The glamour associated with the Cote d’Azur is most apparent in the former fishing village of St-Tropez that started life as a humble ancient Greek port town. While the other coastal towns use their past glory to buttress their attraction, St-Trop d’Aise (St. Too-Much-Luxury!) has none, and thus concentrates simply on sun and sand. The population gets swollen in the summer to ten times its normal size, from 6000 to 60,000!

Between the old and the new ports is the chapel that has been ingeniously converted to accommodate paintings by artists who lived here between 1890 and 1940. This is the Musee de l’Annonciade that contains works by the great Impressionist Henri Matisse. The Old Town or Vieille Ville has twisting streets to break the impact of the cold northerly wind.

The Citadelle is worth a walk up to, if not for its unremarkable museum, then for the fantastic view from its ramparts. The beach on the fishing port is remarkably free of crowds. Ramatuelle is an old Provencal town, on a rocky spur 440 ft. above the sea.

Six km north of Ramatuelle is the lovely village of Gassin, on the top of the hill. You can escape from the heat of the shoreline in this tiny village. Culinary delights are available behind the waterfront and at the old harbour, or you can rustle up your own gourmet fare from at the Prisunic supermarket.

Renting a car and driving down the coast is a dandy solution.  But if you aren’t behing the wheel, you have other options.  Take a local bus from stations marked Gare Routiere, or a guided tour if you are using public transportation. A train line also follows the coast from Marseille to the seaside resort towns. The tourist office is on quay Jean Jaures, on the waterfront. You will only find deluxe luxury hotels and resorts at St.-Tropez,  and if you are looking for a cheap holiday camping is the  option, though reservations are needed at campsites.

For detailed country and visitor information, see France.