Saint-Tropez

Paul Signac sailed into Saint-Tropez in 1892, bought a house and brought painters after him: Matisse, Bonnard, Derain and others worked here, and the Musee de l'Annonciade in a deconsecrated chapel holds an unusually good collection of the results. The village stayed a fishing port until the 1950s, when And God Created Woman and Brigitte Bardot turned it into an international name. The old quarter of La Ponche behind the port keeps the earlier character in narrow lanes. The citadel above holds a maritime museum. Sailing regattas, notably Les Voiles in late September, bring large classic yachts.

What you actually see

• The Annonciade museum - Signac, Matisse and the painters who worked here.
• La Ponche - the old fishermen's quarter behind the port.
• The citadel - a hexagonal fort with a maritime museum and view.
• Les Voiles - classic yacht racing in the gulf each September.

When to go

May to June and September to October; July and August are crowded, expensive and gridlocked on the single approach road. Les Voiles in late September is a spectacle but fills the town.

Honest expectations

Summer traffic on the one road in can mean hours, and the boat from Sainte-Maxime is far quicker. Prices are among the highest on the coast. The fishing village character survives only in patches.

Nearby

Bormes-les-Mimosas lies west; the Massif des Maures is inland.