If you follow me on snapchat (add me!) or instagram, you have probably seen that I’ve been in St Tropez for most of July. Since I was little, I have grown up spending my Summers in Europe. When I was a kid, I wasn’t a fan of spending my Summer vacation without my friends, where I couldn’t speak the language and where there wasn’t air conditioning in most places – but as I’ve gotten older I’ve grown to love this annual tradition.

This year is just like the rest, spending a month in Europe and this July we landed in St Tropez. I’m sure you’ve heard of the name, but if you don’t know much about the city its a small town on the French Riviera. To get here you fly into the Nice airport then take a car to get here, without traffic 1hr 30min but with Summer traffic can be pretty slow so helicopter is the best way to arrive with a short 20-25 minute flight with beautiful views of the water. You can also arrive by boat.

The town is very small and you can walk its entirety in just a day, so if you are staying in Nice or Cannes and want to take a day trip – you totally can although I would recommend staying here. There are few parts of town you’ll want to see. The port is where you will arrive and there are restaurants and shops that line the small streets. You’ll also see all the yachts parked along the port, especially at night.

The other part of town is about 15-20min by taxi to the beaches called Pampelonne. This is the area where you’ll find my favorite beach clubs like Le Club 55, Bagatelle and Nikki Beach (above photo) – although it isn’t actually on the beach which is kind of funny.

I’ll share some photos here from my trip and some recommendations where to stay, what to do, where to eat … and of course where to party because in July, this is a party city.

WHEN TO VISIT

Consider this a Summer destination with the busiest months being from June to August, with the busiest being the second half of July. The weather is hot, the sun is out and you’ll find tons of celebrities here. Hotels WILL book up MONTHS in advance – so plan ahead! If you can’t plan in advance and hotels or airbnbs are booked, you can stay near by in St Maxime or Cannes and Nice areas and come for a day trip.

WHERE TO STAY

I’ve been here for a few visits and there are a few places to stay. For the super rich, they rent yachts and since thats not me … I’m in hotels and apartments. The best hotel for location and amenities is Hotel Byblos. This hotel is just off the main square called Place des Lices and is one of the few hotels that has a pool, gym and spa. If your hotel doesn’t have a pool you’ll have to go to the beach and most the hotels don’t have gyms. So if this is important to you, I would recommend staying here. They also have a club and an incredible restaurant Rivea that you must try. The pool area turns into a bar at night to have drinks and hang out with friends.

Another hotel I love and where I’m currently staying is White 1921, also in front of the Place des Lices. This hotel is connected to a Celine and Fendi store and happens to sit next door to the best gyros in town. You are perfectly situated in an area where you can walk to everything, with modern rooms, good wifi and A/C – which you need to check before as lots of places in Europe still don’t have it especially in the earlier Summer months. Just like Byblos, White 1921 also has a bar area outside with tapas and music until 1am.

Those are the two hotels I can personally recommend but another option, especially if you have more than 2 people is to go with an airbnb. We stayed in a 4 bedroom one in the port for the first week of our trip. We loved feeling like we were living in St Tropez with a full kitchen to bring home food from the market, a balcony overlooking the shops and restaurants where we ate breakfast and enough rooms for my friends to come and visit. We made sure it had wifi and air conditioning before we arrived but the ONLY bummer is that often these older apartments don’t have elevators, so we had to carry our suitcases up flights of stairs and I’m an overpacker. You also have to walk up and down a few flights of stairs whenever you want to come and go from the apartment, which is fine for me but if you are traveling with family members that are a little older – they may have a hard time with the steps so keep this in mind.

WHERE TO EAT LUNCH

Dior Des Lices (photo 1 & 2 above)
Le Club 55 (photo 3 above at the beach shack)
Bagatelle – reserve for the first seating if you want calm, if you want to party book the second seating

WHERE TO EAT DINNER

* dinner here is later than most places, so booking for 10:00pm is advised

Rivea at Byblos Hotel
Brasserie des Arts*
L’opera*
Villa Romana*
Senequier
K’ori*

WHERE TO EAT DESSERTS

Laudree for macaroons
Barbarac for ice cream
La Tarte Tropézienne for their local tropézienne dessert

WHERE TO LAY OUT

Le Club 55 for relaxing
Bagatelle for relaxing or partying, chairs are nicest here
Nikki Beach but there is no beach, they have a pool and also day parties, most expensive of the three
All the way to the left of the port on the rocky areas near the water, bring towels – not comfortable but its close and its free

WHERE TO PARTY

Bagatelle
Nikki Beach
VIP Room
Les Caves at Byblos Hotel
Brassiere des Arts

WHAT ELSE TO DO

Place des Lices market every Tuesday and Saturday from 8:30am – 1:00pm for beach items, home goods, food and vintage designer finds

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