France Travel Diary: Casey in St Tropez

If you read about Casey's experience in Paris, this is the Part II to her French adventure. The second part of her trip was in Saint Tropez! Happy Friday to all as we dream of swimming in the Mediterranean...

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As if France couldn’t get any better

My time in Paris had come to an end and we were South of France bound! After only 50 euros later you too can be on a train heading for Saint Tropez. The views during the 4-hour journey are beyond gorgeous. It reminded me a lot of Napa Valley with the rolling hills and vineyards. Truly God’s country. 

We arrive in the small village of Gassin, which is about a 15-minute car ride inland from Saint Tropez. Everything about this place is adorable. Yohan, Emily’s fiancé, has family there so we were able to stay for free which is a huge financial blessing. The town is on top of a hill so the views were incredible. I would highly recommend booking an AirBNB in Gassin (or surrounding area if possible) instead of paying the high lodge prices of Saint Tropez.

Now we all know what Saint Tropez is known for. One word: beaches! 

Beaches. Beaches. BEACHES! 

I’ve seen some gorgeous oceans in my life; Miami, Sarasota, Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos to name a few. They all pale in comparison to Saint Tropez. The Mediterranean is warm and clear and how the mountains greet the water is picture perfect. There were two beaches that became my favorite.

Plage de l’Escalet 

The color of the water, as you can see in the picture above, is striking. We took a path along the rocks, which led us to a cove. The cove was great for snorkeling!

Bastide Blanch

After a 35-minute walk through a private vineyard and two arguments with the security guards, we arrived at Le Bastide Blanch. It was worth the effort! This one was my favorite. It’s tucked away so it felt like we had this beach to ourselves. We enjoyed a picnic of cheese, bread, and beer and snorkeled for 3 hours. A day I will soon not forget.

We spent the majority of my 6 days in the South soaking up the sun (with 50 SPF, don’t worry Dr. Q!) but there were a couple times that we wandered into town to people watch, day dream about owning the gorgeous yachts in the harbor, and eat the amazing homemade ice cream from Barbarac Glacier.

I was fortunate enough to have most of my meals provided by Yohan’s gracious family. We ate almost every meal together as a family in their backyard garden. I admire how eating together is a priority for the French. I couldn’t understand 90% of what they were talking about but we were together.

The nightlife in Saint Tropez is pretty par to the United States. The clubs are crowded, the music is loud and the men are forward but this girl got to dance! We hit up the “VIP Room” and thoroughly enjoyed the kindness of strangers and their endless supply of Dom Perignon. My favorite part was the confetti. It sparkled and made me really happy.

Sooner than I would have liked, it was my last night. We grabbed some ice cream downtown and watched the sun set into the harbor.


We ended the night by walking the beach of Pampelonne reminiscing about the last 10 days. The super moon lit the beach perfectly for our stroll. I know I will never forget my time in France and will be counting the days until I return. From the cobblestone streets of Paris to the turquoise oceans of Saint Tropez, it was all a dream come true.

To read more about Casey's French escapades, click here!