Port Grimaud vs. St. Tropez Walking Tour With Museum Visit

[MalibuCA]

We are cruising on the Regent Voyager, Monte Carlo to Athens, with a stop in St. Tropez. We are in St. Tropez 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. I am trying to decide between two shore excursions:

 

1) Port Grimaud (by electrical boats) followed with a short walking orientation of St. Tropez -- 3.5 hours

OR

2) St. Tropez Walking Tour with a 1-hour visit to the Annonciade Museum -- 2.5 hours.

 

It is clear to me that we could visit St. Tropez on our own (which we ordinarily prefer), but with Regent's all-inclusive excursion policy, it seems silly not to join a tour. We definitely want to explore and wander St. Tropez and we want to visit the Annonciade Museum. According to Frommer's, a 1-hour visit is sufficient to the Annonciade Museum.

 

Questions:

1) Has anyone been to Port Grimaud? Is it worth seeing? Described as the "Venice of Provence," is it anything like Venice, or more like a ride at Disneyland? I've watched youtube videos, and I'm not sure what to conclude.

 

2) Is there any reason that we wouldn't have enough time to go to Port Grimaud, wander St. Tropez, visit the museum on our own, have lunch and make it back to the ship before she sails?

 

3) It has been suggested on this board that, instead of spending our day in St. Tropez, we rent a car and drive to Aix-en-Provence for the day. What are your thoughts on this? If you don't like this idea, is there somewhere else or something else you would suggest? Having never been to St. Tropez (or to Provence for that matter), I'm thinking that it makes sense to visit St. Tropez. If not, however, please give me your alternative suggestions.

 

Thanks!

 

Shelley:confused:

[Morgans]

Have visited Port Grimaud and can say that it is a beautiful place and would recommend that you visit it. It is not really like Venice apart from the waterways and some might say it is a little artificial (as some would say of Monte Carlo too, )but it is certainly beautiful with many places to sit and partake of a delicious fish lunch or coffee etc. There are also canal trips. Check out http://www.informationfrance.com/port-grimaud. From your timings, I would imagine that you would in fact be able to see St. Tropez also so it would make sense to see both towns seeing you are there on the spot. Aix would be too long a drive from St. Tropez and the traffic can become extremely dense and frantic. I would keep Aix for whenever you dock at Marseilles.

[MalibuCA]

Thanks for your reply. One more question: Is it worth the tour to Port Grimaud if the only thing we do is take the "barge" ride? The tour doesn't seem to include time to shop or have lunch or savor a cup of coffee. Just the boat ride. Given that it is only the boat ride, do you still recommend we do it?

 

A few more questions:

 

If we decide to scrap the tour and visit Port Grimaud on our own, how do we get tickets for the "barge?"

 

Can we get there from St. Tropez by taxi? If yes, how long is the ride?

 

Thanks,

Shelley

[Morgans]

We love Port Grimaud so I might be considered biased but I believe it is worth a visit which is more than just a quick trip. There is more to see there than just the boat tours such as the Church, the marina & the quayside, the beach, cafes, restuarants and the designer shops. Much of the town is traffic free and if driving you can not bring your car right into the centre. It is possible to take a taxi from St. Trop. It is about 4 miles (10mins or so) away but French taxis can be a little on the pricey side.

Boat trips can take about 20 mins or longer if you hire your own boat. There are several options for picking up the boats. There is one boat hiring site on the quay opposite the church.

I would suggest you do a search on the Internet to give yourselves more of a feel of the place. It is certainly a very attractive town and I am sure you would like it as it is something a little different.

[staygulf]

We are cruising on the Regent Voyager, Monte Carlo to Athens, with a stop in St. Tropez. We are in St. Tropez 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. I am trying to decide between two shore excursions:

 

1) Port Grimaud (by electrical boats) followed with a short walking orientation of St. Tropez -- 3.5 hours

OR

2) St. Tropez Walking Tour with a 1-hour visit to the Annonciade Museum -- 2.5 hours.

