St Tropez A Must See Part Of The French Riviera

A visit to the French             can always find something going    Riviera would not be            on -- there are numerous clubs     complete without a stop in      where you can eat, drink and       St. Tropez. Renowned for its          dance the night away.              miles of glistening white                                                beaches, exotic food and as a         "St. Trop" as it is known by       playground for the rich and           those in the film industry, means  famous - it is THE place to see       "Saint Too Much." It was           and be seen.                          "discovered" in 1956 when Roger                                          Vadim's "And God Created Women"    A true jewel of the Riviera, St.      was filmed here, launching a       Tropez is an animated seaside         young Brigitte Bardot into         resort where the azure water and      instant super stardom. St. Tropez  cerulean skies are backlit by         became a Mecca to artists,         brilliant sunsets of ripe             writers and, of course, movie      apricot, ruby red and gold.           stars in the 60s.                                                                                           The late afternoon breeze from        St. Tropez is the favored          the Med causes the jewel-colored      vacation site of chic Parisians    awnings of the sidewalk cafes to      and most of Europe. International  snap and wave merrily, and brings     stars still flock here in the      a welcome relief from the heat of     spring and summer, and you never   the day. Here, the air is             know whom you'll run into at the   fragrant with jasmine and mimosa,     open-air market in the Place des   andthe occasional whiff of a          Lices, or while sipping an         gourmet meal being prepared makes     aperitif at one of the many        your mouth water.                     outdoor cafes. In fact, people                                           watching is a favorite pastime in  The nightlife in St. Tropez is        the summer, when the sidewalks     fast, energetic and frenetic. You     are crowded with tourists and sun  worshippers.                          sailboats, or highlights one of                                          the beautiful fountains, you'll    At the heart of St. Tropez is the     feel the stirrings of your inner   harbor. Take a walk along the         artist, and long to pick up a      pier, and you'll feel as if           paintbrush and palette.            you've stepped into a picture                                            postcard or a painting by Signac      St. Tropez is also known for its   or Matisse. Picturesquely painted     beaches. The most famous is the    villas with red tiled roofs sit       Plage de Pampelonne, with its      along the dock, indulgently           five km of almost blinding white   watching over the wooden fishing      sand, exotic boutiques, sidewalk   boats that bob gently next to         cafes and restaurants, including   large, expensive yachts. 12th         the renowned "Club 55." At the     century churches, the famous          north end you'll find the Plage    parasol pines and narrow              de Tahiti, which is a well-known   cobblestone streets among             haunt of famous celebrities.       picture-perfect houses complete       Other beaches you can visit        the feeling that it's too             include Bouillabaisse, Caneliers,  beautiful to be real.                 and Salins. To the south of Plage                                        de Pampelonne is Cap Camarat, and  Much has been made of the very        just beyond that - a little less   special quality of light that is      accessible and therefore much      only found in St. Tropez. Maybe       less crowded - are Plage de        it's because of its unique and        l'Escalet and Plage de la          paradoxical location, or perhaps      Briande. If you go a little        the spectacular, almost tropical      farther south, you'll find a       climate has something to do with      wonderful beach - Gigaro, and the  it. Whatever the reason, when you     town of La Croix Valmer.           see the way the luminescent light                                        plays across the wooden               In all, you'll find over 40        beaches in the area, so it's easy     inexpensive), Cinemas, Swimming,   to enjoy soaking up the sun every     Snorkeling/Scuba Diving, Boating,  day, if that's your pleasure. If      Sailing, Water-skiing, Surfing,    you prefer something a little         Windsurfing, Parasailing, and Jet  more strenuous than lying on the      skiing.                            beach, St. Tropez offers                                                 something for everyone in way of      When you're finished soaking up    activities. You can find: Hiking,     the sun, you can move indoors,     Biking, Golf, Tennis,                 and soak up a little culture       Racquetball, Fitness Center,          instead. There are plenty of       Miniature Golf, Amusement Parks,      wonderful museums, art galleries   Fishing, Horseback Riding,            and other events scheduled         Shopping, Restaurants (from the       throughout the year.               very expensive to the                  About the Author: Sandy Knoll, the author, operates a websited devoted to beaches and everything related to beaches. She operates http://www.finbeach.com which is a great beach resource. Email her at sandy@finbeach.com Source: www.isnare.com