Ramatuelle - village and the mill, French Riviera, France
Ramatuelle is one of the villages of the Côte d'Azur, located in the Maures Massif, not far away from Saint-Tropez and Gassin. It is located on a Paillas hilltop at 130 meters above sea level. Some scenes for the movie "Gendarme de Saint-Tropez" with Louis de Funès in the lead role were shot in this town.
Parking in Ramatuelle
You can of course try to drive to the village center using the D61 road and then look for a free parking place, for example on the Place de l'Ormenau (P1; GPS: 43.215177, 6.612107), but it is better to just leave it in really large parking lots at Boulevard du Huit Mai 1945 (P2; GPS: 43.216516, 6.611074), about 350 meters away from the center.
Walking tour
There is a splendid view of the Pampelonne bay from the village, which features the famous beach of the same name. You can also see the lighhouse standing alone.
You can stroll the village by foot or use the touristic mini-train which in fact goes to the town of Gassin located about 5 km away from Ramatuelle. The train leaves at 15:00 or 16:00 (depending on the month) and the ticket prices are 7.50€ for adults and 4€ for children. More information on the website Le Petit Train Touristique de Ramatuelle / Gassin.
.The village tour can be started from the Place de l'Ormenau where the 100 years old olive tree grows. Nearby you will find a 17th-century Notre-Dame church built in a Provencal-style architecture. You then can enter the nearest gate to get to the street Rue du Centre, which leads among the picturesque buildings of old town. When visiting such a village, we traditionally walk the narrow streets and admire the vegetations and old walls of the buildings.
Moulin de Paillas
You can also visit interesting windmill from the 16th century, located on a hill about 2 km west of Ramatuelle (A; GPS: 43.213800, 6.605306). A winding and quite steep road leads to it (difference in altitude is about 120 meters). The windmill is in very good technical condition - just strange that it does not work :). From here, you can also enjoy interesting views of entire bay of Saint-Tropez. The car can easily be parked next to the windmill.
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