 

It is clear to me that we could visit St. Tropez on our own (which we ordinarily prefer), but with Regent's all-inclusive excursion policy, it seems silly not to join a tour. We definitely want to explore and wander St. Tropez and we want to visit the Annonciade Museum. According to Frommer's, a 1-hour visit is sufficient to the Annonciade Museum.

 

Questions:

1) Has anyone been to Port Grimaud? Is it worth seeing? Described as the "Venice of Provence," is it anything like Venice, or more like a ride at Disneyland? I've watched youtube videos, and I'm not sure what to conclude.

 

2) Is there any reason that we wouldn't have enough time to go to Port Grimaud, wander St. Tropez, visit the museum on our own, have lunch and make it back to the ship before she sails?

 

3) It has been suggested on this board that, instead of spending our day in St. Tropez, we rent a car and drive to Aix-en-Provence for the day. What are your thoughts on this? If you don't like this idea, is there somewhere else or something else you would suggest? Having never been to St. Tropez (or to Provence for that matter), I'm thinking that it makes sense to visit St. Tropez. If not, however, please give me your alternative suggestions.

 

Thanks!

 

Shelley:confused:

 

The advice I am about to give you is based upon my experience of having a holiday home 19 miles along the coast from St Tropez (in Frejus) and having spent many visits to both Port Grimaud and St Tropez.

 

I assume you will be going in the summer. If I were travelling from my home in Frejus to St Tropez now (2 January) by car, it would take around 45 minutes. In the summer (July and August) that same journey takes around 3.5 to 4 hours. The journey from St Tropez to Port Grimaud, although only about 5 miles may take you several hours by car, there is only one road, only one lane of traffic and it is nose to tail. That is probably why the ship's tour goes by boat, as it takes a few minutes across the bay.

 

Everyone has their own views and I have to disagree with Morgans. Port Grimaud is not a beautiful place as far as the rest of the Riviera goes. It is totally manufactured and if you like looking at town houses by the water's edge and restaurants then, by all means, go. There's not much else there. But if you do go, go by boat. Walking around St Tropez won't take more than a few hours. Shopping, even window shopping may extend this to 4 hours, but really St Tropez isn't that big. If I were you, stick to the ship's tour (especially as it's included) and don't risk the traffic. Can you imagine being stuck in a traffic jam on your way back to the ship, with the meter running and you not knowing whether you'll make it back in time ? Sorry to sound so negative, but I have been in that traffic LOADS of times when escorting friends around the coast.

 

On the other hand if you're not going in the summer you miight want to risk it ;)

[MalibuCA]

Thanks, Staygulf. I'm not a risk taker! However, we will be in St. Tropez on October 10, not July or August. Does that change your opinion?

 

Also, if Port Grimaud isn't the "must see" of the area in your opinion, and if St. Tropez only takes about 4 hours to visit, is there anywhere that you recommend we go instead? We will be in port in St. Tropez from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Of course, we always have the alternative of getting back on the ship and simply relaxing and enjoying ourselves when we finish seeing St. Tropez. If there is something else worth seeing, however, please share with me.

 

Thanks,

Shelley

[staygulf]

Thanks, Staygulf. I'm not a risk taker! However, we will be in St. Tropez on October 10, not July or August. Does that change your opinion?

 

Also, if Port Grimaud isn't the "must see" of the area in your opinion, and if St. Tropez only takes about 4 hours to visit, is there anywhere that you recommend we go instead? We will be in port in St. Tropez from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Of course, we always have the alternative of getting back on the ship and simply relaxing and enjoying ourselves when we finish seeing St. Tropez. If there is something else worth seeing, however, please share with me.

 

Thanks,

Shelley

 

That definitely changes my opinion of the traffic, but not of Port Grimaud !

It should only take around 10 minutes to get to Port Grimaud. I'm not suggesting you don't go there, just don't expect to see the real France.

 

The problem with the surrounding area on the peninsular is that you need transport to get anywhere. If you are OK taking taxis I would suggest you take one to Gassin which is one of the "villages perches" or hilltop villages in that area. Or you could combine a visit to Port Grimaud with a visit to the hilltop village of Grimaud nearby. That way you could get the flavour of the old and the new.

