St-Tropez in July

Hi Ryan- I believe that Antibes/Juan-les-Pins would be a good alternative to St Tropez and would work well with a young child. I don't have Rick's book with me at the moment, but I know there is some coverage of that area.

Just curious whether anyone has info and/or opinions one way or another about the amount of, er, nudity at French Riviera beaches? Just wondered since a 5-yr-old boy is part of the family.

Hello neighbour:
St.-Tropez + July = Zoo.
It's small, crowded, and awkward to get to, stuck on a point of land. Most Riviera beaches are fairly small and the sand can be commandeered by surrounding hotels. But hey, it's the Riviera. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the comedy with Steve Martin and Michael Caine, is a wickedly funny introduction.
Nudity? Some women go topless on parts of many beaches, or the hotel pool. Certainly not just French women, either. A five-year-old may ogle at the first sight, and then quickly forget about it. Don't know about you, though.
What surprised me the most was the coast's Second World War history. After D-Day in Normandy, some Allied troops went ashore at several beaches along the Riviera coast, including St-Tropez. The force was mostly American with some North Africans. Along with fighters from the Resistance the force fought up the Rhone to Lyon. There is a US military cemetery inland at Draguignan.
Then, 15 years later, the St-Trop beach was invaded by Brigit Bardot on her way to fame.

Sorry, I meant to include this link to the Draguignan cemetery: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhone_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial
The town is up in the hills behind the coast.

Thanks for the feedback.

We are thinking of skipping the Riviera and spending 3 days in Cassis. We'll be in the Provence region and it seems easier to travel to and seems similar enough to the Riviera. Has anyone visited Cassis? How did you like it?

There is also the "Museum of the Landing" (15 Aug 1944) near Toulon on that landing, Operation Dragoon. In front of the museum is a Sherman tank (one with the long barrel) with Free French markings, ie, the Cross of Lorraine. You need a car to get there.

We are thinking of skipping the Riviera and spending 3 days in Cassis.

We spent 2 nights in Cassis and enjoyed it. It was off season, though, and it was still fairly touristy. I don't know how crowded it gets in the summer.

Topless sunbathing isn't unique to the Riviera but happens on beaches all over France when the weather is warm enough for beachgoing. If the sound of it puts you off don't expect some kind of hypersexualised environment - most people don't react to it and, to put it bluntly, it's not restricted to women whose bodies would be included in Playboy.

When one of my sons was five, he went to the beach with his father while visiting family on the Riviera. He enjoyed the beach and sights with no problem.