Saint Tropez Regatta Week: Watching the Autumn Race from Shore and Sea

Every autumn the classic and modern sailing yachts of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez race on the gulf for a week, and you can watch most of it free. No Saint Tropez tickets are sold for the racing: the starts are close to the shore. This guide covers the 2026 dates, where to stand, the boats that follow the racing, and what the week does to the town.

What is the regatta?

It is the town's big autumn regatta, run by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez. About 250 yachts race in the regatta, crewed by some 3,500 sailors. The fleet runs from century-old classic yachts to 30-metre Maxis, J Class yachts and ultra-modern racing boats.

The racing is split by fleet, so on most days you see more than one kind of boat on the water. Between races the fleet moors in the port, which is the other half of the show.

When does it run?

In 2026 it runs from Saturday 26 September to Sunday 4 October. Here is the programme day by day, as the organiser publishes it.

Next year's dates are not yet published. The regatta always falls between late September and early October, so plan around that window.

Where can you watch from the shore?

Close to the town. The organiser says a number of starts take place just outside the town and the Mole Jean Réveille, the harbour wall where the race village stands, so you can see the starts from land and some of the finishes too.

The other viewpoints it names are the Citadelle de Saint-Tropez and the Chapelle Sainte-Anne, reached on foot or by car. The citadel costs €5 if you go inside the museum, and the walk up the hill is free. Starts run from late morning, so be in place by 11:00.

Can you watch from the water?

Yes, three ways. The regatta catamaran watches the race starts in front of the town, then follows the fleets to a buoy rounding: three hours from Marines de Cogolin for $85 a head, with two aperitifs aboard. Lunch is €18 extra, or you can bring a picnic.

The organiser also works with Les Bateaux Verts, which run boats with a commentator aboard to follow the races; fares are set at the quay. And the private boats run that week as usual, so ask your skipper whether the day's course is within reach.

Is the regatta catamaran worth it?

If you want to be on the water for the starts, yes. It is rated 4.6 from 28 reviews, a shade under the half-day catamaran's 4.8. Three things to know before you book.

• It follows the racing, not one boat. The cruise is not tied to any one boat in the regatta fleet.
• Its times hold even if the racing does not. Starts can be delayed, and the catamaran keeps its own schedule, so on a slow day you may see less racing.
• Bring a jacket. The wind off the water is cool, even in late September.

It takes children from one year old, and it sells only this week. Go by the 2026 dates here rather than any older programme you find.

How do you plan a regatta day?

Start early and work back from the starts. If your day is a Tuesday or Saturday, you can browse the market until it packs up at 13:00, but be at your viewpoint by 11:00 if you want the first starts. The harbour wall by the race village gives you the closest view, and the citadel gives you the widest.

After the starts, you can eat in town and walk the quays, where the fleet comes back in the afternoon. If you would rather be on the water, the regatta catamaran boards at the Cogolin marina, and the ferry from the town gets you there in about 25 minutes. Finish in the race village, where the live music runs from 18:30 to 21:00 and you pay nothing to listen.

What should you bring?

For the shore, you need a hat, water and something to sit on: you may wait an hour at a viewpoint for the start you came for. Binoculars help you pick out the classic yachts from the modern boats once the fleet spreads across the gulf.

For the water, you should add a jacket, because the wind is cool out there even when the town is warm. If you book the catamaran, pack a picnic unless you have ordered its €18 lunch.

What does the week do to the town?

It fills it. The race village in the port holds live music every evening from 18:30 to 21:00. The blessing of the boats is at 09:00 on Monday 28 September, from the Balcon du Sube, and there is a boules evening on Place des Lices on Wednesday 30 September. On Thursday 1 October the children parade in the harbour at 09:00 and the crews at 18:30.

Some events are by invitation only: the village's opening night, the prize-givings and the crew party. The market still runs on Tuesday 29 September and Saturday 3 October, so you can pair a market morning with the afternoon starts.

Where should you stay that week?

With 3,500 sailors in town, rooms go early, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. Staying across the gulf is the usual way round it: the ferry from Sainte-Maxime takes 15 minutes and from Port Grimaud 20 to 25.

If you drive, the organiser points you to the town's pay car parks: the Nouveau Port, the Lices, the Place du XVe Corps and Foch, with street meters as well. Our guide to where to stay weighs each base.

What is the weather like in late September?

Warm, and less settled than summer. On the Météo-France normals for Fréjus, the nearest coastal station, September averages a high of 25.6 °C and a low of 15.4 °C, with 81.0 mm of rain. October drops to 21.5 °C by day and 12.2 °C at night, with 115.5 mm.

That is warm enough for the shore in a shirt, but not for a day on the water without a layer. Keep a spare day in case a boat cancels for the sea.

Which other boats run that week?

The Cannes boat sails on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays in September and on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 1 October. So in regatta week 2026 you can come from Cannes for the day on 26, 27 and 29 September and on 3 October, with five hours ashore from 11:30.

The Nice boat runs too; check its sailing day when you book. The half-day catamaran, the bay boat and the sunset boat keep sailing, and the sunset boat's anchorage in the Canoubiers makes a quiet end to a day of racing.

What is the other big date in the town's year?

The Bravades, every year from 16 to 18 May. The Grande Bravade falls on the 17th; in 2026 it was Sunday 17 May at 16:00. The Citadelle and the Musée de l'Annonciade close on 17 May, so plan your museums around it.

Where the regatta belongs to the sailors, the Bravades belong to the town itself. Our month-by-month guide sets both in their months.

What happens after the regatta?

October winds the season down. The citadel's hours drop to 17:30 from 1 October, the art museum keeps Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, and the Gendarmerie museum stays open 10:00 to 18:00 all month.

On the Cannes route in 2026 the regular sailings end on 20 October, with extra sailings from 23 to 25 October. After that the scheduled boats stop until May, and the ferry across the gulf and the bus become the car-free ways in.

Frequently asked questions

Boats for regatta week

Saint Tropez: Voiles Regatta

Three hours on a catamaran that follows the race starts off the town during the autumn regatta week, with two aperitifs on board. It sells only that week.

From $85 per person

Check Availability

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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Saint Tropez Private Sunset Yacht Charter on 13m Motor Yacht

Two hours at dusk on a 13-metre motor yacht for up to eight, from the harbour master's office in town: past the waterfront, then at anchor in the bay of villas with a bottle of bubbly.

From $923 per group (up to 8) plus a €100 fuel surcharge per booking

Check Availability