelle, the coastal path and an evening by the harbour.
Wander the old town and the fish market
While I was there I spent most of my time making my way around the winding cobble streets looking for things to do in St-Tropez. Often I’d walk through the fish market, past the summer villas to Place des Lices, the main square, and there I’d have a macchiato watching the world pass me by.
If you can, time your visit for a Tuesday or Saturday morning. That’s when the market takes over Place des Lices from 8am until 1pm, with stalls selling fruit and veg, charcuterie, clothes, flowers and furniture. The boats over from Sainte-Maxime are at their busiest on market days, so give yourself plenty of time.
Watch pétanque on Place des Lices
As the afternoon drew on, locals would emerge from little alleyways and old stone-washed houses to play petanque (French boules), something I imagined the people have been doing here long before the super yachts and the celebrities turned up.
For me, this is what St-Tropez was all about – a quiet yet stunningly beautiful fishing town, a town that has maintained its quintessential French essence, it’s je ne sais quoi, despite the extravagance going on all around it.
It’s almost like there’s this fake facade, but once the make-up has been wiped away, there’s still an enchanting face looking back at you.
Walk up to the Citadelle
For me, one of the best things to do in St-Tropez is go on the coastal walk around the town walls all the way up to the fort at the top of the hill. There, you get to see along the coast of the Côte d’Azur in quiet solitude. It’s only a 15-minute walk from the centre of St-Tropez, and if you go first thing in the morning you’ll often have the ramparts to yourself.
The fort is the Citadelle, built in the early 1600s to protect the town from attack by sea. Inside the keep is the Musée d’Histoire Maritime, which tells the story of St-Tropez’s sailors. Entry is €5 for adults and free for under-12s. It’s open every day from 10am to 6.30pm between April and September, and until 5.30pm the rest of the year.
On the way back down, follow the path past the Cimetière Marin. Brigitte Bardot was buried here in January 2026, in the same seaside cemetery as her first husband, Roger Vadim.
Swim at Plage des Graniers and walk the coastal path
Just beyond it is Plage des Graniers, a small sandy beach tucked beneath the ramparts. It’s only about 80 metres long and fills up fast in summer, so get there early. One of its two entrances is step-free.
From Graniers, the Sentier du Littoral carries on around the peninsula for about 11km (7 miles) to Pampelonne. Along the way you’ll pass little coves that are far quieter than the big beach clubs.
Dress up for dinner by the harbour
After sunset, things change again and there’s loads of different things to do in St-Tropez. Everyone dresses up in their finest attire, the bars and clubs get ready for the long night ahead, and little French restaurants write up the evening’s menu with chalk on a blackboard.
Every evening I walked past these restaurants serving fresh fish and seafood and I just wished I had more time to try them all, to see which one did the best moules-frites.
That’s the thing though; time. Even though I spent a few nights in St-Tropez, I barely even scratched the surface in exploring this jewel, and there’s so much more I wanted to discover.
From the cafes by the square to the corner shops selling gelato to the harbour-side bars with Aperol Spritz, there’s so much more that I need to experience when I go back again.
And the thing about St-Tropez is despite it being one of the most glamorous places I’ve ever been to, it doesn’t need to be all that expensive. With some amazing camp sites nearby and a few cheap restaurants, it’s possible to visit St-Tropez and experience the lavish lifestyle on a budget, even if it’s only for a few days.
What’s new in St-Tropez for 2027?
St-Tropez is about to have a big year on screen. Here’s what’s new and what’s worth planning around. Beyond the beaches and glamour, there’s plenty new to explore, whether you’re wandering the harbour, tasting local cuisine, or enjoying the Mediterranean sun.
- The White Lotus season four airs – HBO filmed the new season on the French Riviera through 2026, and it premieres in the first half of 2027. Château de La Messardière, a 19th-century château turned hotel in St-Tropez, plays the fictional White Lotus du Cap. If the last three seasons are anything to go by, hotel prices will follow, so book early for summer.
- Brigitte Bardot, 70 years on – Bardot died at La Madrague, her home in St-Tropez, in December 2025. At the Musée de la Gendarmerie et du Cinéma, an exhibition on And God Created Woman runs until 7 March 2027. The 1956 film was the first feature shot in St-Tropez, and it’s what put the town on the map. Tickets cost €5.
- A new Oetker Collection hotel – The group behind Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc is opening a new hotel on the old Le Mas Bellevue site, between the town and Pampelonne. It’s due to open for the 2027 season, laid out like a little hamlet of Provençal houses.
- The Annonciade is getting bigger – The Musée de l’Annonciade, St-Tropez’s modern art museum, is being extended. Work is planned from 2026, with a reopening pencilled in for 2028. Check before you go, as parts of it may be closed.
How to get to St-Tropez
By train and bus
There’s no train station in St-Tropez. The nearest stations are Saint-Raphaël-Valescure and Toulon. From Saint-Raphaël, ZOU! bus 876 runs to St-Tropez via Sainte-Maxime. From Toulon, take ZOU! bus 878 or 879. Flying into Nice? ZOU! bus 90 runs from Terminal 2 to Saint-Raphaël. You can compare train times and prices on Omio.
By boat
Honestly, this is the best way in. Les Bateaux Verts cross from Sainte-Maxime in about 15 minutes, skipping the worst of the traffic. Les Bateaux Bleus sail from Saint-Raphaël, Fréjus and Agay. In high season, Trans Côte d’Azur runs boats from Nice and Cannes. If you’re staying further along the coast, St-Tropez is one of my favourite day trips from Cannes.
By car
The road into St-Tropez gets seriously jammed in summer, especially past Sainte-Maxime. The biggest car park is Parking du Nouveau Port by the harbour, with around 1,400 spaces. Parc des Lices (300 spaces) and Parking Foch (100) are smaller options. In July and August, arrive early.
When to visit St-Tropez
One of the best things about the French Riviera is the weather. It’s properly warm from late May until early October, and I can’t wait to come back here in the shoulder season to have St-Tropez to myself when things quieten down again. It did capture my heart after all.
If you love boats, aim for late September or early October. That’s when Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez takes over the harbour, with classic yachts and maxis racing in the bay. The race village is free to visit.
Photos of St-Tropez
Have you ever been to St-Tropez before? If so, what were some of your favourite things to do in St-Tropez while you were there? Let everyone know in the comments below!
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