THE 5 BEST GUIDED TOURS OF SAINT TROPEZ

THE CLASSIC TOUR OF SAINT-TROPEZ: STEP BACK IN TIME WITH YOUR GUIDE

Saint-Tropez is a charming fishing port on the Côte d’Azur. It was named after Tropez of Pisa, an imperial official who was put to death by Nero at the end of the first century AD for refusing to renounce Christianity. According to a popular legend, the body of the deceased was preserved by the local inhabitants, who named their village Saint-Tropez after Tropez of Pisa. Every 17 May, processions and other celebrations are held in honour of the saint.

The Guides de France will take you back in time on a tour of the town full of anecdotes. You can admire the church of Notre-Dame de l’Assomption, where the saint’s relics are preserved, the Place des Lices, famous for its petanque courts, and various institutions that contribute to the town’s cultural life, such as the Musée de l’Annonciade, with its 19th-century paintings, or the Musée de la Gendarmerie, which brings together various objects that played a part in the gendarmes played by Michel Galabru and Louis de Funès.

WINE TOUR: A VISIT TO THE VINEYARDS OF SAINT-TROPEZ

Wine-growing is an essential activity in Saint-Tropez, along with fishing and tourism. It was developed in the 5th century BC by the Greeks, at a time when the town was not yet called Saint-Tropez but Héraclea. The Romans then continued to clear the land and increase the size of the plots. The various populations that followed did the same.

Today, the vineyards of Saint-Tropez cover almost 300 hectares, with around twenty estates producing around 30,000 hectolitres a year. Some of them, such as Domaine Bertaud Beaulieu, have made a name for themselves by hosting the activities of the Leonardo di Caprio Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting the environment.

The Guides de France take you on a tour of the best wines of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez: rosés and whites made from grenache, cinsault, rolle and syrah. Follow them on an oenological tour.

VISIT THE VILLAGES OF THE TROPEZ HINTERLAND WITH YOUR GUIDE

Saint-Tropez works in symbiosis with the hilltop villages in its hinterland, which over the centuries have been places of refuge for people exposed to enemy attack. Three of these villages stand out: Grimaud, Gassin and Ramatuelle.

The one with the best view of the gulf is undoubtedly Grimaud, with the ruins of its medieval castle, which the Guides de France recommend you visit.
As for Gassin, it is a perched village with a view of the Massif des Maures and a well-preserved architectural heritage with the church of Saint Laurent and a lane that features in the Book of Records: l’Androuno.
Ramatuelle is an archetypal Provencal village, with its narrow, cobbled, shady streets, rising and falling, leading to numerous small craft shops.

Book your visit to the villages of the Tropez hinterland with the Guides de France :