International tourist mecca, St. Tropez’s mythical tame has played a large part in the renown of the whole Côte d’ Azur.
The world’s most rich and famous have found escape in St. Tropez for centuries. Icons Brigitte Bardot and artist Henri Matisse helped spread word of the unbridled, isolated luxury of France’s southern peninsula.
Thoughts on Your Trip to St Tropez
Coming from Nice generally, the lure of a trip to St Tropez is hard to resist. If the timing of the daily boat from Nice Quai Lunel (or less frequent out of season) doesn’t suit, independent travel is still a viable option. The most flexible way is the fairly frequent train from Nice Gare Ville to St Raphael, which breaks the back of the journey, and then change to a few options for the final approach. At St Raphael Port there is the Bateaux St Raphael who run 5 – 6 round trips a day in high season. There is also a local bus service connecting St Raphael with the main towns of the gulf to St Tropez, which is a viable option outside the car-madness of peak season. Likewise taxi is not impossible, but pricy.
Step 1: Try the ferry to St Tropez
Get to the port from the airport on Bus 98
Alternate 1: Rail/Ferry or Rail/Bus
There’s no rail line to St Tropez. The nearest station is at St Raphael, 38km away. Trains from Nice to St Raphael are fairly frequent, with the fastest journeys taking just under an hour. Get to the SNCF station from the airport on Bus 99 A boat shuttle between Saint-Tropez and Fréjus Saint-Raphael harbor operates every day from Easter to October.
. LES BATEAUX DE SAINT RAPHAEL
Phone 04 94 95 17 46; Fax 04 94 83 88 55
Address : Port – 83990 Saint-Tropez
Fare is 21€ for adults, 11€ for children and it is a 50 min journey
The bus (Route 104) from St Raphael station to St Tropez takes 1 hour 20 minutes but they’re fairly infrequent, with roughly 1½ or 2 hours between services.
Alternate 2: Bus from Nice Airport http://www.sodetrav.fr
Alternate 3: Helicopter http://www.helicopter-saint-tropez.com
Alternate 4: Taxi or limo: right out the front door of the airport.
Hotels in St Tropez and the surrounding areas
Tourist information about the Côte d’Azur
Tourist Information about the towns to the East of Nice
Tourist information about the towns to the West of Nice
Saint Tropez (Population : 5.542 h, Surface : 1.118 ha )
International tourist mecca, St. Tropez’s mythical tame has played a large part in the renown of the whole Côte d’ Azur.
In St. Tropez everything is famous :
– Beaches : Bouillabaisse Beach, Caneliers Beach, Salins Beach; there are at least 40 on the peninsula.
– There is the Place des Lices where movie stars and local stars get together to play a game of boules or sip Pastis under the plane trees.
Everybody, of course, wears their leather Tropéziennes sandals !
St. Tropez became “St. Trop” when the show business people, artists and writers all fell under the spell of this charming little port in the 1950’s. In the summer one could bump into Picasso, Francoise Sagan, Jacques Prévert and many others, With the arrival of Brigitte Bardot in the 6O’s the myth was installed for good. Since then St. Tropez has become the in vacation spot for chic Parisians and the international Jet Set.
People watching is a favorite sport here in the summer, Visitors like to sit at the outdoor cafés hoping either to be seen or to see some one else. Competition is rife. Huge yachts line up in the port rivaling to see which is the biggest, the prettiest, the best kept, or has the snappiest crew .
Only beautiful people hop on board. It is quite a spectacle for the casual visitor !…
St. Tropez’s true nature can really only be appreciated in the off months.
If you have the choice come here in May, June or September, without the crowds one can take the time to admire the charming little streets and alleys.
Early in the morning at the Place aux Herbes one can find fruit vegetables and flowers and watch the local fishermen selling their new catch.
This is also the neighborhood of the famous brasseries Le Gorille and Sénéquier.
A typical Provengal market is held every Tuesday and Saturday morning in the Place des Lices. Religious and festive processions called “Bravades” are lively celebrations which begin in May and continue until the 15th of June.
The Musts of St-Tropez :
The old port.
Place des Lices,
Rue Gambetta.
Place des Ormeau.
The 18th c. church and bell tower.
Museums :
Musée de l’Annonciade (Paul Signac, Braque,
Matisse, Utrillo, Van Dongen, Bonnard, Dufy) and its butterfly house.
Musee Galerie – Victoire de la Messardiere
Activities :
Water sports.
Tennis. Squash. Golf,
Horseback riding,
Hiking along the coast.
Night clubs.
Lodging :
Hotels
Holiday houses – Furnished apartments and rooms.
No campsites in St Tropez, but lots in neighbouring villages (some even “4-STAR”)
The hottest Riviera beaches are at St-Tropez.
The best for families are closest to the center, including the Plage de la Bouillabaisse and Plage des Graniers. More daring are the 9.5km (6-mile) crescents at Plage des Salins and Plage de Pampelonne, some 3km (2 miles) from the town center. At Pampelonne about 35 businesses occupy a 4.8km (3-mile) stretch, located about 10km (6 miles) from St-Tropez. You’ll need a car, bike, or scooter to get from town to the beach. Parking is about 3.80€ ($4.95) for the day. Famous hedonistic spots along Pampelonne include the cash-only club La Voile Rouge, which features bawdy spring-break-style entertainment. This is the most outrageous, the sexiest, and the most exhibitionist (not for children) of the beaches of St-Tropez. Also thriving are Le Club, 55 bd. Patch, Plage de Pampelonne, and Nikki Beach, Plage de Pampelonne. Maintained by an American from Miami, Nikki Beach is wild, frenetic, uninhibited, and about as Floridian a venue as you’re likely to find in the south of France. Plage des Jumeaux is another active beach; it draws many families with young kids because it has playground equipment.
Notoriously decadent Plage de Tahiti occupies the north end of the 5.5km-long (3 1/2-mile) Pampelonne, lined with concessions, cafes, and restaurants. It’s a strip of golden sand long favored by exhibitionists wearing next to nothing (or nothing) and cruising shamelessly. If you ever wanted to go topless, this is the place to do it.
All about Public Transportation in the Côte d’Azur
PenneyVanderbilt 
Reblogged this on KCJones.
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