Experience the best of St-Tropez

Saint-Tropez lies at the tip of a peninsula in the Var, facing the gulf that bears its name. The old fishing port, now filled with yachts, is edged with ochre and pink houses and cafés, and above it the 17th-century Citadelle looks out over the sea. The Musée de l'Annonciade, set in a former chapel, holds paintings by Signac, Matisse and Bonnard, painters drawn by the light.

Pampelonne, a long sweep of fine sand south-east of the town, is lined with beach clubs, and a coastal path leads to quieter coves. The Place des Lices, shaded by plane trees, hosts a market and games of boules. Inland, the hill villages of Gassin and Ramatuelle look over vineyards, and Port Grimaud, a modern town of canals and bridges built on a lagoon in the 1960s, lies across the gulf.

Tarte tropézienne, a sponge brioche filled with custard cream, was created in the town in the 1950s and is sold in its bakeries, while Provençal rosé from the Côtes de Provence is poured at every table. Summer is hot and busy, and spring and September are calmer. The Bravades festival in May honours the patron saint with musketeers and processions.