Trips & Tours: St Tropez Coastal Walk

You’ll be collected from Marseille or Nice by your guide and his comfortable well-equipped minibus. On arrival at the hotel settle in and then at 7pm we meet up for a drink and briefing.

Supper is usually at about 7.30pm; all the meals are of 3 courses and with plenty of choice.

A trip to the Isle of Porquerolles via the ferry from Hyeres and a superb day with lovely views, beaches and easy paths. 4hrs of easy walks with picnic lunch and wine lies ahead.

A 30 minute transfer takes us to La Tour Ronde near Hyeres and our ferry crossing. The 20 minute crossing can be quite exciting if the skipper speeds up. The island itself has a very interesting history which you’ll learn of as we walk.

After leaving the village the path wends its way along the southern coast with its lovely beaches and photogenic old forts. We pause for a lunch of fresh salad picnic, taken in the shade close to an ideal swimming beach. The combination of white sand, colourful yachts and azure sea are so special to this region.

After a leisurely lunch the walk continues up onto the highest point of the island at 110m. From here there are views over the whole island. The walk continues along the very rugged northern coast with its sea cliffs similar to Cornwall before returning back to the village along a track lined with olive groves and fruit orchards.

We are back by about 3pm in time for a nice cold drink in Francetrek’s favourite bar before catching the ferry to the mainland. Once back at the hotel there is still time for another swim and relax on the beach before dinner.

From Collobriere our walk leads up onto the plateau des Maures and then traverses to the Chartreuse de la Verne Road. We then drive up to this famous old Monastery for a visit and return via Collobriere for a drink and marron glace - 4hrs of comfortable walking with 500m ascent on an easy path.

The transfer to Collobrieres is via a very interesting and scenic road which gives a good idea of the size and emptiness of this forest region. Collobriere is quite different to other the coastal towns and villages and that is one reason for visiting it. Once famous for cork production and mining but it now relies on the chestnut industry, producing excellent marron glace.

Our walk takes us through the village and up into attractive forest. The path climbs a bit and then levels off as we enter another valley which is teeming with wild flowers in the spring. We counted 120 varieties in 2004 so walking the route at this time of the year is a botanist’s dream. After about 2hrs the plateau area our lunch stop, is reached. The usual varied salads are on offer along with 3 different cheeses and a bottle of red of course, with fresh fruit to follow. At the shaded picnic site there are some standing stones and a1000yr old chestnut with a girth of 8m. We sometimes have the company of a semi tame vixen in the spring by the way.

After lunch a very leisurely stroll on a comfortable track leads to a rendezvous with the minibus on the road to the Chartreuse de la Verne - wild boar are often seen on this track. This 12C monastery hidden away deep in the forest is closely linked to the whole history of the region and is well worth the visit. Finally there is time for a drink and stroll in the village before returning to our hotel.

We depart at 9.30 this morning for a more leisurely day - no walking boots required!

A 45 minute drive along the coast and up via a very scenic viewpoint takes us to Grimaud. This historic and very attractive village is truly delightful with its tiny streets, old houses, the windmills and the excellent viewpoint from the ramparts of the old chateau.

After lunch a short transfer takes us to Port Grimaud. The Port was built over a number of years starting in the 1960s and is well worth a visit. We also include a short boat tour of the port. Later we return to Aiguebelle.

A 5hr walk today that leads around the Cap and then to the Plage d'Escalet. The path is quite stony in places but with only one real ascent of 20 minutes - the rest of the time it meanders along the coast very close to the sea and passes pretty coves with sandy beaches, in and out of the shade of the umbrella pines and up onto the main headland itself. Again in the spring this is a very colourful walk with masses of wild flowers - poppies, roses, hottentot figs and many others.

After rounding the cape the walk descends to the sea and our picnic lunch is on the beach under the shade of an old pine with lots of driftwood to provide seating. The walk then continues to a lovely white-sand beach popular with nudists where we stop for a swim....usually not in the nude!

The walk continues around to our destination at Les Escalets where we normally arrive by about 3pm. A very welcome cold drink or ice cream is available in the little cafe at the carpark. After a good rest clients will be taken to Ramatuelle for a short visit before returning home. We often also stop at the wine cooperative in the village for a quick tasting!

This is a very varied day as we start off with a chance to wander around the extensive Provencal market in the town. Many like to buy their own picnic lunch today as there is such a variety of food on offer.

Suitably loaded down with rations we then take a 10 minute drive to the beach of Pellegrine and the start of the prettiest walk of the week. The path wanders along the picturesque coast in and out of little coves with white-sand beaches. The blue of the sea contrast with the sand and the greenery and the photo opportunities are excellent. Many of the postcard views have been taken along this short stretch of the coast.

The walk takes about 3hrs with a lengthy lunch break on the best beach with a convenient bar/restaurant hidden in the forest. The walk culminates with views of the Fort of Bregancon, one of the official residences of the President and therefore out of bounds. If clients are not too tired we then drive up to Bormes les Mimosas for a leisurely stroll round the village.

We walk from the famous Pamplonne Beach to the headland of St Tropez with its superb views of the snow covered mountains behind Nice. We allow 3 hrs for the easy walk round. We then backtrack to a beachside restaurant where we have lunch right on the beach. 

At 2pm a short drive leads to St Tropez itself. Although much maligned St Tropez is a joy to visit with its narrow back streets, lovely shops and, of course, the harbour with its multitude of expensive yachts.

We include a delightful 1hr cruise in the wooden schooner the Brigantin which cruises out from the harbour past the town and around to millionaires' bay. Full commentary in English is provided,
This walk is very easy and is ideal for the last day. On our return to the hotel we normally arrange to meet for drinks before having a final meal together.

Sadly the end of the tour has arrived all too soon. We depart for Marseille or Nice at 9am. Please allow up to 3hrs for the transfer.