 

Either way, as it tends to get dark early in October, and the sun does set pretty quickly, I would do the inland touring first and then come back and do St Tropez in the afternoon.

 

Hope this helps. Have a great cruise.

[MalibuCA]

Thanks! That definitely helps! I will check out your alternative suggestions and come back with any new questions I may have.

 

Shelley

[MalibuCA]

Oops, I already have questions.

 

1) Are there lots of taxis available in St. Tropez?

 

2) Is there any reason to schedule a driver in advance?

 

3) If we go with just a taxi, will the taxi driver be willing to wait for us while we walk around (with the meter running, of course), or are there lots of taxis in Gassin so that it will be easy to catch a cab back to St. Tropez?

 

4) How long is the drive from St. Tropez to Gassin?

 

Thanks,

Shelley

[Morgans]

staygulf:

 

I would like to point out that if you read my posts carefully you will see that I have written that some people might find Port Grimaud a liitle artificial and that the traffic can be dense and frantic. I still maintain that it is a beautiful place whether visited by boat or road! Chacun a son gout!

[staygulf]

staygulf:

 

I would like to point out that if you read my posts carefully you will see that I have written that some people might find Port Grimaud a liitle artificial and that the traffic can be dense and frantic. I still maintain that it is a beautiful place whether visited by boat or road! Chacun a son gout!

 

 

"Chacun a son gout", exactly, that's why I said everyone has their own views !

[staygulf]

Oops, I already have questions.

 

1) Are there lots of taxis available in St. Tropez?

 

2) Is there any reason to schedule a driver in advance?

 

3) If we go with just a taxi, will the taxi driver be willing to wait for us while we walk around (with the meter running, of course), or are there lots of taxis in Gassin so that it will be easy to catch a cab back to St. Tropez?

 

4) How long is the drive from St. Tropez to Gassin?

 

Thanks,

Shelley

 

1) St Tropez is not huge and you won't find taxis queing at the port like, say, in Alexandria. But there are taxi stands and you can flag one down. Whether there are enough taxis if everyone on the ship suddenly decided to take a taxi I have no idea as I normally drive everywhere, but I don't think that is likely to happen ! ST is a former fishing village expanded into a modern little town and I don't think you'll have any trouble finding a taxi.

 

2) & 3) If I were a taxi driver I would rub my hands with glee if you were to ask me such a question. If you want to walk around for a few hours with the meter running you'd better know that taxi fares in France aren't cheap. Gassin, too, is not a huge place but there are taxis and, again I don't think you'll have trouble finding one. There are also regular bus services between the two towns. But I know how tight timescales are when you are only in port for a day so, yes, it may be better to try and agree a "driver half day rate" with a local taxi firm. Just Google Saint Tropez and taxi, there are quite a few firms.

 

4) Gassin is around 5 miles, probably 10 mins in a taxi. Port Grimaud is around 4 miles and Grimaud is around 4 miles inland from Port Grimaud. So we're not talking huge distances.

 

I would recommend Grimaud over Gassin, they have some nice castle ruins which can be climbed.

[kazu]

1) St Tropez is not huge and you won't find taxis queing at the port like, say, in Alexandria. But there are taxi stands and you can flag one down. Whether there are enough taxis if everyone on the ship suddenly decided to take a taxi I have no idea as I normally drive everywhere, but I don't think that is likely to happen ! ST is a former fishing village expanded into a modern little town and I don't think you'll have any trouble finding a taxi.

 

2) & 3) If I were a taxi driver I would rub my hands with glee if you were to ask me such a question. If you want to walk around for a few hours with the meter running you'd better know that taxi fares in France aren't cheap. Gassin, too, is not a huge place but there are taxis and, again I don't think you'll have trouble finding one. There are also regular bus services between the two towns. But I know how tight timescales are when you are only in port for a day so, yes, it may be better to try and agree a "driver half day rate" with a local taxi firm. Just Google Saint Tropez and taxi, there are quite a few firms.

