St. Tropez has some of the most celebrated nightspots in Europe–in fact, the whole world.
But unless you are very famous or beautiful, they can be difficult to get into and the queues can be endless. And once in, they can be expensive.
Les Toits Lounge
St Tropez’s only real rooftop bar (toits is roofs in English) sits on the summit of the Hotel de Paris, vastly cool and contemporary.
There’s swimming pool. plus the finest sea views in St Tropez.
Contact: hoteldeparis-sainttropez.com
Gaio
The third of St Tropez’s leading night-club triumvirate, Papagayo, is replaced – after 55 years of hot-shot, A-list service – by Gaio, a restaurant-club of Japanese-Peruvian fusion food known as ‘nikkei’.
The place indeed looks as if a South-American sensibility has entered a ménage-à-trois with the hippified Asian and London clubland. This being St Tropez, the place practises distinctly non-Latin American prices. The sea bass ceviche is €38 (£32), kobe beef €180 (£150) and a gaio roll of lobster, avocado and much else besides, €49 (£41).
Contact: gaio.com
Bar du Port
Out has gone the hip, hi-tech stripped-back look at this venerable place (venerable for St Tropez, that is – it’s been going, and in the same family, since 1963), and in has come a sort of chic brasserie approach, with wood, leather and metal all over the place. Dishes are of the eco-friendly vibe – locally sourced, as organic as possible with fair trade this-and-that when the stuff isn’t from down the road. The bar is open for breakfast from early morning and it changes ambience as the day wears on, serving a hellishly good value (again, for St Tropez); weekday lunch is £21 for main course, drink and coffee. Mains at dinner start from £25.
Contact: barduport.com
L’Opera
L’Opera is a hip spot with one of St Tropez’s most desirable terraces – overlooking the port – and a Dubai-decadent vibe of white and gold, deep leather sofas and table-top shows (dancers, acrobats) of some flair through to midnight. Then the DJ takes over, with glitter, glam and energy levels turned up to ‘turbo’. Food is good, too, with all sorts of sharing platters, and dinner mains from £40. Go for the second of the two dinner sittings.
Contact: opera-saint-tropez.com
Les Caves du Roy
The most prestigious nightclub in France for the past 57 years has lost none of its panache. In truth, recent wholesale renewal, the first since the 1970s, has given it more, brightening the Asia-meets-Med glitz while refining the wildly OTT kitschy excesses. On the other hand, superstar resident DJ Jack-E still looks as hip as a gas boiler. He mixes the music for the grooving of Clooney, Beyoncé and any other A-lister in town. Entry is free – though drinks start at £25. Think around £250 for a bottle of the cheapest champers.
Contact: lescavesduroy.com
Tsar Folie’s
A sparkly port-side spot for the real jeunesse dorée of St Tropez. Its core audience is perhaps early-to-mid-20s, but people of any age will also appreciate the jollity in what is a fairly small but vibrant place. It’s party time pretty much all the time, with DJ-driven music and drinks prices which – in St Tropez and only in St Tropez – rate as reasonable. Truly cool people gather here before going onto the clubs, which is why Tsars is known as a ‘before’. The name was hit upon by owner Vincent Martin to evoke the Russianness of vodka, the ultra-smart drink a decade ago when the bar opened.
Contact: tsarfolies.com
Le Quai
Entirely renewed for this year, 2024, Le Quai now flirts with nautical elegance – a bit like a Riva boat blown up to pharaonic proportions. There are hints of pink and wood within, a terrific terrace looking out at the port, good Med-meets-Asia food (mains from £32) and funky shows through to the early hours.
Contact: lequaisait-tropez.com
