Day-to-Day Life in Saint-Tropez: The Port, the Place des Lices Market, the Village and Winter
Despite fashion and parties, Saint-Tropez has always known how to preserve its Provençal village life on the Mediterranean coast. Strolling around, you will discover markets, restaurants, bistros, fishermen and pétanque players. Day-to-day life in Saint-Tropez is pretty fabulous.
The port and its cafés
The port is probably the busiest area of Saint-Tropez, lined with bars and restaurants such as Sénéquier and Le Café de Paris, where people meet and people-watch. As everything faces the port, it is also the place to admire the boats, and to see who is on them.
The port is lively and fun all day long, and at night it is just as busy as during the day.
The Place des Lices market
Saint-Tropez’s market takes place on the Place des Lices every Tuesday and Saturday morning, from 8 am to 1 pm, all year round. It is extremely popular with locals and visitors alike.
Under the plane trees, the stalls sell seasonal fruit and vegetables, seafood, charcuterie and meat, as well as clothes, local crafts, furniture, plants and flowers. For fish, the town also has its own covered fish market. The rest of the week, the Place des Lices belongs to the pétanque players.
Alexandra’s tip: market days are extremely busy and very crowded. If you prefer a quieter village, choose another day to stroll around.
The village and Les Remparts
The village of Saint-Tropez remains very beautiful. Its centre is extremely well preserved, and it is really quite charming. It does get crowded from mid-July to mid-August.
Alexandra’s tip: her favourite part of the centre is Les Remparts, so beautiful and less crowded.
Where to eat
There are many restaurants in the village, including African Queen, Le Bar du Port, L’Opéra and Le Café. The Dior café is very popular and beautiful, but extremely difficult to get into. The Place de la Garonne is less busy, but still very nice.
Summer in Saint-Tropez
In summer, Saint-Tropez is one of the busiest towns in France. The busiest time is from mid-July to mid-August, the main holiday period, when school holidays fall and many people choose to be in the same place at the same time as their friends.
Along with the heat, this makes getting around quite a challenge, particularly with the traffic. It is by far the busiest time of the year.
Alexandra’s tip: market days, Tuesday and Saturday mornings, are the busiest of all. Avoid them if you can.
Winter in Saint-Tropez, a quiet Provençal moment
Winter in Saint-Tropez is extremely different. A few places stay open, and more restaurants now remain open all year round, but the village is very quiet, and still charming.
Villas for rent within walking distance of the village of Saint-Tropez
Further reading
Beaches in Saint-Tropez and Ramatuelle: a guide to the beach clubs of Pampelonne Les Carles, Saint-Tropez: a private gated domaine near the port Sainte-Anne, Saint-Tropez: a protected residential area close to the village La Belle Isnarde, Saint-Tropez: a hillside domaine near Place des Lices
Explore our collection of luxury villas for rent in Saint-Tropez