 

4) Gassin is around 5 miles, probably 10 mins in a taxi. Port Grimaud is around 4 miles and Grimaud is around 4 miles inland from Port Grimaud. So we're not talking huge distances.

 

I would recommend Grimaud over Gassin, they have some nice castle ruins which can be climbed.

 

this is just fantastic info as we are going to St. Tropez in November. :D

our ship is quite small, so i am not too concerned about getting a taxi.

 

You mention that they are quite expensive. The distances involved are not that far....expensive means different things to different people.

 

We are trying to figure out if we should do a private tour or on our own. any idea (ball park) how much a taxi would be ? We won't hold you liable just a ball park. would help us determine the better way to go.

 

thanks so much. This is a great thread;)

[staygulf]

this is just fantastic info as we are going to St. Tropez in November. :D

our ship is quite small, so i am not too concerned about getting a taxi.

 

You mention that they are quite expensive. The distances involved are not that far....expensive means different things to different people.

 

We are trying to figure out if we should do a private tour or on our own. any idea (ball park) how much a taxi would be ? We won't hold you liable just a ball park. would help us determine the better way to go.

 

thanks so much. This is a great thread;)

 

As I said in an earlier post, I don't usually take taxis as I drive everywhere. However, I am able to give you a pretty accurate costing ! We normally drive or fly down to the Riviera but a few weeks ago we decided to take the train from our nearby Eurostar station all the way (change of trains at Lille). We had booked a hire car at St Raphael station, but our daughter had specifically asked us to find out the cost of a taxi to our apartment as taking the train in the summer seemed very appealing. We enquired at the taxi rank outside the station and were told that the journey (exactly 5 miles) would be 25 euros. The journey takes around 12 minutes.

 

I would assume that the taxi prices would be similar in St Tropez and the distances to Port Grimaud and Gassin are similar so the cost is likely to be the same. Bear in mind though that by next November the prices may have increased.

[kazu]

As I said in an earlier post, I don't usually take taxis as I drive everywhere. However, I am able to give you a pretty accurate costing ! We normally drive or fly down to the Riviera but a few weeks ago we decided to take the train from our nearby Eurostar station all the way (change of trains at Lille). We had booked a hire car at St Raphael station, but our daughter had specifically asked us to find out the cost of a taxi to our apartment as taking the train in the summer seemed very appealing. We enquired at the taxi rank outside the station and were told that the journey (exactly 5 miles) would be 25 euros. The journey takes around 12 minutes.

 

I would assume that the taxi prices would be similar in St Tropez and the distances to Port Grimaud and Gassin are similar so the cost is likely to be the same. Bear in mind though that by next November the prices may have increased.

 

Thank you very much :):) You have shared a lot of invaluable information on this thread and we all appreciate it :)

 

This is a very hard port to get a lot of information on and you have been extremely helpful. We all appreciate it :D:D

[staygulf]

Thank you very much :):) You have shared a lot of invaluable information on this thread and we all appreciate it :)

 

This is a very hard port to get a lot of information on and you have been extremely helpful. We all appreciate it :D:D

 

Glad to be of help. Try this link

 

http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/var/sttropez/sttropez.htm

 

you can also link from there to pages on Gassin, Grimaud, Cogolin etc. It's not a huge amount of info but it may help.

[Hlitner]

We have spent a fair amount of time in the region (we cannot claim to have lived there) and have several thoughts. Regarding St Tropez its a sea resort that is well passed its prime and we would not choose to spend any time there if there are other options (which there always are). As to Port Grimaud its Ok...for somebody who has explored Provence and is looking for an alternative. Again, when we are staying in the region (with a car) we would not waste the expensive gas to go to that place. St Tropez is within tour (or driving range) of some really nice parts of Provence and that is where we would recommend spending a day. But, that is just our humble opinion and we are sure many would disagree. As to being in St Tropez in November, my first reaction would be why? This time of year is totally off season and most of St Tropez (and the other regional sea resorts) will be pretty much closed-up or on a very limited winter footing. It is also not the time of the best weather (even the Mistral can kick up in November). If we were to be in those waters in November we would probably rent a car and head inland to some of the nicer parts of Provence.

