Saint Tropez is still basically a small fishing village, surrounded by villas for the super rich and super famous; the town heaves with crowds, but there’s a wonderful 14-kilometer path where you can get away from it all. Whatever you think of the place, it still attracts both the stars and the ordinary vacationer, and therein lies its charm.
The writer Guy de Maupassant started the trend in the 1880s, ‘discovering’ the place when he arrived the only way he could, in his yacht, the Bel-Ami. Then came the painter Paul Signac, followed by other artists of the late 19th- and early 20th-century who found the light fabulous and the living easy.
They loved the small fishing port that went back to the 1400s when the place was independent with its own small army. In the 20th century the trickle of visitors became a tide as everybody followed the famous names of Matisse and Colette, Errol Flynn and Jean Cocteau. By the 1950s Picasso, Juliette Greco and Boris Vian, Jean-Paul Sartre and Francoise Sagan were regulars. But it was Brigitte Bardot who through the film And God Created Woman, became the symbol of fashionable, rather libertine St Tropez. And the place never looked back. Today you might see George Clooney, Jack Nicholson, Liz Hurley and P Diddy along with Michael Schumacher strolling around.
Sightseeing in Saint Tropez
Musee de l’Annonciade
From the port, make your way to the west side and the nearby Musee de l’Annonciade, a 16th-century house with a surprising and impressive collection of pictures of Saint Tropez by the post-Impressionists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Also here are works by Van Dongen, Braque, Vlaminck, Derain and the Expressionists Rouault, Utrillo and more.
The Citadelle stands high above the town. Go for the naval and maritime history of the area, putting the town in context. Get there at sunset and be rewarded by the splendid view over the town, the golf course, and towards Ste-Maxime and the wonderful backdrop of the Massif des Maures.
Maison des Papillons
Finally if you’re at all interested in butterflies, the Maison des Papillons (Musee Dany-Lartigue) is for you. Located in the family house of the photography J.-H. Lartigue, his son collected the 4,500 specimens that vie for your attention with their extraordinary colors and shapes.
The Old Quarter of La Ponche
Between the port and the Citadelle lies La Ponche, the oldest and prettiest part of the town, and still the area where the local fishermen and artisans live. In the place de l’Hotel de Ville, the tower is all that is left of the chateau de Suffren, for centuries the home of the lords who reigned over Saint Tropez.
From here walk to the charming little church of Notre-Dame de-l’Assomption. Its tower is on every photograph; in the Italian baroque interior you’ll find a wooden sculpture of St Tropez himself. Yes, there really was a St Tropez and each year on May 15 and 16, the locals take to the street with a procession to celebrate him, with much letting off of rifles. It's called Les Bravades and is well worth getting to see if you're in the south of France in Spring.
Saint Tropez's Glorious Beaches
There are plenty of beaches for sun worshippers on the Saint Tropez peninsula. Possibly the best known because it's a nudist beach is Tahiti plage. Pampelonne beach is a huge sandy stretch along the east side of the peninsula dominated by the Camarat lighthouse. One of the highest in France, it's been guiding sailors up to 60 kilometers out to sea since 1831 (though modernised in World War II and fully automated in 1977).
For the energetic, there’s a wonderful walk along the headland. From Saint Tropez you first pass the cemetery where film director Roger Vadim is buried. The headland is rocky and pine-covered, the perfect place for the villa (and private beach) belonging to Brigitte Bardot. It’s a 14-mile walk, so not to be undertaken lightly though you can just do stretches of it. But if you want to find your own private beach, this is the place to search for it. You'll find peace, tranquility and very few other people as you make your own way down to the sea.
Among the pine trees you come across the villages of Gassin and Ramatuelle.The little village with its tiny roads, old houses and Romanesque church is better known for its two extremely chic hotels . It's the perfect spot for a bit of chilling-out.
Where to Stay in Saint Tropez
Saint Tropez has its fair share of famous and fabulous hotels; all those film stars have to stay somewhere. Hotel Sezz is the latest hip place for them (it opened in July 2010), and anybody else after a stunning experience. It’s set in woodlands just minutes away from the beach, a complex of 37 guestrooms, suites and villas, grouped around a central pool area. The restaurant Colette has top chef Pierre Gagnaire behind it and there’s a wonderful spa by Payot. It feels very Mediterranean and unbelievably chic.
Hotel Byblos is one of the resort's swankiest hotels. Brigitte Bardot with husband number three, Gunter Sachs, were here for the opening and it was the place where Mick Jagger proposed to Bianca in 1971. Celebrities like George Clooney and rappers Jay-Z and P Diddy drink in the famous in-house nightclub, the Caves du Roy. The restaurant under Alain Ducasse has been renamed as Rivea and redesigned in a relaxed, garden-themed decor with a local menu full of Italian flavors. And the rooms? Superb, and located in a group in a stylish Mediterranean 'village' of stone buildings around the swimming pool.
Just outside St-Tropez at Ramatuelle, two hotels compete for the crown.
Upmarket and very chilled-out Muse is tucked away among vineyards, pines and olive groves. 15 suites are the attraction here; there’s a beautiful pool, fine-dining restaurant and cosy bar, and a silver Bentley to take you into St-Tropez should you feel the urge. The suites are called after famous muses from Edit Piaf to Catherine Deneuve.
La Reserve Ramatuelle is a very stylish hotel with a spa devoted to age prevention in a natural way. No invasive procedures, just special meals, energy-building activities and holistic treatments in a perfect setting. Floor-to-ceiling windows and Zen bathrooms withCrème de la Mer products are the order of the day here.
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