Saint Tropez with Kids: Boats, Beaches and the Age Rules That Matter

Is it worth it with children?

For children who swim, yes. The gulf is sheltered, the boats stop to swim, and three hours on the water is enough for most ages. For toddlers the town itself is easy: short lanes, a port full of boats to look at, and a beach in the old quarter. What does not suit small children is a ten-hour day on a scheduled boat or an eight-hour charter.

The age rules that matter

Every boat here seats infants on a lap and warns against back problems, and none of them is wheelchair accessible. The bay boat is also not for pregnant travellers. If that rules someone out, the shared van is the one outing whose vehicle is wheelchair accessible, and it takes strollers.

What children love most

• The tube behind the boat. The private bay boat carries towable tubes, waterskis and a wakeboard, and the skipper runs them in the bay.
• Lying on the nets. On the half-day catamaran, the nets at the bow are the place to lie in the sun.
• The citadel's ramparts. A walk round the walls with the whole gulf below, free for under 12s. Things to do in town has its hours.
• The market. Tuesday and Saturday mornings on Place des Lices, with fruit to buy.
• The canal town. Bridges, boats and ice cream in Port Grimaud.

What to prepare for

Heat first. July and August average highs of about 29 °C at Fréjus, the nearest Météo-France station, and shade on a small boat is limited. Bring hats, sunscreen and more water than you think. Travellers mention shade on the catamaran's deck; the bay boat supplies water and ice, and you bring the rest.

Then distance. The long beach belongs to Ramatuelle and is a drive from the town. The boats mostly leave from the Cogolin marina, round the head of the gulf, so build the drive into a nap time. The meeting-point map shows every start.

The best options for a family

For a family of up to six who swim, the bay boat is the best buy: $435 for the whole boat for three hours, plus €90 fuel, with buoyancy aids for everyone. For a family on a budget, the catamaran costs $74 a person with kayaks and a swim stop, and you can bring your own food. Every boat is compared on our page of Saint Tropez boat tours.

On land, the private tour of the villages covers the town, Grimaud and the canal town in under four hours with pickup where you are staying.

Beaches for small children

The nearest sand is in the old quarter. La Ponche and La Fontanette are two small beaches of coarse sand below the fishermen's houses, free and a short walk from the port. They suit an hour with a bucket, not a whole day. For a long beach you need the car or a boat: Pampelonne covers 27 hectares on the peninsula and belongs to Ramatuelle, a drive from town. The bay boat's first swim stop is off a sandy beach too, and you can wave down the tender to the beach bar there.

Teenagers and older children

Older children want to do something, not look at it. The bay boat is the answer: wakeboards, waterskis and a tube, with a skipper who runs the rope while the rest of you swim. On the catamaran they can take a kayak or a paddleboard at anchor. If you are here in late September or early October, the regatta catamaran follows the race starts off the town, which teenagers who sail tend to remember.

Rainy days and museum hours

The museums are small and cheap for families. The citadel's maritime museum is €5 for adults and free under 12, and the ramparts come with it. The Gendarmerie museum charges €3 for 12 to 18s and students, and is free under 12. The Annonciade, the art museum, charges a reduced €3.50 from the age of 12 and for students under 25, and it is closed on Mondays outside July to September, so check the day before you go. The autumn is the wettest time of year, with October and November the rainiest months, so keep a museum in reserve if you come then.

A day plan with small children

• 9:00: the boat, while the sea is calmer and the sun lower.
• 12:30: lunch on the port, then a rest in the shade.
• 16:00: the citadel's ramparts, or the beach in the old quarter.
• 18:00: an ice cream on the quays as the boats come in.

Practical tips for parents

• Book mornings. The sea is often calmer, and you are back before the afternoon heat.
• Pack a picnic. The bay boat and the catamaran both let you bring food.
• Mind the dog rules. Dogs are not allowed on the old quarter's beaches; the bay boat takes two.
• Skip the longest days. The ten-hour boat from Nice and the eight-hour charters test small children.

What to combine it with

A morning on the water and an afternoon in the town make a good day. Our post on the canal town or the old port covers the calmest half-day ashore, and the best time to visit shows when the sea and the heat suit children best. For somewhere to stay with a family, where to stay weighs the town against Sainte-Maxime.

Outings that work with children

Saint Tropez Private Boat Charter in the Bay of St Tropez

Three or four hours on a sports boat for up to six with a skipper: the port, two swim stops and an hour ashore in the canal town, with skis, tubes, paddleboards and buoyancy aids.

From $435 per group (up to 6) plus fuel, €90 for 3 hours or €120 for 4, and €50 to collect you in town

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Côte d'Azur: Half-Day Coastline Catamaran Sailing Tour

Three hours under sail on a big shared catamaran from one of three harbours: an aperitif, then a swim with kayaks and paddleboards. Priced per head, with a lunch box to add.

From $74 per person

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Private tour in Saint-Tropez

Three hours and forty minutes with your own driver-guide: the town, the hilltop village of Grimaud and the canal town, with pickup where you are staying. Infant seats and strollers are fine.

From $170 per person

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