Salins

Plage des Salins is the beach Saint Tropez residents keep for themselves. It sits about 7 kilometres from the town, far closer than Pampelonne, on a stretch of coast fringed by pines, and it trades the long golden bay and its clubs for calm, shade and quiet. There is no row of loungers selling a scene here. There is a 600 metre sweep of sand, a single beach restaurant and a great deal less fuss, which is exactly why families and locals choose it.

Two things set it apart from its famous neighbour. The first is the pines that back the sand and throw real shade, a rare and welcome thing on this coast and a quiet blessing with children. The second is that it stays genuinely calmer and less crowded than Pampelonne even in high season, so you can usually find space without booking anything. Parking is free at both the main accesses, by the Les Salins restaurant at the southern end and at the Parc de la Moutte to the north, and a seasonal free shuttle from town reaches the restaurant. There is a first aid post and a lifeguard on duty in season at the northern end.

The honest read is that Salins is about ease rather than spectacle. It is a touch more exposed to the wind than the sheltered Pampelonne bay, so a blowy day can churn it up, and with only one restaurant on the sand you plan your food rather than club hopping. Those are small prices. In exchange you get a beautiful, shaded, easy beach minutes from Saint Tropez where a family can spend a whole day without a reservation or a large bill.

Who should skip it: anyone whose heart is set on the club scene and the long famous bay, who will want Pampelonne. Who should go: families, anyone staying in town and anyone who values shade, calm and free parking over a beach club. Pair it with a morning in Saint Tropez itself, or with the wild cove at l'Escalet further down the coast for a contrast.

Plage des Salins sits about 7 kilometres from Saint Tropez, reached by car on the route des Salins to the southern end by the Les Salins restaurant, or via the Parc de la Moutte to a car park and a short walk to the northern end. Parking is free at both, and a seasonal free shuttle from town reaches the restaurant end.

Come on a settled weekday in June or September for the calmest water and the quietest sand, and check the wind, since Salins is more exposed than the Pampelonne bay. Aim for the northern end if you want the seasonal lifeguard cover, settle under the pines for natural shade, and book a table at the one restaurant ahead if you plan to eat on the sand.