What Place des Lices is

Place des Lices is a nineteenth-century public square in Saint-Tropez, and it also carries the name Place Carnot. Both names appear on maps and signs, so don't assume you have misread one of them when the other turns up.

It is a proper town square rather than a monument: an open, tree-shaded space where locals and visitors pass through on foot. There is no ticket, no turnstile and no set visiting window, which is precisely why the market mornings define the square's character.

Where it sits and how to reach it

The square sits in the heart of Saint-Tropez, within the compact centre rather than out on the edge of town. The harbour front and the old quarter are close enough that you can walk from one to the other without planning transport, which is the main practical point for a short break.

If you are navigating by a landmark, the Hôtel des Lices sits at 10 Avenue Augustin Grangeon in Saint-Tropez, a useful reference point on the approach to the square rather than a place to build your day around. Arriving on foot from the port side keeps you in the pedestrian streets and avoids the traffic that builds up around the centre.

For the wider layout of the town and how the sights fit together, the Saint-Tropez Attractions: 6 Visitor Guides set out the other stops that pair naturally with the square. If you are weighing a second Riviera base, the things to do in Cannes follow a similar area-by-area logic.

The market: Tuesday and Saturday mornings

The open-air market takes place on Place des Lices on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. Those are the two slots in the week, so if your weekend in Saint-Tropez does not include one of them, the square will be quiet and the market will not be there at all.

It is an authentic Provençal market rather than a souvenir strip, and it is set up in the morning only, so build the rest of your day around it rather than the other way round. Locals shop early for the freshest produce, which is the strongest argument for arriving near the start and having the afternoon free.

What the food stalls sell

The food side covers bread, pastries, cheese, sausages, olives, spices, herbs, fruit and vegetables, plus flowers. That is a full Provençal shopping list rather than a token display, and it is what makes the square worth a proper morning instead of a quick lap.

Because the emphasis is on produce, come with a plan for carrying it. A cool bag or a tote makes sense if you are buying cheese, sausages or olives, and buying at the start of the day rather than before a long walk keeps things simple.

The non-food side: antiques, mirrors and crafts

Beyond the food, the market runs stalls selling home accessories, antiques, mirrors, vintage posters, paintings and arts and crafts. That mix rewards browsing rather than list-shopping, and it gives non-food shoppers a reason to come even if they are not cooking.

There are also practical items such as t-shirts, bags and Riviera-style fashion accessories. If you are travelling with hand luggage, the crafts and posters are the tempting purchases and the bulky ones, so decide before you start browsing what will fit in the case.

How long to allow

Give the market a full morning rather than slotting it between two other sights. Food stalls, craft stalls and the browsing in between add up, and the square is at its best when you are not watching the clock for a museum slot.

Outside market hours, the square needs only a short stop: it is a place to pass through, sit for a few minutes and look at, not somewhere that fills an afternoon. Plan the rest of the day around the lanes and the waterfront instead.

Pétanque and the square outside market hours

Between market days, Place des Lices reverts to being a town square, and pétanque is part of that everyday life under the trees. Watching a game is free and takes as long as you want to give it, which suits a slow hour after lunch.

This is the honest trade-off: on Tuesday and Saturday mornings the square is busy and full of purpose, and on other days it is quiet and ordinary. Neither version is wrong, but they are different visits, and knowing which one you are getting changes how you rate it.

What's within a short walk

The old town lanes and the Port de Saint-Tropez are the natural next step, both within a short walk of the square. From the quay you can follow the harbour round before turning into the old town, which is the easiest loop to make on foot after a market morning.

La Ponche, the small former fishing quarter on the far side of the old town, is the quietest of the nearby areas and a good place to end a morning's wandering. The Musée de l'Annonciade and the Citadelle de Saint-Tropez sit further out in different directions, so pick one rather than both if you are working around a market morning.

The Cimetière Marin de Saint-Tropez lies beyond the old town and makes a quiet contrast to the market crowds if you have a second morning. Walking between these places, rather than driving, is the easiest way to see how compact the centre actually is, and a wider list of how to fill the day is in the things to do in Saint-Tropez guide.

Market mornings versus quieter afternoons

The rhythm of a good day here is simple: market in the morning, something slow afterwards. The stalls are a morning-only affair, so an afternoon at the square will not deliver the same experience, and planning an afternoon market visit wastes the best hours.

Use the afternoon for the old quarter and the waterfront, which stay open as places to walk whenever you arrive. On a short break, matching the market morning to your first full day leaves the rest of the trip free for everything else in Saint-Tropez.

Who the square suits and who should skip it

Place des Lices works well for anyone who wants a genuine Provençal market and a slice of everyday town life without paying an entrance fee. It also suits travellers who prefer a compact centre they can cover on foot rather than a schedule of ticketed sights.

Skip it if you are after glamour, large-scale shopping or air-conditioned attractions; those are elsewhere in Saint-Tropez, not here. And if your dates miss Tuesday and Saturday, come for the pétanque and the lanes rather than expecting the market.

Plan Your Visit

Build your Saint-Tropez plan around a Tuesday or Saturday morning, arrive early enough to shop the food stalls before the crowds, and leave the afternoon for the old town and the harbour. Check the market's current arrangements with the tourist office before you travel, since the twice-weekly pattern is the one fixed point.

Everything else about the square is free and unscheduled, so the worst that happens on a non-market day is a quieter hour under the trees. That is a reasonable trade for a place this central, and it keeps the market morning as the highlight rather than an afterthought.