Got a yacht larger than most peoples’ neighbourhoods? Earn more per hour than the annual GDP of a small country? Got so much money in so many banks that you don’t even know how much you have? Then chances are you’ve already been to Saint-Tropez.

Teddy is sure that at one point not that long ago Saint-Tropez (also called St Tropez) would have been a gorgeous, quiet fishing village that happened to have broad stretches of glorious mediterranean beaches. If only that were still the case then Saint-Tropez would probably still be a great place for the ordinary Teddy to visit. Of course, Teddy doesn’t own a billion dollar ocean-going vessel, so he did the best he could to enjoy the non-millionaire parts of town.

After spending more than an hour and a half crawling through several kilometres of single lane (mostly stationary) traffic just to get in to town, Teddy then spent more time just trying to find somewhere to park. Walking from the enormous car park (only slightly smaller than Switzerland) toward the harbour, Teddy could see how picturesque the port could be, if only there wasn’t half a million other people walking around and the boats weren’t so big they had to be crewed with the equivalent of the population of a small town.

Large boats clog the harbour in Saint-Tropez

The setting is indeed magical: a well-protected harbour looking across the glittering Côte d’Azur waters of the Mediterranean to the French coast on the other side of the bay. The water here is crystal clear and very inviting!

If you like shopping, then like many of the popular French tourist destinations, the big brands are all present and there are top shelf eateries aplenty. Just don’t expect any discount stores or sales. Saint-Tropez is also well known for its bars and night clubs. New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Saint-Tropez is where all those insomniacs party.

If you’re not one of the beautiful people Saint-Tropez does have other attractions, apart from standing by and watching how the other half lives. The beaches are indeed some of the best in southern France, and in summer they will normally be lined with rich and skinny a-listers. But the best attractions are slightly off the beaten track.

By all means, walk to and climb the harbour wall – the view is great in all directions. But then, take the small exit on the north-east corner and enter the “old” Saint-Tropez fishing village. Here it is more quiet than amongst the great throng, and will give you a better idea of where Saint-Tropez really came from. The streets are quiet, the buildings are colourful and quaint, and even the beaches are far less crowded.

For Teddy’s money, the (slightly) quieter, but equally upmarket village of Sainte-Maxime, just across the bay from Saint-Tropez is much better value for the smarter visitor. The marina isn’t quite as big, and the boats are slightly more modest, and the restaurants are better. There is much more of a French village feel just off the main road, and while the big brands are there, the shopping is just as good.

(Teddy has lots more pictures of Saint-Tropez on the desktop backgrounds page, and the iPhone background page.)

Saint-Tropez