Destinations · France

Port Grimaud with kids: shallow water, no cars and where to park

September 10, 2026 · Yasmine Kas

In short

Where: Port Grimaud, on the gulf of Saint-Tropez, built around canals instead of streets
We were there: September 2024, with children aged 3 and 6
Beach: Plage de Port Grimaud, very fine sand and shallow for a long way
Parking: Parking Port Grimaud, five to ten minutes on foot to the beach
The village: you walk straight in once you cross the road, and it is largely car-free
Strong point: the shallow water, and seeing Saint-Tropez across the bay
Less so: this is a village for wandering, not a village with a lot to do

Port Grimaud with kids is mostly about the beach: very fine sand, water that stays shallow for a long way, and Saint-Tropez across the bay. Plus where to park, how far you then walk, and what renting a boat without a licence cost.

In this story

We visited Port Grimaud in 2024, and now that we are slowly planning our trips for 2027 this region came back up. Port Grimaud really made an impression at the time, and that was when I realised I had never written about it. So here it is, belatedly!

If you visit only one place along this stretch of coast, Port Grimaud would be our pick. That September we spent a few weeks in Vidauban, 45 minutes inland, and we kept coming back here because with young children it simply worked.

Port Grimaud is often called the Venice of Provence. The village was built in the sixties around canals instead of streets, with small bridges between colourful houses and boats moored in front of the doors.

Canal in Port Grimaud with boats moored in front of the houses, a cafe and pastel facades — Here the boats are moored right in front of the door.

The beach: very fine sand, shallow for a long way

We started at Plage de Port Grimaud, the beach just outside the village, and that is the part we got the most out of.

The sand is very fine and the water stays shallow for a long way out. With children of 3 and 6 that is the difference between a day where you are standing in the water with them and a day where they just play. The water is also strikingly clear, and from the shore you can see Saint-Tropez across the bay. Within minutes our children were in it.

That long shallow stretch is exactly what the beach at Fréjus does not have. There the water gets deep fairly quickly and there are small waves, which is more fun once your children can swim.

Plage de Port Grimaud with fine sand, clear shallow water marked by a line of buoys and sailing boats in the bay — The pale water runs a long way out before it deepens. That is what makes this beach work with small children.

Parking, and how far you walk from there

We parked at Parking Port Grimaud. From there it is another five to ten minutes on foot before you are actually on the beach, so allow for that with small children and beach gear.

To the village it is shorter: you walk straight in once you cross the road.

Wooden beach pavilion with a curved slatted roof, bikes leaning against a low wall along the sandy path towards it — The last stretch to the beach is over sand.

The village: wandering, bridges and boats

After the beach we walked into the village. Slow wandering, crossing bridges, watching boats come and go, stopping somewhere for lunch. That is all it is, and it does not need to be more.

What makes it work with young children is that it is largely car-free and everything is close together. No distances, no pressure to see everything. Beach time and wandering alternate by themselves.

Be honest with yourself about what this is: a village to walk through. Anyone looking for an afternoon full of activities will be disappointed.

Canal in Port Grimaud with restaurant terraces on both sides and an arcade of arches at the far end — Along the canals it is terrace after terrace.

Quiet lane in Port Grimaud leading to a stone gateway with a round tower, tall hedges along the road — The edge of the village, where cars still come.

Renting a boat without a licence, and what it cost

You can rent a boat in Port Grimaud, and the notable part is that you do not need a boat licence for it. You are allowed to take it through the canals as well as out to sea, towards Saint-Tropez and Sainte-Maxime across the bay. We did not do it, but you immediately see why people do.

The rates were on a board on the quay in September 2024, at Presta Marine. The boat without a licence takes five people, fuel is included and there is a 1,000 euro deposit on it.

From 15 June to 15 September a morning cost 160 euros, an afternoon 180 and a full day 240. Outside that period it was 20 euros less each time, so 140, 160 and 220.

The same board also gave the speed limits: 3 knots in the harbour, 5 knots within 300 metres of the shore and 20 knots in the gulf of Saint-Tropez.

Rental boats moored in the canal at Port Grimaud beside a large white building — This is where the rental boats sit, by the board with the rates.

Frequently asked questions about Port Grimaud

Is Port Grimaud good with children?

Yes, and it is the place from this whole trip that stayed with us most. The beach has very fine sand and stays shallow for a long way, the village is largely car-free, and everything is close together. We were there with children aged 3 and 6.

Where do you park in Port Grimaud?

We used Parking Port Grimaud. From there it is five to ten minutes on foot to the beach, and you walk into the village as soon as you cross the road.

Is the beach at Port Grimaud sand or pebbles?

Sand, and very fine sand. That is the difference with Argelès-sur-Mer further along the coast, where the beaches are pebbles.

Can you get to Saint-Tropez from Port Grimaud?

From the beach you can see Saint-Tropez across the bay. There is a ferry, and you can also rent a boat without a licence and cross the gulf yourself: in the 2024 high season that cost 240 euros for a full day.

When is the evening market in Port Grimaud?

Not in September. We were there in September 2024 and there was no evening market. As far as we could establish it is a summer thing, on Monday evenings in July and August, so outside those months do not count on it.

Can you rent a boat in Port Grimaud without a licence?

Yes, and you are allowed to take it through the canals as well as out to sea. It takes five people, fuel is included and there is a 1,000 euro deposit. In September 2024 a full day cost 240 euros in high season and 220 outside it.

Does Port Grimaud work for families?

Who this works for

Families with children who cannot swim yet, because the water stays shallow for a long way
Anyone who wants a beautiful village alongside their beach day rather than just beach
Anyone who would rather not watch for cars all day, because the village is largely car-free

Who it probably is not for

Anyone looking for an afternoon full of activities, because this is a village for wandering
Anyone who likes swimming in deeper water with waves, in which case Fréjus makes more sense
Anyone who wants to carry beach gear as little as possible, because it is five to ten minutes from the car park

Going yourself? Port Grimaud combines most easily with a stay inland. We were in Vidauban, about 45 minutes away.

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