Tahiti Beach

Tahiti Beach is where the Pampelonne story began. It sits at the sheltered northern end of the long bay, and in 1952 a former policeman named Felix Palmari planted a few orange parasols and a simple bar on the sand here, creating the first of the organised beaches. The film crowd followed, Bardot and the rest, and Tahiti became shorthand for the glamorous, slightly bohemian Saint Tropez beach day. The orange loungers are still the signature, and the corner still draws a people watching crowd.

On the ground it is the same soft golden sand as the rest of Pampelonne, at the calmer top of the bay, with clear water that is gentle for swimming on a settled day. The club, Tahiti Plage, has grown over the decades into a long established operation with restaurants and loungers and a relaxed, slightly hippy reputation rather than the hard party edge found elsewhere on the bay. The beach also carries a long clothing optional history from the 1960s, so do not be surprised by it, though most visitors keep to swimwear today. Beside the club a free public stretch lets you swim without a bill.

The honest read is that you come to Tahiti for atmosphere and history as much as for the sand, which is excellent but no better than its neighbours. This is the most seen corner of Pampelonne, so it is rarely quiet, and the club costs what a famous Saint Tropez club costs, with booking advised in season. If your priority is a calm, anonymous swim, the free stretch here or a quieter beach nearby will serve you better than the club tables.

Who should skip it: anyone wanting a peaceful, low key cove, who will be happier at l'Escalet or Salins. Who should go: visitors drawn to the history and the scene, and swimmers happy to use the free sand at the storied end of the bay. Pair it with the wider Pampelonne beach to the south or a morning in Saint Tropez town itself.

Tahiti Beach sits at the northern end of Pampelonne, reached by car along the beach roads below Ramatuelle with paid parking behind the bay, or by the seasonal Saint Tropez bus and a short walk. As the closest and most famous corner of Pampelonne, it draws traffic in peak weeks, so arriving earlier in the day helps.

Decide before you go whether you want a club day or a free sand day, and if it is the club, book loungers and a table ahead in season. June and September give warm settled water and the full season without the August crush, and a weekday is calmer than a summer weekend at this busy end of the bay.