The hottest Riviera beaches are at St-Tropez. The best for families are closest to the center, including the Plage de la Bouillabaisse and Plage des Graniers. More daring are the 9.5km (6-mile) crescents at Plage des Salins and Plage de Pampelonne, some 3km (1 3/4 miles) from the town center. At Pampelonne about 35 businesses are on a 4.8km (3-mile) stretch, located about 10km (6 1/4 miles) from St-Tropez. The concessionaire that's noted as an all-gay venue is the Aqua Club, Plage de Pampelonne (tel. 04-94-79-84-35; www.aqua-club.fr). You'll need a car, bike, or scooter to get from town to the beach. Parking is 4€ ($5.20) for the day. Famous hedonistic spots along Pampelonne include the cash-only club La Voile Rouge (tel. 04-94-79-84-34), which features bawdy spring-break-style entertainment. This is the most outrageous, the sexiest, and the most exhibitionist (not for children) of the beaches of St-Tropez. Also thriving are Club 55, 55 bd. Patch, Plage de Pampelonne (tel. 04-94-55-55-55), and Nikki Beach, Plage de Pampelonne (tel. 04-94-79-82-04; www.nikkibeach.com/sttropez). Maintained by an American from Miami, Nikki Beach is wild, frenetic, uninhibited, and about as Floridian a venue as you're likely to find in the south of France. Plage des Jumeaux (tel. 04-94-55-21-80) is another active beach; it draws many families with young kids because it has playground equipment. Marine Air Sport (tel. 04-94-97-89-19; www.marine-air-sport.com) rents boats; Sun Force (tel. 04-94-79-90-11; www.sunforce.fr) rents jet skis, scooters, water-skiing equipment, and boats.
Notoriously decadent Plage de Tahiti occupies the north end of the 5.5km-long (3 1/2-mile) Pampelonne, lined with concessions, cafes, and restaurants. It's a strip of golden sand long favored by exhibitionists wearing next to nothing (or nothing) and cruising shamelessly. If you ever wanted to go topless, this is the place to do it. Gay men tend to gravitate to Coco Beach in Ramatuelle, about 6.5km (4 miles) from the center of St-Tropez.
