Beaches

Despite the hip-to-hip commerce, piped-in pop music, and 30,000 beachgoers per summer day, the plages (beaches) around St-Tropez are the most isolated on the Côte d'Azur, providing one of the rare stretches where your back doesn't lean up against the coastal highway.

La Bouillabaisse Beach. This sand public beach as you enter town has free showers and toilets with lifeguard surveillance mid-June–mid-September. You can rent loungers nearby. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming. Quartier La Bouillabaisse, RD98A, St-Tropez, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. .

Nikki Beach. Off the Route des Plages is this most notorious of all the beaches—famous for A-list debauches and a regular clientele of movie megastars and nymphet wannabes (visualize spring break on stilettos). But Nikki Beach isn't actually on the beach, but rather steps from the beach with a pool and restaurant (with two toilets!). Rent a bed (€40), but you may want to avoid the poolside where Champagne showers spare no one. And as of 2015, you can ring in the New Year with Nikki, as they stay open until early January (Thursday–Sunday only, after October). Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee and no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: partiers. Rte. de l'Épi, Ramatuelle, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 83350. 04–94–79–82–04; www.nikkibeach.com/sttropez.

Plage des Graniersq. The closest beach to the town of St-Tropez, at the southern base of the Citadelle and past the cemetery, Graniers beach is easily accessible by foot (it's part of the sentier du littoral) and the most family-friendly. At the east end, you can rent loungers (€22 plus €7 for an umbrella) from the restaurant. There are no toilets or showers. Amenities: parking (no fee). Best for: swimming. Ch. des Graniers, St-Tropez, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 83990. .

Plage des Salins. Situated between Cap des Salins and Point du Capon, this 600-meter public coral beach is the gateway to a stretch of Pampelonne beach. It's lined by huge umbrella pine trees, and you can rent loungers from the beach's private section. Neighboring Crique des Salins is a fine-sand beach, and easier on the feet. Amenities: parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming. Rte. des Salins, St-Tropez, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 83990. .

Tahiti Beach. Welcome to Tahiti Plage, the oldest and most famous of St-Trop's private beaches (Bardot filmed along this stretch), with its fine-sand beaches, rentable loungers close to the shoreline, restaurants, and toilets. The crowd is definitely north of 35 but as they don't act their age, there is a lot to see in terms of hardly there swimwear. Amenities: showers: toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking. Quartier du Pinet, Ramatuelle, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 83350. 04–94–97–18–02; www.tahiti-beach.com.