St Tropez Market has an amazing Provencal feel to it. It is open from early to 13.00 hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays in the Place des Lices, just behind the port. This is a shaded square, surrounded by shops and restaurants, where the locals play boules on the other days.
It has hundreds of stalls selling everything from vegetables to antiques and goes on all year, however outside of the tourist season there are fewer stalls and it focuses on food. As you walk around you can hear the chirping of the cigales and the chatter of the market traders
If one wants to get there in summer one must go very early or better still take Les Bateaux Verts from St Maxime, Port Grimaud or Cogolin. This boat takes you right into the centre of the port without one having to worry about parking.
The atmosphere in the market is amazing with the locals mixing with the tourists and most ladies walking along with straw shopping baskets.
Around the market people sit reading newspapers and taking a coffee in the sun whilst watching the procession of suntanned people going about their business.
It is not unknown to see Bridgette Bardot collecting her groceries, or stars walking about amongst the crowd. After all, in the season, this is the chosen place for many famous people due to its great villas and big yachts moored in the harbour. In fact it is the playground of the stars.
St Tropez is also well known for car launches and the other day as I was going between St Maxime and my home in Grimaud I saw not one but 39! 4 door Porsche Panameras. They aren’t even on sale yet! Following them was a Mercedes SLR priced at £330k and A Porsche Carrera GT priced at £280k. This is not unusual in this area during the summer. Am I jealouus? No!!!
In winter the area next to the market is converted into an ice rink with fir trees around it. St Tropez is great!
Mr. L. July 2009
http://www.bateauxverts.com/
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