The sandy bay facing Saint-Tropez, the pines of the Sardinaux and the hills of the Maures – the tables, the hotels and the quartiers, in one guide.
In Sainte-Maxime now
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Weather
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MICHELIN
1 Key hotel
Photo: Mazur Travel/Adobe Stock
In this guide
Every table and hotel the MICHELIN inspectors have chosen in Sainte-Maxime – 4 more restaurants and 1 hotel – on one map, with our own stories as we write them.
Baker, greengrocer, butcher, fishmonger and florist under one roof on rue Fernand Bessy; Tuesday–Sunday 08:00–14:00. The fishermen sell their catch on the port every morning, weather permitting.
A 45-minute narrated loop from opposite the Tour Carrée, up past the Sémaphore and the Château Gaumont; daily 11:00–16:00 until 11 November (adult €10, child €6).
The wild headland before La Nartelle, open all year: rock pools, umbrella pines, a wartime bunker and a Roman fish pond. Pedestrians only; park on the roadside.
Photo: Lea Scappini/Office de Tourisme de Sainte-MaximeSentier du Deffend
A 7.2 km loop (about three hours, moderate, +280 m) from the Les Saquèdes car park to the viewpoint table, with the whole gulf, the Maures and the Estérel around you.
✱ MICHELIN star · Bib Gourmand: good cooking at a fair price · ◆ selected in the Guide · € to €€€€: the Guide's own price bands, from «on a budget» to «spare no expense».
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Sunset and drinks
Where to drink
Cocktails on the promenade, tapas in the old streets and the last beach-club evenings of the season.
Sources: the Sainte-Maxime tourist office's bars and restaurants listings, read 27 October 2026.
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Where to stay
The hotels worth the trip
The MICHELIN Guide's Keys first – its mark for hotels with character, service and a sense of place – then the rest of its selection and the ones we would book ourselves.
The best view in Sainte-Maxime: from the orientation table the whole gulf, the Maures and the Estérel turn around you.
Past Oak, lavender and mimosa scrub, The viewpoint table at the top of the Deffend, 360° view from the Estérel to the Maures over the Gulf of Saint-Tropez – the Alps on clear days
All year. The tourist office recommends the end of the day for the sunset – take a torch for the way down.
A steady climb for children used to walking; walking shoes, water and snacks recommended.
Start: Free car park (about 15 spaces) where a small tarmac road meets the DFCI track, Les Saquèdes, above Sainte-Maxime (chemin des Saquèdes from the Neuenbürg roundabout on the Plan-de-la-Tour road)
A free self-guided loop that reads the town street by street, from the old Tour Carrée to the buildings behind its 'Architecture Remarquable' label.
Past 26 stops in the historic centre, The Tour Carrée and the old town's alleys, Contemporary architecture – the town holds the 'Architecture Remarquable' label
All year.
Open to everyone, young and old (tourist office).
Start: Tourist office, 21 place Louis Blanc, 83120 Sainte-Maxime (free brochure with map, also downloadable)
Sources: the Sainte-Maxime tourist office, Côte d'Azur France, Var Tourisme and the Roquebrune-sur-Argens tourist office, read 27 October 2026. Coastal paths close in rough seas – check before you set off.
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With kids
Sainte-Maxime for children
Sandy beaches facing Saint-Tropez, Babar's beach, tree-top nets in the pines and a boat across the gulf.
A south-facing sandy beach right in the centre, beside the casino, with pine shade at midday and a view across the gulf to Saint-Tropez and its bell tower.
A long sandy beach east of town that the tourist office calls ideal for children, with water sports on hand and windsurf and bodyboard waves when the east wind blows.
The beach that gave Babar's honeymoon its view: Jean de Brunhoff stayed here and drew the panorama for Céleste and Babar's voyage – the De Brunhoff house still looks over it.
A wild little headland nicknamed 'la petite Corse': picnic lawns under umbrella pines, rock pools for shells and crabs, a Second World War bunker and a Roman fish pond.
Open all year, every day; pedestrian access only, parking at the roadside.
A free garden facing the gulf with more than 60 Mediterranean species, from the dwarf palm to the Chilean coconut palm, and labelled shrubs from the local hills.
1 October–31 December 2026: daily 08:00–17:00 (to 20:00 April–September).
The town's media library, free to visit, with children's film screenings and workshops in the school holidays – for Halloween 2026, Zombillénium and an articulated-monster puppet workshop.
All year: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 14:00–18:00; Wednesday and Saturday 09:00–18:00; closed Sunday and Monday.
A lively covered market in the heart of town, open all year: baker, pastry cook, greengrocer, fishmonger, butcher, delicatessen and florist under one roof.
1 October–31 December 2026: Tuesday–Sunday 08:00–14:00; closed Monday.
Sailing lessons with professional instructors on Optimists, catamarans, Lasers and windsurf boards, from a club with a national and international racing record.
5 January–7 December 2026: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00–12:30 and 14:00–16:30.
Sources: the Sainte-Maxime tourist office, Var Tourisme (visitvar.fr), Côte d'Azur France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Tourism and the places' own pages, read 27 October 2026. Drive times from the town centre without traffic. Check seasons and ages with the place before you go.
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The atlas
Sainte-Maxime at a glance
Every restaurant, hotel, sight, beach and shop we know of – 177 places, each with its own page. Choose a quartier, or a kind of place.
Photo: CeHa/Adobe Stock
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The directory
Every place in Sainte-Maxime
177 places, each with its own page – the six nearest the centre of each kind are here; every one of them is in the directory, A to Z.
