Best Things to Do in Saint-Tropez

The old port is the heart of Saint-Tropez, where fishing boats and superyachts share the quay and café terraces spill onto the cobbles. Just behind it, the old fishermen's quarter of La Ponche is the village at its most authentic — narrow lanes, tiny squares and a small beach.

Early morning and evening are the magic hours here, before and after the day-trippers.

The Place des Lices is the village's living room: a shaded square where locals play pétanque under the plane trees and where a wonderful market takes over on Tuesday and Saturday mornings, selling everything from produce to antiques.

It is the best place to feel the Provençal side of Saint-Tropez, a short walk from the glamour of the port.

Above the village, the 17th-century Citadelle offers the best views over the gulf and houses a maritime museum. Down by the port, the Musée de l'Annonciade holds an outstanding collection of post-impressionist and Fauvist paintings — many of Saint-Tropez itself.

Together they tell the story of how a fishing village became a magnet for artists and, later, the jet set.

A few minutes south of the village, Pampelonne is the long golden beach that made Saint-Tropez famous, home to legendary beach clubs where lunch can last all afternoon. A chauffeur is the easy way to reach them and return, avoiding the beach-road traffic and parking.

For a longer stay, the same driver links Saint-Tropez with the hill villages of Ramatuelle and Gassin and the wider Gulf.