St Tropez, France

Saint-Tropez is a town, 104km (65mi) to the east of Marseille, in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. It is also the principal town in the canton of Saint-Tropez.

It is located on the French Riviera, and it is known today for its famous and extremely wealthy summertime guests. It has been dubbed the 'playground to jetsetters, fashion models, and millionaires', and it is most-enduringly known as the place where the iconic Brigitte Bardot was "discovered" and for its role in the liberation of southern France during World War II. It has been a resort for the European and American jet set and the inevitable hordes of tourists in search of a little Provençal authenticity and an occasional celebrity sighting.

Eugene Grishkovets, a Russian actor, jumps into water in colourful clothes every summer. In the first week of July there is an international Polo tournament, which attracts the best polo players from around the world to the Saint-Tropez Polo Club.

The "village" itself is easily walked and enjoyed. The waterfront is crowded with cafes and shops with "elite" offerings. A block or two inland, through narrow streets and alleys, you'll find fewer stores and cafes, quaint and interesting studios, homes and a few historical structures. The waterfront is packed with stores offering "elite" goods, and cafes for the "in-crowd" (or naive tourists), all at heady prices. A block or two inland, offerings are often equally good, with slightly more modest prices.

Near the western end of the main harbor area, L'Annonciade is a riveting collection of post-Impressionist, Fauve and other early 20th Century art. Housed in a converted church, the collection includes striking works by Matisse, Dufy, Bonnard and Derain, as well as other early modern masters. In additon, the views of the town and harbor from the windows of the museum are quite distinctive.

Tropezien beaches are located along the coast in the Baie de Pampelonne, also known by the residents as Grania (pronounced granny-ay), which lies south of Saint-Tropez and east of Ramatuelle. Pampelonne offers a collection of beaches along its five-kilometre shore. Each beach is around thirty metres wide with its own beach hut and private or public tanning area. Many of the beaches offer windsurfing, sailing and canoeing equipment for rent, while others offer motorized water sports, such as power boats, jet bikes and water skiing, scuba diving. Some of the private beaches are naturist beaches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Tropez

http://wikitravel.org/en/St_Tropez

more info

CLASSIC TENNIS TOUR 2014
Porto-Vecchio : 8-9 mai/may
Yannick Noah, Henri Leconte, Fabrice Santoro, Mansour Bahrami

Saint-Tropez : 12-14 juillet/ july
Bjorn Borg, Fabrice Santoro, Henri Leconte, Sébastien Grosjean, Cédric Pioline, Mansour Bahrami, Richard Gasquet, Michaël Llodra

Lyon : 25-26 septembre/ september
Bjorn Borg, Thomas Enqvist, Henri Leconte, Yannick Noah, Mansour Bahrami

Courchevel : 13-14 décembre/ december/dezember
Bjorn Borg, Ilie Nastase, Henri Leconte, Mansour Bahrami