GRIMAUD... OR THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS... 

GRIMAUD, a charming medieval village crowned by its Feudal castle, which, for a long time, was considered the guardian of the former Gulf of Grimaud, as the Gulf of St Tropez was called until the end of the 19th Century. The village invites to take a walk through the centuries ; strolling along shady little lanes at the discovery of remarkable sites provides calm and serenity, even at the height of the season. Take a plunge into the heart of history. Welcome to Grimaud !

A medieval hill village near the seaside with a waterside village at its feet : Port Grimaud. This is how Grimaud could be summed up. Both, village and yacht harbour deserve attention. The village of Grimaud gives evidence of a long history, beginning from the Gallo-Roman era. In the 11th Century its steep rocky peak attracted the attention of the strategists.  

Culminating point dominating the Gulf of Grimaud and controlling the access from the North and from the Maures mountains it had to suffer an early defensive occupation. Until the 17th Century the castle of Grimaud commanded the wide territory of the “Freinet” (nowadays the two Cantons of Grimaud and St Tropez).

Before climbing the hill to get to the castle, before discovering the recently renovated wind mill St Roch, try the lovely little lanes interweaved with light and shadow : the vaults, the stone steps and the heavy doors of studded wood, the façades hidden behind huge bougainvillier, the trompe l’oeil paintings and the windows sparkling with thousands of coloured petals… Until the end of the XIXth century the village received water by three wells. In 1886 the wells were replaced by a steam machine that delivred the precious liquid. The monumental fountain in the Place Neuve commemorates the arrival of the water.

Even before this date the village got water via the construction of a system realized in the 16th Century and allowing to take water at a distance of 3 km in the mountains ; the “pont des fees” the fairy bridge is today’s only testimony of this system.

During your stroll through the village you may discover the different chapels : the Penitents Chapel, the St Roch’s Chapel as well as the St Michael’s Church ; when leaving the village and perhaps before going to discover Port Grimaud you will find the Chapel Notre Dame de la Queste, an ancient place of worship, in its shady park.