Saint-Tropez in high season: tables, beach clubs and villas

A beach table in Saint-Tropez in July or August is requested as soon as the dates of the stay are fixed, for a specific day and time. The search for the villa begins several months earlier still, and the arrival is planned around the road rather than the distance.

A stay in Saint-Tropez is prepared in that order: the villa first, then the beach and the tables, and finally the arrival and the programme for the week. For the summer of 2027, the first deadlines fall this winter.

The Saint-Tropez season: May to September, and the height of summer

The season can be read first on Pampelonne beach. Its beach clubs are built to be taken down: the terms of the concession at Ramatuelle limit their operation to eight months, assembly and dismantling included, and the beach must be clear of all structures for the rest of the year. They go up in spring and come down in autumn.

Demand is concentrated between mid-July and the end of August, and the fortnight around 15 August is one of the most sought-after periods of the summer. June and September bring a sea that is already, or still, warm, fewer cars on the road and more choice among the houses.

Renting a villa in Saint-Tropez: when to book, and what to check

For July and August, the search for a villa begins six to twelve months ahead. As a rule, the market tightens in two stages: a first wave in the autumn, after which a large share of the most sought-after weeks is already taken by the end of January, then a second between February and April. Waterfront houses often go a year ahead, and some are renewed by the same guests from one year to the next. For June and September, four to six months is enough; for May, two or three.

In July and August, lets run from Saturday to Saturday, and many owners ask for a two-week minimum. Your dates are aligned with that rhythm from the very first search.

We then choose the villa for what it includes. The staff on hand, housekeeping, a resident or on-request chef, linen, pool maintenance and whatever is charged on top are set out in the contract, and we read it before the deposit is paid. The location matters just as much: from Ramatuelle, Gassin or the hills of the peninsula, the view changes, and so does the time it takes in August to reach the village or Pampelonne. A house a few kilometres from the beach can be separated from it, at lunchtime, by a long line of cars.

We select the villa around your habits, as we do for every stay in our Travel & Stays service, and we start the search as soon as your dates are fixed.

Pampelonne beach: what to book ahead

Pampelonne beach runs for roughly four and a half kilometres, within the commune of Ramatuelle. Its development plan, approved by decree in December 2015, set out to restore the line of dunes and limited the beach clubs to structures that can be dismantled. A strip at least five metres wide along the water stays open for everyone to walk, and a large part of the sand remains public.

Lunch is the high point of the day on the beach. It is served in two waves: a first one around noon, quieter, then a second from 3pm, livelier, which carries on into the late afternoon.

In July and August, we request the table and the sun loungers together, as soon as your dates are known. For the most sought-after beach clubs, bookings are made several weeks ahead, and the time you ask for matters as much as the day.

Getting to Saint-Tropez: Toulon-Hyères, Nice, La Môle, helicopter or across the gulf

Saint-Tropez sits at the end of a peninsula, and the arrival is decided over the last few kilometres.

Toulon-Hyères airport is some fifty kilometres away, about an hour by road. Nice, around a hundred kilometres away, has more international flights; allow about two hours without traffic. In July and August, the final stretch of road into the village can come to a complete standstill, and it is best to travel on weekdays and early in the morning wherever possible.

The Golfe de Saint-Tropez airport at La Môle lies fifteen kilometres from the village. Its runway is 1,071 metres long and it operates by day only: in summer from 8am to 7pm, with a possible extension until sunset. An evening arrival therefore goes through Nice or Toulon.

By helicopter, Nice is about twenty minutes away. The Var prefecture regulates landings around the peninsula each summer: once the landing site and time are known, the car waits for you there.

Across the gulf, the shuttle boat from Sainte-Maxime reaches the harbour in fifteen to twenty minutes and avoids the road into the village altogether. A private yacht coming alongside requests its berth from the harbour before setting out.

Whichever way you arrive, we arrange the transfer by car. The driver has the time, the point of arrival and the villa’s address, and the route takes account of your lunch time at the beach.

A week on the peninsula: days, hours and rhythm

The week begins on a Saturday. It is the day the villas change guests, and one of the two market mornings on the Place des Lices, the other being Tuesday, from 8am to 1pm. If you arrive that day, we confirm before you travel the time at which you can move into the house.

The day follows the light. The morning belongs to the village and the harbour, before the heat. Lunch is taken at the beach, in the early afternoon. The return comes at the end of the day, when the whole peninsula takes to the road at once, unless you move it by an hour. Dinner often starts late, around 9pm or after, and the evening carries on by the harbour or in the hills.

The sea decides part of the programme. The mistral sometimes rises and makes a day on the boat uncomfortable, so you confirm a day at sea on the morning itself, with the weather, and if need be we look to exchange it for a beach day, subject to availability, or for a visit to the hilltop villages of Gassin and Ramatuelle.

Before you leave, the villa and the arrival are settled, and we take your requests for dining and experiences before you arrive: the beach lunches on the days you know you want them, the dinners on the evenings that matter. During the stay, when the wind or your plans change, we look to move a table or a day at sea, subject to availability.

Conclusion

This stay has its own page, Saint-Tropez, and often forms part of a longer summer on the French Riviera. If you return every year, the Essential membership (twelve memberships at most) carries your preferences from one season to the next.