“Once upon a time there was a jewel nestling between Provence and the Côte d’Azur…” began an email I got from a friend. Who can resist an introduction like that? Certainly not me! So, I headed to the Golfe de St-Tropez, and found a little piece of French heaven. Janine Marsh explores a secret part of the French Riviera…
The Golfe de Saint-Tropez
The Golfe de Saint-Tropez is bijou, stretching 30km from north to south, and 26km from east to west, consisting of 12 Provencal villages and seaside resorts: Cavalaire-sur-Mer, Cogolin, Grimaud, Gassin, La Croix Valmer, La Garde-Freinet, La Mole, Le Plan de la Tour, Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer, Ramatuelle, Sainte-Maxime and Saint-Tropez.
Saint-Tropez is of course world-famous thanks to its most well-known resident Brigitte Bardot, but if your only goal is to visit this lovely town, you’ll miss out on so much more. Head for the hills to explore exquisite, pickled-in-the-past perched villages, vineyards, and captivating coastal towns lapped by the Mediterranean Sea where dolphins frolic. Discover a land where the coast and countryside are inextricably linked and where the locals work in harmony with nature to preserve and protect this most beautiful, unspoiled and authentic part of France.
When to go
The best time to visit may surprise you, it’s not during the summer months – though they are lovely, but instead spring and autumn when the weather is lovely, everything is open, the sea is warm enough to swim in and the natural beauty of the area takes precedence. Or even in winter with average sunshine 7 hours per day, and the sight of blooming wildflowers, including lavender and fresias, lifts your soul. Visit the vineyards and enjoy wine tastings, meet the locals who work with and preserve nature, eat like a lord, and enjoy being welcomed as a guest not a visitor.
Saint-Tropez
The former tranquil fishing village can get busy as there is only one main road that winds around the bay, so leave the car behind and take a boat (Bateaux Verts), from either Sainte-Maxime, Marines de Cogolin, or Port Grimaud. The journey takes around 15-20 minutes, no traffic jams and no parking needed!
Wander Saint-Tropez’ pretty streets, ogle the super yachts, visit the town’s iconic tower and best of all, discover the local history through its food on a Gourmet tour with Beyond the wine. Follow in the footsteps of your guide Sonia, a specialist in local produce, to discover the delicious surprises she has selected for you. At the market, piles of vegetables and fruit look like still life paintings. The smell of truffled Brie, and of 36-month-old goat cheese made by writer, poet and legendary farmer Loïc de Saleneuve, and of garlic infused olives, chestnut spread and nougat, assails your senses.
You can’t visit Saint-Tropez and not eat a Tarte Tropézienne and the tour includes a stop at the mythical patisserie where the cake was born and where Tartes of every size and flavour are displayed like jewels in a cabinet. Enjoy with a glass of local pale rosé. Resistance is futile.
Want a culture fix? There are several museums including the lovely Annonicade, a former 16th century chapel where artist Paul Signac lived. Arriving in 1892, and mesmerised by the landscape, he encouraged other artists, including Henri Matisse, to join him here and you can see many of their paintings in the museum. Don’t miss a visit to the fun and fascinating Musée cinéma et gendarmerie.
The Villages of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez
If, like me, your idea of an authentic French village is the sight of ancient trunk-twisted olive trees, plane tree-lined squares, medieval fountains, sun-kissed old stone houses mellowed by the passing centuries, delicate bell towers, and azure blue skies, then the Golfe de Saint-Tropez is your kind of place too…
Sainte-Maxime
Once a quiet fishing village, its fortunes changed when the railway line arrived in the 1800s creating what was known as the Route des Pignes, the Route of the Pines, named after the umbrella pine trees that grow in profusion here.
Ramatuelle
Perched on a hill, the whole village of Ramatuelle, a former Roman outpost, is a listed historic monument. It’s a sleepy little village that’s full of surprises..
Grimaud
Winding roads and ancient staircases lead you to the top of a mountain where the ruins of an 11th century, Grimadi-family owned (after whom the town is named) castle seem to spring straight from earth.
La Garde-Freinet
In the hills of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, in the Var department, La Garde-Freinet is one of the prettiest little villages you likely never heard of. Read more about La Garde-Freinet
Plan de la Tour
Just 15km from the chic town of Saint-Tropez, and 10km from sandy beaches lapped by the Mediterranean Sea, Plan-de-la-Tour is a secret gem of Provence with its flower-filled alleyways, ochre-coloured houses and pastel-hued shutters. A peaceful place to discover ideally in spring or autumn. Read more about Plan de la Tour
Seaside Ambiance
Thirty-eight beaches, secret coves, bustling ports and shining marinas, with calm and sparkling waters, coastal paths and glorious seaside towns…
Pampelonne
If you go looking for the beach where a nubile Brigitte Bardot steamed up the camera lens in the 1956 movie ‘And God Created Woman’, in Saint-Tropez as many do, you won’t find it, but it’s not far away. Head instead to Pampelonne beach to see the real thing!
Lagoon city – Port Grimaud
Built in the 1960s by visionary architect François Spoerry on former marshland, the ‘lagoon city’ of some 2,500 villas, is mind-bogglingly pretty. Provence meets Venice.
Natural Beauty
The Gulf of Sainte-Tropez may be small, but the landscape is incredibly diverse. From the beaches to the Massif des Maures, one of the oldest masses on earth, a strikingly vivid chain of primeval rocks in hues of grey, red and violet, covered in chestnut and cork forests. The Corsica-like garrigue, an undergrowth of aromatic herbs, fauna and flora scents the air. There are around 40 wineries where the sun-blessed grapes produce the most elegant roses, whites and reds. This is a place for hiking, cycling, horse riding, visiting the botanical gardens, and enjoying the region’s amazing nature activities.
Villa Foncin and House of Nature, Cavalaire
The brand-new House of Nature opens mid-June 2024 with exhibitions and a focus on protecting the environment, saving water, and making the most of what you grow. From the centre’s garden, take a ten-minute walk through shady forest to the Villa Foncin, the lavishly built mansion of Pierre Foncin (1841-1916). French cartographer and founding member of the Alliance Française. Set atop a cliff in an area of outstanding natural beauty, every window frames a view that looks like a painting, overlooking the Golden Isles, like gardens in the surrounding sea.
Domaine du Rayol
Almost hidden away down a side street, the Mediterranean gardens of the Domaine du Rayol transport you to another world where pathways squiggle their way through bamboo tunnels, past waterfalls and along small cliffs. You’ll encounter palm trees from New Zealand, a dense profusion of trees and plants from around the world from mimosa whose scent wafts lazily in the winter months to a prickly cactus collection and giant Bird-of Paradise plants whose flowers weigh a whopping 2 kilos. Created by ground-breaking gardener Gilles Clément who’s pioneering ‘work with, not against nature’ ethos has had wide influence, you’ll encounter a heady mix of colour and sultry perfumes year-round, framed by magnificent views over the lapis-coloured Med. Head-spinningly beautiful, this is a place to simply wander or discover its secrets with a guided tour (French & English language).
Discover the area and heaps to see and do at: www.visitgolfe.com
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