Few international visitors make it to this corner of the Mediterranean, where France’s head of state has vacationed since the 1960s. From a tour of the impressive fort itself, to the surrounding villages and vineyards, here’s why it’s worth a trip.
Picture the French Riviera and F. Scott Fitzgerald-level hedonism may spring to mind: Bronzed revelers quaffing Champagne on the beach, stars strutting the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, super yachts cruising the Mediterranean offshore. But few international visitors frequent the idyllic stretch of coast to the west of Saint-Tropez.
Backed by hillside nature reserves blanketed in cork oak forest, this dreamy shoreline also happens to be home to the French president’s official holiday retreat. What was once an impregnable fortress prized by marauding pirates is now the high-security Fort de Brégançon. When Emmanuel Macron is not in residence, it’s open to small guided visits through the local tourism office. Not only is it a chance to see how the president unwinds, but it’s also a showcase of French design and decorative arts, with pieces chosen specifically by the president from the vast furniture repository of the Mobilier National.