Best of 
   French Rivieira

Its story reads like a fairytale: a small fishing village transformed into the world’s cinema capital, thanks to a festival that became the second most-publicized event on the planet, after the Olympics.

Like any fairytale, it has a palace. The Palais des Festivals may have only 24 steps, but what steps they are! For ten days, they’re draped in a red carpet, lit by flashing cameras as the world’s biggest stars ascend them.

For over 75 years, the Cannes Film Festival has discovered talent, created legends, and immortalized those who’ve graced the famous Croisette. With beaches and luxury hotels (Le Martinez, Le Majestic, Le Carlton…) on one side, and designer boutiques on the other, the Croisette is Cannes’ glamorous heartbeat. And even when the festival lights fade, with the Lérins Islands in view and the old town of Le Suquet nearby, Cannes stays forever in the spotlight.

1955: a film, an actress, a small fishing village, and a phenomenal success. The film was And God Created Woman, the actress Brigitte Bardot, and the village, Saint-Tropez. BB became a myth, and Saint-Tropez, a legend. Royals, actors, writers, painters, sculptors… all flocked to its shores. "Saint-Trop'," as insiders call it, became the epicenter of laid-back chic.

People adore it for its beaches—of which there are many (Pampelonne, La Ponche, Les Canoubiers…)—and their restaurants; its old port, where yachts and fishing boats intermingle; its narrow streets and ochre-colored facades; the Place des Lices, alive with endless pétanque games; the Voiles regatta, showcasing the most magnificent sailboats; and its “institutions”: morning coffee at Sénéquier and sandals crafted here and nowhere else.

Time, seasons, and trends may come and go, but Saint-Tropez remains: a way of life.