Beaches — The hottest Riviera beaches are at St-Tropez. The best for families are closest to the center, including Plage de la Bouillabaisse (pictured above) and Plage des Salins. More daring and infinitely more famous is the 5km (3-mile) crescent of Plage de Pampelonne, about 10km (6 1/4 miles) from town. Here, around 35 hedonistic beach clubs dot the sand. Overtly decadent is Club 55 (www.club55.fr; tel. 04-94-55-55-55), a former Bardot hangout, while the American-run Nikki Beach (www.nikkibeach.com; tel. 04-94-79-82-04) is younger and more understated, if painfully chic. Gay-friendly Aqua Club (tel. 04-94-79-84-35) and bare-all Plage de Tahiti (www.tahiti-beach.com; tel. 04-94-97-18-02) are extremely welcoming.

You’ll need a car, bike, or scooter to get from town to Plage de Pampelonne. More than anywhere else on the Riviera, topless bathing is the norm.

Boating — In St-Tropez port, Octopussy (www.octopussy.fr; tel. 04-94-56-53-10) rents boats 5 to 16m (16–52 ft.) long. Larger ones come with a captain at the helm. Prices begin at 500€ per day. For less pricey boating, head to the marketplace site GetMyBoat.com where you'll find peer-to-peer options from owners renting out vessels when they're not being used.

Diving — Multilingual scuba training and equipment rental is available from the European Diving School (www.europeandiving.com; info@europeandiving.com), on Plage de Pampelonne. Regular dives, including all equipment, cost 42€.

French Boules

A game of pétanque, or French boules, is seriously cool for kids. Hop to Le Café (www.lecafe.fr; tel. 04-94-97-44-69), one of many alfresco bars in place des Lices, and request a handful of pétanque boules to toss around the tree-dappled square. The game was created down the coast and is about as Provençal as it gets. Pick up some tips by watching the locals. Games begin with a toss of the jack, or bouchon. Teams then take turns to throw. Whoever is farthest away keeps trying to get closest to the bouchon, with any remaining balls tossed in at the end. A point is awarded for each steel ball that’s closer to the jack than any balls from the opposing team. 

 

 

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.