INTRODUCTION Port Grimaud is situated six kilometres or so to
the West of St Tropez in a protected costal
position. Although a cursory examination might
indicate it to be an old town, it was in fact first
started in 1966 and took several years to complete.
It consists of four main islands divided by a number
of canals, hence the nickname Little Venice. The
canals are indeed based on those in Venice but the
architecture of the surrounding buildings is
strongly French based.
Today, Port Grimaud boasts over 2,000 houses and
is a major tourist attraction with a market three
times a week and even its own church. Visit Port
Grimaud to see the stunning canals, architecture and
also for the cafes.
PORT GRIMAUD HISTORY
Port Grimaud was the brain child of Francois Sperry
(1912 - 1999), a French architect. His plan was to
build a town surrounded by canals modelled on
Venice. At the same time the architecture of the
houses was to resemble those of French fisherman
found in St Tropez.
When first conceived the idea behind the
architecture at Port Grimaud caused huge
controversy. The French believed that old
architectural styles should not be incorporated into
new buildings especially on such a large scale. The
controversy has lessened over the years with the
success of Port Grimaud as a tourist attraction but
it is still thought a folly by some.
PORT GRIMAUD LAYOUT
One key element designed into Port Grimaud by
Francois Sperry was the idea that each house in the
town should have its own boat moorings in the canal.
This has basically been carried through to this day.
The original land of Port Grimaud was marsh which
rendered it useless for shipping and it was also
thought an impossible site for building on. However
the architect Francois Sperry believed the marshland
could converted to canals and began construction
work.
The first major task was to open up the building area to
the River Giscle to the south of the proposed port. The
second major phase was to open up Port Grimaud to the sea on
the East. Building took over ten years.
The architecture of the buildings is in the style of the
surrounding areas in Provence. Each house is individually
designed and the original pastel colour of each house is
recorded so that re-painting can only occur in the original
colours. The roofing material is traditional ridged
terracotta with frontages of traditional shutters and
wrought iron.
VISITING PORT GRIMAUD The major attractions of port Grimaud are the
canals and the architecture. The best way to see these is by
taking a trip round the canals. The options are the twenty
minute tour on a medium sized boat or hiring your own fro 30
minutes. Either way is fun and well worth the money. See the
video below for a taster of the canals and architecture.
VIDEO OF THE CANALS AND ARCHITECTURE AT
PORT GRIMAUD
The church at Port Grimaud, dedicated to St
Francis of Assisi contains the tomb of the architect
Francois Sperry. Whilst not a particularly
interesting church, it does offer brief protection
from the sun and entrance is free. Construction of
the church started in 1969 and finished in 1973.
Interestingly, this is the only self-financing
church in the whole of France. It is administered by
a Council which consists of 50% Protestants and 50%
Catholic.
The main stained glass window represents
that phases of the sun and its effect on the sea.
Far more interesting (€1 per person) are the
views from the church tower. See the video below.
VIDEO OF VIEWS FROM PORT GRIMAUD CHURCH
TOWER
A market is held every Thursday, Friday and
Sunday in the grounds of Port Grimaud. It opens around 9 in
the morning and closes at 1.00 in the afternoon. Although
you will not find any bargains here, just the normal collection
of clothes, knick-knacks and tourist gifts, it is a very
pleasant way to spend an hour or two.
After a trip round the sites of Port Grimaud you will
appreciate lunch at one the cafes and restaurants, many
of which have views of the canal. The standard of food and
service is only average and the prices on the high side but
the setting is truly spectacular.
