Has anyone taken a train/bus or boat to St Tropez from Nice? Any idea of the approximate time it takes to travel by train/bus relative to driving? What is the best way to get there? Thank you!

did a day trip on one of the boats. can't remember how long it took but i would say between and hour to two. this is a good way to go. the seas were too rough for the boat on the way back but a bus was substituted. pretty trouble free.

Thank you. Do you know of a website where I can get info about the boat trip and maybe book it? Did you book it in advance? Any recollection of how long the bus trip was?

There is no train station in St Tropez

Stu Dudley

I'm confused- What is the best way to get from Nice or Cannes to St Tropez? How can I find out about a boat? Is train to bus a reasonable alternative to a car or is it too inconvenient? Thanks!

We always explore that area with a car. If a boat takes less than 2 hours, that's not much longer than it would take you to drive there in a car - and fewer traffic jams

Stu Dudley

Thanks Stu. I've read some of your other posts & it seems like you have alot of experience in this area. Do you think traffic would be bad mid-week in June? If so, I may opt for the boat, although I'm sure with a car we'd see more. Once in St Tropez, do you recommend a car? Thanks again.

If you leave Nice early, traffic should not be that bad between Ste Maxime & St Tropez. If all you will be doing is visiting St Tropez, a car would be a big "drag" - parking is either non-existant or expensive, unless you know where to park & don't mind walking for 10-20 mins to the center of town.

Take a boat - the coast is quite pretty between La Napoule & St Raphael, and as you approch St Tropez.

Stu Dudley

You can easily take a train to St-Raphael and a bus from there to St-Tropez. Buses leave from the St-Raphael train station (5/day, 80 min). Boats between St-Raphael and St-Tropez go twice a day (60 min).

Thanks for all the great tips. As of now, I am leaning toward the boat. I've read so much about traffic on these posts, I'm nervous about driving in June.

The railway runs close to the coast between Nice, Cannes and St-Raphaël with fairly frequent trains, but then goes inland between St-Raphaël and Toulon. Buses run from St-Raphaël station to St-Tropez, taking about an hour and a half. The schedule is on www.sodetrav.fr.
Various firms run excursion boats along the coast. Try these:
www.trans-cote-azur.com;
www.tmr-saintraphael.com.

Thanks. I will check out those sites. Is it be okay take luggage on the boat or bus?

Boat is probably the best idea! you can get boats directly from Cannes to Port Grimaud (neighbouring St Tropez) and from its harbour get a small "taxi-boat" for €3 to St Tropez's harbour.

Ok, so I'm thinking of spending a few days in Nice, doing day trips from there by train, hitting Cannes for two days, then going to St Raphael by train, and from there to St Tropez by boat. Ofcourse I'll then have to travel back to Nice (by boat, then train) at the end of the trip to fly home. When I have my final itinerary I will post it for approval from the experts! Does this sound like a good plan or should I rent a car for any portions of the trip? We will be there in mid-June. Thank you Fodorites!

If you stick to the coast for daytrips, you can do it all easily by train and/or bus. If you want to visit nearby hilltop villages like Eze, la Turbie, and St-Paul-de-Vence, you can take the bus. For Grasse you have a choice of a bus from Nice or a new train via Cannes. So unless you want to get even further and higher inland, you won't need a car.

Don't be nervous about driving to St-Tropez; the traffic into and out of the town is so congested that you will move along very slowly. If you time your arrival before 9:00 a.m. you should be able to park in the large pay lot next to the port, which is reasonably convenient. It's great fun to look at all the moored yachts as you walk over to the town.

Thanks a bunch. You have all been very helpful. I think I have the general itinerary ironed out but will post it again for review before I finalize.

The boat from Cannes operates in June through October only.
http://www.trans-cote-azur.com/fr/tca.html

Thank you Mylene. I checked out that site but it seems to be only in French, unless I am doing something wrong. Is this the boat from Cannes to St Tropez? Do you have any idea how long it takes by boat? I'm trying to find the best way to get there from Nice or Cannes. Train to boat or boat the whole way? Thank you!!