 

Hank

[kazu]

We have spent a fair amount of time in the region (we cannot claim to have lived there) and have several thoughts. Regarding St Tropez its a sea resort that is well passed its prime and we would not choose to spend any time there if there are other options (which there always are). As to Port Grimaud its Ok...for somebody who has explored Provence and is looking for an alternative. Again, when we are staying in the region (with a car) we would not waste the expensive gas to go to that place. St Tropez is within tour (or driving range) of some really nice parts of Provence and that is where we would recommend spending a day. But, that is just our humble opinion and we are sure many would disagree. As to being in St Tropez in November, my first reaction would be why? This time of year is totally off season and most of St Tropez (and the other regional sea resorts) will be pretty much closed-up or on a very limited winter footing. It is also not the time of the best weather (even the Mistral can kick up in November). If we were to be in those waters in November we would probably rent a car and head inland to some of the nicer parts of Provence.

 

Hank

 

Thanks to both of you. The Prisendam sails here in november on it's way back to Fort Lauderdale. We're not concerned about beaches or resorts, far prefer to see Provence. I have contacted our private guide that we used last year and she has given us some great recommendations for Provence sights as well as Grimauld. Interesting enough, she thinks this is a great time to come (not to see St. Tropez of course) as there will be no traffic issues and it will be easy to explore. We'll take advantage of her expertise and enjoy Provence with her. (She said the same thing about St. Tropez - there i nothing there). Thanks again. :):)

[Hlitner]

Thanks to both of you. The Prisendam sails here in november on it's way back to Fort Lauderdale. We're not concerned about beaches or resorts, far prefer to see Provence. I have contacted our private guide that we used last year and she has given us some great recommendations for Provence sights as well as Grimauld. Interesting enough, she thinks this is a great time to come (not to see St. Tropez of course) as there will be no traffic issues and it will be easy to explore. We'll take advantage of her expertise and enjoy Provence with her. (She said the same thing about St. Tropez - there i nothing there). Thanks again. :):)

 

Your post made me smile as we are sure any tour guide would think November is the perfect time to be in Provence since the tour guides are desperate to get business that time of year :) That being said, since it's outside of the "season" this means that there is very little traffic (not a big problem on most country roads at any time) and nothing will be crowded. If you get lucky with the weather it should be perfect. Since your guide gave you an honest appraisal of St Tropez (we have met a few guides that will say that everything is wonderful) we like that guide.

 

Hank

[kazu]

Your post made me smile as we are sure any tour guide would think November is the perfect time to be in Provence since the tour guides are desperate to get business that time of year :) That being said, since it's outside of the "season" this means that there is very little traffic (not a big problem on most country roads at any time) and nothing will be crowded. If you get lucky with the weather it should be perfect. Since your guide gave you an honest appraisal of St Tropez (we have met a few guides that will say that everything is wonderful) we like that guide.

 

Hank

 

Thanks Hank, we actually used her last year for our Monaco stop. she was incredible - one of the best I have had so far. When I emailed her about the possiblity of this (it wasn't on her website), she told me she will only do it in the fall because of traffic issues. She tends to feature giving you a real taste of France, with different places that aren't on a standard tour. And no matter the weather, it can't be any colder than it is here right now in Canada :eek::eek: br-rr-r-rrrrrr - verrrrrrrrrry cold today.

 

i think I can manage a little Med mistral if need be, but we will cross our fingers for some decent weather. Thanks again :D:D

[potomacgator]

Is there regulary scheduled public bus transportatation from St. Tropez to Port Grimaud and Grimaud?

[staygulf]

Is there regulary scheduled public bus transportatation from St. Tropez to Port Grimaud and Grimaud?

 

Yes there is. As I tend to drive around I'm not sure how frequent it is, but there are several lines which follow that route.

 

If you go onto the varlib website varlib.fr you can download a pdf giving the network "plan du reseau", look at the routes "itineraires" and the timetables "horaires". The website is in French but is fairly easy to navigate.

 

Hope this helps.