7 Best Sights in The French Riviera, France

Up a set of grand tiered stairs that lead from the Quai Bonaparte, the Parvis St-Michel is a broad plaza paved in some 250,000 round white and gray stones patterned in the coat of arms of the Grimaldi family. The plaza was created in the 17th century by Prince Honoré II; the letter H is incorporated into the design as a kind of signature at the base of his great gift to the city.

Below the central cluster of museums and perfumeries, the picturesque Place aux Aires is lined with 17th- and 18th-century houses and their arcades. Every Saturday morning there's a small market selling produce and spices (the bigger market happens Wednesday 8–1, at Place du Cours Honoré Cresp).

Right by the market, the pretty little Place aux Herbes is a picturesque spot for a pause on a park bench, a drink, or a restaurant meal in the deep shade of the plane trees.

Enjoy a time-out in the social center of the Old Town, where a symmetrical forest of plane trees shades cafés and restaurants, skateboarders, children, and grandfatherly pétanque players. Also called Place Carnot, the square becomes a very affordable feast for both eyes and palate during the markets held here on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. At night, a café seat is as coveted as a quayside seat during the day.

Heading back to the Vieux Port area, take in the boutiques lining Rues Sibilli, Gambetta, and Clemenceau (where you can taste the most decadent tarte tropézienne at Marcel & Cavazza)—you never know when that photographer from Voici will be snapping away at the trendoisie. If you're here on the first weekend in May, check out Les Chefs de Saint-Tropez's three-day fêtent les producteurs ( www.leschefsasainttropez.com) event featuring local produce, culinary demonstrations, tastings, and a chef's pétanque competition.

Surrounded by grand vaulted arcades stuccoed in rich yellow, this square could have been airlifted out of Turin. In the center, the shrinelike fountain sculpture of Garibaldi seems to be surveying you as you stroll under the very attractive arcades and lounge in the surrounding cafés. Les Artisanales, the market for local crafts (jewelry, ceramics, leather goods, clothes, accessories) sets up the first Sunday of the month (9–7), and an antiques market takes place on the third Saturday of every month (7–5). Behind Place Garibaldi is the so-called Antique Quarter, with important antiques stores and emporiums like the Puces de Nice along the streets Antoine-Gautier, Emmanuel-Philibert, Catherine-Ségurane, Martin-Seytour, and Foresta.

As Cours Saleya is the heart of the Vieille Ville, so this impressive and broad square is the heart of the entire city. It's framed by early-17th-century, Italian-style arcaded buildings, their facades stuccoed in rich red ocher. The lively and boisterous space hosts an event—from Carnaval to the Christmas market—at least once a month, and Promenade du Paillon runs through it. Nespresso has a boutique here if you need a free coffee to perk you up.

Not far from the Commune quarter, the Old Town invites you to explore its streets lined by a mix of shops, galleries, restaurants, and bakeries. Aim to wind up on Place Nationale, the site of the Roman forum. It's a pleasant place for a drink under the hackberry trees, which allow for the right amount of shade in summer and sunshine in winter.