Port-Grimaud Tourist Attractions
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Port-Grimaud is situated at the southwestern corner of the Bay of St Tropez at the foot of the Massif des Maures; behind it stretches a plain which the Rivers Garde and Giscle have filled up with their deposits.The very attractive modern holiday resort of Port-Grimaud is reminiscent of a Venetian fishing and lagoon settlement, with its maze of channels. When the resort was translated from the drawing board to reality in 1966, great importance was laid on creating a townscape typical of the region.The resort is free of traffic; there are parking lots outside the town for holidaymakers and visitors. As well as motorboats plying regular routes, there are four-seater electric boats for self-drive hire on the canals.By the canals, on which there are many fine sailing ships and cabin cruisers, there are boutiques, shops and restaurants; the market is held in the main square. Many of the apartment houses have their own mooring-places outside their front doors. Facing the sea stands the ecumenical Church of St François d'Assisi, designed according to Romanesque models; a coin-operated turnstile gives access to the tower from which there is an exceptional panorama of the little town, the lagoons and the mountainous hinterland.
Surroundings
There are scenic villages outside of Port Grimaud.
Cogolin
Cogolin, situated on the southwestern edge of the coastal plain of Port Grimaud, is a center of artisan and industrial wood and textile production. The main products are bamboo and cane furniture, carpets and pipes made out of bruyère (heather roots). In the village there is a pretty 16th C. church and a clock-tower - the remains of an earlier fortification.To the south of Port Grimaud lies the yachting harbor of Les Marines de Cogolin.
Grimaud
Grimaud is situated inland on the site of a settlement which was used by the Ligurians; it is a "village perché", high above the Plain of Cogolin and with a particularly picturesque townscape. Of interest are the ruins of the fortress (11th C.; view) and the Church of St-Michel, also dating from the 11th C. Also well preserved is the Maison des Templiers (House of the Templars) with its Gothic arcades. Some 2km/1mi east on the road from Port-Grimaud stands the charming Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Queste.
