Saint Tropez Area by Area: The Port, the Old Quarter, the Citadelle and the Peninsula

How the area fits together

Think of three rings. The first is the town on its south shore of the gulf, which you cover on foot. The second is the peninsula behind it: the hill villages of Ramatuelle and Gassin, the long beach, and the capes at its tip. The third is the rest of the gulf: Sainte-Maxime opposite, and Port Grimaud, Grimaud and the Cogolin marina at its head.

The port and its quays

Start where everyone does. The port is the town's front: pastel houses along the quays, the cafés facing the water and the big boats moored along the quay. The tourist office is here on the Quai de l'Épi, and so is the harbour master's office where some private charters collect you. The best view of the whole front is from the water, which is why the private bay boat starts its trip with half an hour along it.

The old fishermen's quarter

Behind the port, the lanes narrow and the houses get older. La Ponche is the oldest part of the town, a knot of fishermen's houses between the Portalet tower and the Tour Vieille, with two small beaches of coarse sand below, La Ponche and La Fontanette. Come in the morning, when the boats are back and the lanes are still in shade. It costs nothing to wander, and dogs are not allowed on those two beaches.

The citadel hill

Above the town, the Citadelle de Saint-Tropez sits in its pines. The keep has held a museum of maritime history since 2013, and the €5 ticket covers the ramparts as well, with the view across the gulf. It opens from 10:00 to 18:30 from April to September and to 17:30 in winter, with last entry half an hour before closing. Children under 12 go free.

The market square and the museums

Place des Lices is the town's big square. On Tuesday and Saturday mornings it fills with the market: produce, fish, charcuterie, flowers, crafts and clothes, from 8:00 to 13:00, all year. The Annonciade, the art museum near the port, costs €5 and shows the painters who came here. The Gendarmerie museum, given to the old police station and to cinema, is also €5. Things to do in town has every opening time.

The peninsula: beach, villages and capes

South of the town, the land rises into the peninsula. Its east side is Pampelonne, the long beach, which belongs to Ramatuelle, not to the town, and covers 27 hectares of sand. Behind it the hill villages of Ramatuelle and Gassin sit on their ridges. At the southern tip are Cap Camarat, with its lighthouse, and Cap Taillat, both protected land.

You need wheels or a boat for all of it. The full-day Pershing 40 spends two hours each in the bay of villas, off the long beach and under the cape. By road, the shared van takes you to Grimaud and Gassin in a morning for $145 a person.

Across the gulf

The gulf's other shores feel like a different place. Sainte-Maxime, opposite, is a quieter resort town fifteen minutes away by the Bateaux Verts ferry. At the head of the gulf, Port Grimaud is a canal town built from 1966, and the hilltop village of Grimaud, with a ruined keep above it, is a short drive inland. Marines de Cogolin, next to Port Grimaud, is where most private boats and the catamarans berth.

That last point matters when you book. A boat that sells itself as a trip from the town may start at the marina, round the head of the gulf. Our comparison of the canal town and the old port covers the ferry between them, and the meeting-point map marks every start.

Walking out of town along the shore

A coastal path leaves the town and follows the shore round the peninsula, past small coves and the bay of villas towards the long beach. Distances depend on where you stop, and the published figures disagree, so treat it as a walk you turn back from rather than a route to finish. Take water, shoes that grip on rock, and a way home: the paths are longer than they look on a map.

If you would rather see that shore from the sea, the boats do it in an afternoon. The bay of villas east of town is where the private boats anchor for a swim, and the Canoubiers are where most of them spend the longest stop.

How long each part takes

• The port and the quays: an hour on foot, longer with a coffee.
• The old quarter: an hour, more if you swim.
• The citadel: an hour and a half for the museum and the ramparts.
• The market: a morning, on a Tuesday or a Saturday.
• The peninsula and the capes: half a day by boat, a day by road.
• The canal town: one to two hours, plus the ferry.

Which areas suit which kind of day

• A day without a car: the port, the old quarter, the citadel and the market.
• A day on the water: the bay of villas and the capes, from the Cogolin marina. Our page of Saint Tropez boat tours compares every boat.
• A day by road: the hill villages and the canal town, with a driver-guide.
• A day further west: the flower village of Bormes-les-Mimosas, on a private day that also stops in Ramatuelle and Grimaud.

If you are choosing a base, where to stay compares each ring, and the visitor guide covers the buses and ferries between them.

Days that reach the rest of the peninsula

Full Day Private Yacht Charter on our Pershing 40 in Saint Tropez

Eight hours on a Pershing 40 for up to eight adults: two hours each in the bay of villas, off the long beach and under the protected cape, then a last swim near the lighthouse. Snacks and soft drinks on board.

From $2,787 per group (up to 8) plus a fuel surcharge; the amount is not published

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Private Tour from Saint-Tropez to the flowers city

Six hours by private van with a guide: the canal town, two hill villages and Cavalaire, then two hours in the flower village to the west. Pickup round the gulf, infant seats and strollers welcome.

From $458 per person

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Saint-Tropez Small-Group Shared Tour

Three and a half hours in a shared van of up to 13 with a driver-guide: an hour in town, an hour in Grimaud, half an hour in the canal town and Gassin. Its vehicle is wheelchair accessible.

From $145 per person

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