Cannes and St Tropez for mere mortals

[spottedinthewilds]

We have a holiday booked next August near Cannes and St Tropez. Well, within 30 mins drive or each.

Has anyone been who isn't super rich? We have a good budget but aren't loaded.

We have things like Aqualand and a big lake to visit.

There is a massive shopping centre too which my daughter is already saving up for!

When visiting Cannes and St Tropez and even Monaco is it easy enough to find somewhere to eat and drink that aren't ridiculously expensive?

We will hire a car but will also do some train travel between the big places.

Has anyone here been and can offer any tips or advice?

Yes there are lots of options for restaurants at all budget levels. I’d say it’s generally more expensive than average, but you can keep it fairly affordable.

Grasse and Eze both nice for a wander around.

If you want to experience the life of the super rich you could probably just visit somewhere like the Carlton in Cannes for a drink. I like La Mome in Cannes for dinner - good fun!

Wonderful thank you. I will look into these!

Getting in and out of St Tropez can be a nightmare. We have taken the boat from St max which was easier.
https://www.sainte-maxime.com/en/leisure-activities/leisure/sainte-maxime/les-bateaux-verts-4614269/
Port Grimaud may also be worth a visit.
Have a good holiday.

Um, you are very unlikely to be within 30 minutes drive of both Cannes and St Tropez in August! The coast road to St Tropez via Sainte Maxime grinds to a halt (could easily be 1.5 hours), and if you want to visit St T I suggest you take the ferry across.
It depends how much you want to spend and what food you want, but it isn't going to be cheap. However, almost all the food is good. Looking for a "workman's café" type place, particularly if they do a set menu for lunch is the best bet for value food. Otherwise probably allowing 25-35 euros for an average main course. Pizza is usually a cheaper option. In St Tropez there is a snack place in Place des Lices if you are happy to grab something like a panini, or just wander round the back streets near the church for a nicer dining experience.

Thanks for the tips and the heads up with regards with traffic.

We are likely to look at other ways such as trains and boats for some places. Hence the early start on the planning.

Fab thanks! 😁

Antibes for the Picasso museum and Vence for the Matisse designed chapel are both worth a visit.

We got taxis, buses and boats. Flew into Nice, stayed in Frejus and then did day trips to Cannes, St Tropez and St Raphael. You can get a train straight to Monacco but it will take hours but it is an option. I woke my primark best walking around! We found the better priced restaurants by going to where most French were eating ;)

If you head to the back streets of St Tropez (up towards the Citadel) there are really nice restaurants with reasonable prices. Avoid the restaurants along the port price wise.

Thanks. Monaco is a must a we are an F1 mad family! 😂

Wonderful tips thanks so much!

Anyone been to Aqualand? Any tips on that one? We are there for 2 weeks so trying to find out if there is a slightly quieter day? I live in a very touristy area and tourist attractions are quiet on a Saturday as it's often changeover day.

The train from Cannes to Monaco is a lovely route, with quite a lot right on the coast, so that's definitely worth doing.

Which Aqualand? I went years ago but can't remember much. Saturday is probably a good shout.

There is an Aqualand at Frejus. Also a Luna Park. We are 2 families with 3 young teens so need to keep them entertained.

Sounds fab!

We were in Nice earlier in the year. We got an Uber to Monaco via Èze. Made the huge mistake of getting a train back from Monaco to Nice. Worst travel experience of my life. Crammed, dangerously so. Would never ever do this route by train again - take a look on tiktok or other social media.

Nice to Cannes by train was fine but the Monaco route can be notoriously busy.

There's a Luna Park at La Foux (on the way into St Tropez) although it's called something else now. Driving into St Tropez is a nightmare but there is parking to be found on the outskirts... would definitely recommend the ferry from St Maxime as an alternative.

Train turns inland at St Raph so really only worth doing in the direction of Italy. Forget driving around the coast after Ste Max. Bateaux Verts to St Trop, but parking at the port in Ste Max is expensive. TBH St Trop is over rated and unless you go for something like Les Voiles in Sept/Oct or the Bravades, I wouldn't bother.

August is probably the worst month to go as it is excessively hot, water restrictions usually come into force and it heaves with tourists. We always spend August in the UK and go back in September as things start to calm (and cool) down then.

Monaco is easy to get around on foot, make use of the lifts. It can be rammed if there is a cruise ship in though. Best to go by train as there are always roadworks and you can often be queuing from the tunnel off the A8.

Just be prepared for the heat and the crowds, and be patient when travelling by car.

There are also bakeries/patisseries in the Rue Georges Clemenceau (the road from the port up to the Place de Lices) in St Tropez where you can buy filled baguettes, pizza slices and delicious cakes at reasonable prices. There are benches you can sit and eat in the Place de Lices too - but note that it will be absolutely packed on Tuesdays and Saturdays as they are market days.

If you have teenagers then you might want to check the Go Ape type place behind the Sainte Maxime Aqualand. www.aventurefamille.com/en/activities/

Definitely go to Port Grimaud. If you drive you can go up to Grimaud town up in the hills and go to the castle which gives you a great view over the bay.

Thanks we live in a very touristy area ourselves so at least it will be like home but not. We have a big house booked with a huge pool and air con.

We will hire an electric car so can put the air con on before we get in! 😂

@spottedinthewilds You'll be fine in that case! There have been a few issues this year at St Cassien if that's the lake, although I can't remember what it was now, algae blooms possibly. For food shopping, Lidl is good, local markets of course, and if you fancy it, a day trip to Italy for a megashop as it is a lot less expensive. If you plan on using the motorway a lot, get a Liber-t Bip&Go, it's a lot less hassle than tapping your card and you can use the 30 kph lanes at the péage.

Port Grimaud just outside of St Tropez and St Max is lovely. Been holidaying there for the last 40 odd years!

Where are you staying?