If you are looking to plan a trip to Saint Tropez in the South of France then you’ve come to the right spot! This travel guide will cover things to do in Saint Tropez, how to get to Saint Tropez (our biggest takeaway!), places to stay in Saint Tropez, and how to get around Saint Tropez once you are there!
SAINT TROPEZ GUIDE
This blog post may be geared toward an unpopular opinion of Saint Tropez, but let me preface it by saying we are in Europe for 4 whole months — doing our best to live our “normal” WFH lives and sticking to a “normal” budget in each town we visit. Of course, that gets skewed here and there. BUT, for the most part, we’re prioritizing realistic, budget-friendly decisions as best we possibly can when it comes to accommodations and activities.
That being said, I spent hours trying to figure out where to stay after leaving Cannes/Saint Raphael (hunting for accommodations in every destination in the South of France, really) that was within budget, close to public transport, and had what we needed to get through a few nights there. Wifi, washer, kitchen etc.
WHERE TO STAY
We got so lucky with the Airbnb we found because it was a 5 minute walk to town and it was only $193 a night. This was technically over our daily target budget, but it was the cheapest option I could find in Saint Tropez on such short notice.
It was SO tiny — a studio perfectly fit for 2 people, 3 if you needed to break out the couch bed — but it did the job and had stunning views. Compared to everything else of similar size, we saved about $300/night.
If we were not on a budget, these are the hotels I would be booking immediately:
- Muse Saint Tropez
- Cheval Blanc Saint Tropez
- Villa Belrose Hotel
- Pastis Hotel Saint Tropez
- Chateau de la Messardiere
GETTING TO SAINT TROPEZ
If you are coming to Saint Tropez from a neighboring city, your best cost-friendly option will be taking a train and then transferring to a bus. We learned there is no direct train into town, you must take a bus to get into Saint Tropez, which was only 3 euro per person from Saint Raphael, and no longer than 45 minutes. It was a coach bus, so we had lots of luggage space under the bus and comfortable seats.
If you are flying, you may choose between the small local airport (La Mole), Nice Cote d’Azur, or Marseille Provence. From there you can hire a car to get into town and then consider a scooter rental, or rent your own car for the duration of your stay straight from the airport.
Taking a ferry from Nice, Cannes, or other local cities is also an option, and definitely the most scenic.
HOW TO GET AROUND SAINT TROPEZ
I knew nothing about the area until we arrived, but Saint Tropez is very hilly. The city side with all of the yachts doesn’t have any beaches, so if you want a beach experience, you need to get to the complete opposite side of town to do so.
If you’re looking for a walkable experience during your stay, I’d recommend finding a spot as close to town as possible. If you are willing to rent a car or scooter (we went through Rolling Bikes for our scooter rental and it was 50 euro a day for an electric scooter; allowing us to save on gas expenses which was so nice) then your options are endless. I’d say it’s pretty much essential to have a set of wheels here.
WHAT TO DO IN SAINT TROPEZ
Saint Tropez was a fun experience for us because we met up with friends on night 1 and 2 and had a great time exploring with them and hitting the local spots — they also spoke French which made the dining & ordering experience 10x more enjoyable. *adds learn French to immediate to-do list*
Insider tip from locals: Saint Tropez can be hard if you are trying to stick to any type of budget because if you want an incredible culinary experience, you’ll be looking at 100+ euro a head, otherwise you’ll be paying 18-20 euro for mediocre food. Their tip was to look for restaurants with chalkboards outside (vs more formal signage); this will get you closer to authenticity without overpaying too much. It also ensures the menu is ever-changing and freshly prepared.
Restaurants we dined at:
- Jardin Tropezina
- La Tonnelle
- Les Moulins des Ramatoulle – cutest vibe and has Pétanque courts you can play on after dinner!
- Jú – Healthy Juice Bar
- Mamé – new coffee spot, sister restaurant to Jú
- Food trucks near streets Quai Claude Meifret + Quai De L’épi
Restaurant Salama looked amazing — we didn’t make it there but if you do please report back on how it was!
Club 55 is obviously iconic, but you’ll be paying a pretty penny to dine and enjoy the beach club. We would have tried it out had we not already done the Carlton Beach Club in Cannes — they’re all very similar to one another, so you just have to pick your poison if you’re sticking to a budget.
Other notable beach clubs we saw were all on Tahiti Beach, and Cap 21 Les Murenes looked so cute.
If you want a free beach experience, highly recommend getting to L’Escalat. It was SO beautiful; tops are optional, but I’d say 95% of women had them on. I am dying to experience a topless-friendly beach though; would LOVE to get a natural tan on the girls 😉
There are a ton of hiking trails to explore in the area if you are looking for some exercise in the sunshine.
Explore Old Town Saint Tropez to be immediately transported back in time. The streets are so gorgeous, the buildings are full of blooms around this time of year, and you can get lost in the dreamiest of alley ways. Cafes line the streets, and life feels so magical everywhere you look.
Stroll through Place des Lices Market for tons of local goods
Dior Des Lices (aka Dior Cafe) is fun to see — make a reservation if you want to dine, but if you’re only after coffee or a drink then you can simply wait in line to be sat near the bar. We only waited about 15 minutes and it was a great spot for people watching. So many guests come dressed in their coveted Dior pieces, head to toe. It was really fun to see.
The luxury shopping is also very prevalent throughout town! If you want to treat yourself, this would be a really fun place to do so. The Chanel boutique is a spectacle all its own with it’s very own pool.
Grab gelato and browse the yachts, selecting your future dream sea transportation and plotting your adventures.
Stop at Mamé for an espresso and pain au chocolat in the morning, or some natural wine in the evening, and recover the next day at their sister Jù Juice Bar right next door for some incredible fresh pressed juice. I wouldn’t recommend the espresso at the juice bar simply because it was such a tiny shot for 3-4 euro. There’s better options 😉
The boutique shopping is endless here as well — you can spend an entire day wandering the streets window-shopping and popping into places that catch your eye.
And finally, wake up early on Saturday to visit the market in town! I wouldn’t recommend waiting until the afternoon for this — we went around lunch time after grabbing coffee at the Dior cafe and it was shoulder to shoulder. You could hardly walk through the market, let alone see what vendors were really selling. Early bird catches the cute market finds. 
If you have anything to add from your experience with Saint Tropez, I’d love to hear from you in the comments! Always looking for new insider tips — the more expert we can all become, the better!
FAQ:
How expensive is Saint Tropez?
- Saint Tropez was on the higher end when it came to overall expenditures. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we’re doing our best to stick to a realistic daily budget on this 4 month travel adventure, so we chose to cook in most meals and tried to eat at local restaurants that aren’t as touristy as most. It is possible to cater your experience to your budget, even though Saint Tropez is more expensive than most spots in the French Riviera.
How did you get to Saint Tropez?
- We caught a bus from Saint Raphael – it was only 3 euro per person and just under an hour long journey, all along the coastline.
Where did you stay in Saint Tropez?
- A small studio apartment we found on Airbnb in the Latitude 43 building – it was the most cost-effective option and walking distance to all the main spots we wanted to see in town
Anything we must do or see in Saint Tropez?
- L’escalat beach and exploring via scooter were the highlights of our trip!
