La Citadelle - Musée d'histoire maritime

Today, the whole world comes to Saint-Tropez. The museum tells the story of a time when Tropezians travelled the world. From the town's rebirth in the late 15th century, Saint-Tropez turned to the sea. Fishing and coastal trading along the Provencal and Ligurian coasts kept most of the town's sailors busy. But by the end of the 16th century, more enterprising sailors were sailing and trading in the eastern Mediterranean basin, before the following century, the coastline of the Ottoman Empire became familiar to hundreds of Tropezians.

By the end of the 18th century, Tropéziens were to be found on the coasts of Black Africa. The small town benefited from the development of the Marseilles trade. But it was in the 19th century that sailors sailed all the world's seas, on warships but above all on merchant ships. The first half of the twentieth century marked the apogee of these voyages, with captains commanding large sailing ships on the Cape Horn route, or large liners on the most prestigious transatlantic or Far East lines.


The museum invites you to discover or rediscover the extraordinary story of the inhabitants of this small town, which was once more than a charming fishing port. The first floor features 11 rooms devoted to local activities such as fishing and coastal shipping, as well as the shipyards, torpedo factory, submarine cable factory and hydrographic school. The first floor is devoted to distant journeys. Visitors can first discover the three great figures of the city: General Allard, the Bailli de Suffren and Hippolyte Bouchard, hero of the independence of several South American states. This is followed, in the next five rooms, by an evocation of sailing in all the world's seas. Ambitious scenography, respectful of the building and its collections, means that visitors don't have the impression of visiting a museum, but rather of travelling in the company of Tropezian sailors. The museum is one of the most visited sites in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and undoubtedly one of the most surprising and moving.


Text by Laurent Pavlidis


The Citadel of Saint-Tropez
Dating back to the 17th century, purchased by the commune in 1993, this listed monument is one of the most visited historical and cultural sites in the Var.

The monument comprises a hexagonal keep, an entrance with adjoining curtain wall and bastions. The keep, built between 1602 and 1608 to plans by military engineer Raymond de Bonnefons, was joined a few years later by a large bastioned enclosure and a system of moats and counterscarps. As the most important defensive element between Antibes and Toulon, the Citadelle is one of the few monuments of this scale on the Provencal coast. At the foot of the ramparts, there's a superb panoramic view over the Bay of Saint-Tropez.

At the heart of the keep is the modern, lively maritime history museum. Here, visitors can learn about the daily lives of the men and women who have shaped the Saint-Tropez of today over the centuries, and meet famous Tropez sailors such as Bailli de Suffren, General Allard and Hippolyte Bouchard, who have distinguished themselves on the world's seas.

The French government has awarded the Citadelle de Saint-Tropez - Musée d'Histoire Maritime the Qualité Tourisme™ label for its successful commitment to a quality approach that meets the essential requirements for visitor satisfaction, and for the quality of its services and welcome.

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