Ramatuelle travel guide

Visit Ramatuelle (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France)

Ramatuelle is an attractive perched village set high above the Mediterranean sea of the Saint-Tropez peninsula, not far from Saint Tropez. The village was originally founded here to escape the pirates who terrorised the villages along the Mediterranean coastline.

Explore Ramatuelle

France This Way review: there is less to see in Ramatuelle than in some of the other Provencal villages, but it does make for an excellent destination if you are having a day out in the area and need somewhere to stop for lunch!

Ramatuelle covers the top of the hill and its pleasant narrow streets meander around the town in a circular pattern. Near the top of the village is the Place Gabriel Peri, formerly called ‘Castle Square’ because it held the seigniorial home of the Seigneurs of Audibert.

The main historic sight in Ramatuelle is the Church of Notre Dame which was built in the 16th century against the protective ramparts. Its bell-tower doubled up as a look-out post. Also in Ramatuelle you can see a rather intriguing prison: it is tiny and built in a distinctly Arabian style. It was built by Napoleon III but many believed it was really a Turkish bath built by the Saracens.

Really though it is not these individual monuments but the whole ensemble of Ramatuelle that is the reason to visit the village. You will discover narrow shady streets, the stone buildings covered in bougainvillea and the stone gateways that once formed part of the town’s defences.

Ramatuelle’s main square, just outside the stone entrance gateway, is the Place de l’ormeau (Elm Square) and here are a few bars and restaurants where you can stop for refreshments.

There is even a lovely view from the car park in Ramatuelle which looks out over the surrounding vineyards and the southern end of Pampelonne beach and to the light-house at Cap Camarat. This lighthouse is the second highest in France and you can see Corsica from the top!

The village generally is known as an arts and crafts centre and there are a number of little galleries to visit as you wander round.

Attractions nearby

Ramatuelle sits above the famous Pampelonne beach, famous for both its role in the Allied landings and its renown as one of Saint Tropez’s main beaches - and the first beach to introduce topless sunbathing on the Cote d'Azur.

The village of Gassin is also very beautiful and just three kilometres from Ramatuelle. Back down on the coast there are numerous places of interest with Saint-Tropez and Port Grimaud being among the popular destinations very close by.

Explore elsewhere in the Cote d'Azur. You can find more travel ideas in the Var guide and the Provence guide.