Saint-Tropez
France
A fishing village of about four thousand people that the yachts found in the fifties and never left, at the end of one slow road
Photo by Marian Baciu on Unsplash
Photos by La coccinelle, Michael Kroul, Natacha de Hepcée and Winston Osei Adom on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of France
May to June, and September — high summer is the reason the place is famous and the reason the road is jammed
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 120mm in Oct
Where it is
43.27°N, 6.64°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A long weekend- Come in May, June or September when it is still a village
- Go to the Place des Lices market on a Tuesday or Saturday morning, then stay for the pétanque
- Walk the coastal path from the village towards the beaches
- Take the boat from Sainte-Maxime rather than driving in
- See the Annonciade — the painters came here before the yachts did
Saint-Tropez travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget France
Very expensiveCards everywhere. Read the price before you sit down on the port or at a Pampelonne beach club, where a sunbed and lunch for two can cost what a night costs elsewhere. Refuse the conversion when a terminal offers to charge you in your own currency.
ATMs & cards
Use the bank machines in the village. The independent machines near the port are the ones that offer to convert.
Avoid these
- independent machines near the port that offer to convert to your own currency
Use these instead
- Crédit Agricole
- Société Générale
- BNP Paribas
- Caisse d’Épargne
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of France
SafeLow crime against people, but a lot of money in one place draws thieves: watches, phones and bags at the port and on the beaches, and cars broken into at Pampelonne. The real problem is the road — the only way in is the coast road past Grimaud, and in July and August it can take hours to cover the last ten kilometres. Arrive by boat from Sainte-Maxime or before nine.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (9 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- the port in summer — crowds and expensive watches, which is what the thieves are here for
- Pampelonne beach car parks — cars are broken into and bags taken from the sand while people swim
- the coast road past Grimaud — the single road in, and in July and August it can take hours; arrive by boat or early
- The road home from the beach clubs, which is narrow and unlit and full of people who have had a long lunch
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa France visa rules
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
Other passports
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of France
Excellent and cheapRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodThe tarte tropézienne — brioche filled with cream — was invented here and is sold everywhere; it is better from a bakery than from a café. The rosé is Côtes de Provence, grown on the peninsula, and is what everyone drinks with lunch. Away from the port, the hill villages of Ramatuelle and Gassin eat better for less.
Travel tipsNightlife
In summer, a long lunch at the beach clubs, aperitifs on the port to watch the yachts, and late clubs that charge what they like; out of season, almost nothing.
- the old port — Sénéquier and the terraces, for watching the yachts and being watched
- Les Caves du Roy — the club under the Byblos hotel, open in season and famously expensive
- Pampelonne — the beach clubs, where the party happens at lunch rather than at night
- Place des Lices — quieter bars and restaurants under the plane trees
Closing: Clubs open around midnight in summer and run to about five. From the end of the season, most of them close entirely until spring.
Club and beach-club tables are booked in advance in July and August, and a minimum spend is normal..
Getting around
Car needed- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- G7Works here
- FREE NOWWorks here
G7 the taxi fleet, by app
- Against a taxi
- Much the same. The flat airport rate is a taxi rule and the apps price against it.
Time zone and your working day
Europe/Paris — 6 hours ahead of you
2 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–11:00 your time, 15:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 03:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 03:00–11:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for France, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
French
- HelloBonjourbon-ZHOOR
- PleaseS'il vous plaîtseel voo PLEH
- Thank youMercimer-SEE
- Yes / NoOui / Nonwee / non
4 more phrases
- Excuse meExcusez-moiex-koo-zay MWA
- How much is it?C'est combien ?say com-BYEN
- The bill, pleaseL'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON
- Cheers!Santé !son-TAY
Open with bonjour before anything else. Launching straight into a question without it reads as rude, and explains a lot of reputed French coldness.
Travel tipsReligion
Catholic, and strictly secular
Laïcité is a constitutional principle: religion is kept out of public institutions, and conspicuous religious symbols are banned in state schools. Cover shoulders in cathedrals.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Say bonjour before anything else, every single time you enter a shop
- Keep your voice down in restaurants and on public transport
- Keep both hands visible on the table while eating, wrists on the edge
- Dress a notch smarter than you would at home — it changes how you are treated
Don't
- Do not ask for a doggy bag or substitutions; the dish arrives as the kitchen intends
- Do not start with English without at least attempting bonjour, parlez-vous anglais
- Do not tip more than rounding up — service is included by law
- Do not eat while walking; it reads as slightly uncivilised
Where to stay in Saint-Tropez
No Holistay rentals in Saint-Tropez yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Saint-Tropez on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Nice Côte d’Azur NCE
1h 45mfrom the airport· 63 km as the crow flies
About 1h45 by road, far longer on a summer weekend; there is no train.
Also worth pricing: Toulon-Hyères TLN — closer, about an hour by road, with fewer routes and many of them seasonal.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
