Port Grimaud lies in the beautiful curve of the Golfe de St Tropez. It has magnificent white sandy beaches, clear blue waters and lovely scenery typical of this area. It has everything you could demand of a holiday destination in terms of facilities, weather, culture and natural beauty but it also has something that is quite unique and quite remarkable that you won't find anywhere else along this coast.
It has the distinction of being a modern day, 20th Century, registered monument. It is history in the making. In 100, 200, 300 years time our descendents will be looking on Port Grimaud like the Venetians did over Venice or the Dutch over Amsterdam. It is a purpose built 'concept city' that was idealised, conceived, approved, built and is now a living and thriving town.
A Bright Idea
The concept of Port Grimaud was the vision of one man. Francois Spoerry was a French architect of Swiss descent. He studied in Paris, was facinated by rural Greek island architecture, was imprisoned during the war for being a member of the resistance and joined the socialist party after the war. Factors that no doubt played a part in his vision of a town.
The first drawings of the town came about in 1962. Spoerry was inspired by the architectural heritage of the Mediterranean and wanted to build something in keeping with the local colours, designs and convivial way of life which goes a long way to explaining how such a relatively recent, simultaneous contruction can look as if it has stood for hundreds of years but for the excellent condition of everything.
The land that Spoerry chose for his 'lake village' was at the mouth of La Giscle river. A marshy area that was difficult for boats to navigate because of the depths and also considered unstable for constructing buildings. Loved only by local hunters it was the perfect site for the architects ideas and he began the lengthy process of getting it all approved.
Waterways
Squares
Shopping
Tradition
Planning permission was finally granted on the 14th of June in 1966 a date commemorated by the naming of one of the squares in the village, 'Place du Juin 14'. Spoerry used the most modern and innovative building techniques available at the time.
Defying Time
Spoerry's inspiration was the existing architecture and charm of the local area. He wanted to recreate the winding streets, the pretty colours and the beautiful leafy squares of the surounding ancient villages like Grimaud and St. Tropez.
The houses he wanted to retain that higgledy charm and uniqueness so no two homes are the same in Port Grimaud in either facade, shape or size and, while all of a style, all are individual with every colour of every shutter and facade registered so that they can be maintained and restored in the future.
The church, St. Francis of Assisi, was inspired by the churches found in the marsh lands of the the Camargue in particular in 'Saintes Maries de la Mer'.
There are 2,400 homes, 2,000 boat moorings, 7km of canals and 12km of piers in this astounding almost new ancient floating city.
St Francis
Canals
Homes
Colours
It was a concept that was not entirely loved by the architectural critics of the day the Guide d’architecture contemporaine en France published in Paris was quoted as saying; "Port Grimaud is the permanent celebration of boring deception ..." in 1974.
But it is a place that was probably built before it's time and is only now really coming into it's prime.
Port Grimaud, possibly unintentionally, answers the needs of hundreds of holiday makers the world over. It has the combination of sea and land, of beaches and water with all the ancient charm and picturesque beauty of the old and all the space, excellent planning and facilities of the modern. It's the perfect marriage with none of the 'Disneyesque' pallor.
Renting holiday Accommodation in Port Grimaud
If you like the idea of Port Grimaud for your vacation or holiday and would like to book a vacation home here then please use the facility below or click on 'Browse rental' in the main menu. You will also find details and contacts for hiring boats or other holiday information in the RG Directory under 'St. Tropez' for facilities in Port Grimaud.
Immaculate 2 bedroomed property with its own mooring situated in a private cul-de sac in Port Grimaud. Use this great value house and mooring for making superfast trips into St Tropez port without all the traffic.
"Port Grimaud is an exceptional place. When you first arrive you almost can't believe it's real. It's so perfect and well maintained that you look around for signs that Disney have made a copy of Venice and behind every wall is lots of chipboard and paint cans.
But it's not so. When I looked carefully at the docksides, I commented to my wife that those huge granite blocks that form the dock were definitely NOT fake, and the paving slabs on the streets were clearly solid and very real and not made yesterday.
That's why Port Grimaud is such a lovely surprise, it's a Venice that you didn't know existed. It's one of the best kept secrets of the French Riviera and one I'm so glad we discovered. When the kids figured out that in order to get from the little villa to anywhere, we needed to take a boat, their eyes just lit up in astonishment.
We rented a little semi-rigid for the week and were able to explore all the little canals, go all around the Golfe of St Tropez and basically tie up just about anywhere. We even got to tie up onto a giant pro sailing yacht in St Tropez next yacht along from Nicole Kidmans party. I don't think you can do this with a bigger boat though.
Port Grimaud is small, but it's small size makes it manageable with a group. There are plenty of bars and restaurants and St Raphael and St Tropez and only minutes away either by sea if you have hired a boat or by road if terra firma is the choice of transport."
"Port Grimaud is an exceptional place. When you first arrive you almost can't believe it's real. It's so perfect and well maintained that you look around for signs that Disney have made a copy of Venice and behind every wall is lots of chipboard and paint cans.
But it's not so. When I looked carefully at the docksides, I commented to my wife that those huge granite blocks that form the dock were definitely NOT fake, and the paving slabs on the streets were clearly solid and very real and not made yesterday.
That's why Port Grimaud is such a lovely surprise, it's a Venice that you didn't know existed. It's one of the best kept secrets of the French Riviera and one I'm so glad we discovered. When the kids figured out that in order to get from the little villa to anywhere, we needed to take a boat, their eyes just lit up in astonishment.
We rented a little semi-rigid for the week and were able to explore all the little canals, go all around the Golfe of St Tropez and basically tie up just about anywhere. We even got to tie up onto a giant pro sailing yacht in St Tropez next yacht along from Nicole Kidmans party. I don't think you can do this with a bigger boat though.
Port Grimaud is small, but it's small size makes it manageable with a group. There are plenty of bars and restaurants and St Raphael and St Tropez and only minutes away either by sea if you have hired a boat or by road if terra firma is the choice of transport."
"Port Grimaud is an exceptional place. When you first arrive you almost can't believe it's real. It's so perfect and well maintained that you look around for signs that Disney have made a copy of Venice and behind every wall is lots of chipboard and paint cans.
But it's not so. When I looked carefully at the docksides, I commented to my wife that those huge granite blocks that form the dock were definitely NOT fake, and the paving slabs on the streets were clearly solid and very real and not made yesterday.
That's why Port Grimaud is such a lovely surprise, it's a Venice that you didn't know existed. It's one of the best kept secrets of the French Riviera and one I'm so glad we discovered. When the kids figured out that in order to get from the little villa to anywhere, we needed to take a boat, their eyes just lit up in astonishment.
We rented a little semi-rigid for the week and were able to explore all the little canals, go all around the Golfe of St Tropez and basically tie up just about anywhere. We even got to tie up onto a giant pro sailing yacht in St Tropez next yacht along from Nicole Kidmans party. I don't think you can do this with a bigger boat though.
Port Grimaud is small, but it's small size makes it manageable with a group. There are plenty of bars and restaurants and St Raphael and St Tropez and only minutes away either by sea if you have hired a boat or by road if terra firma is the choice of transport."
Bedrooms: 5
