Var - the sunny department

The Var borders the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône to the west, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to the north and Alpes-Maritimes to the east. Var is an area of rolling fields, gentle green mountains topped by villages, dense forests and large areas of vineyards. The southernmost part of the Var lies on the Mediterranean Sea with the naval city of Toulon, the capital of the department, and the highly fashionable St-Tropez. The Var is bordered in the north by the department's biggest tourist attraction, the wild mountain gorges, the Grand Canyon du Verdon with the Verdon River running deep down between the steep cliffs. The Var is the most forested area in France and the south is dominated by vast forests of cork oak and chestnut, including France's southernmost mountain range, the dark Massif des Maures.

The coast offers appealing summer holiday resorts such as Hyères, Sanary-sur-Mer and Bandol, several islands including the paradisiacal Iles d'Or with almost untouched nature. The beaches in Var are known as some of the best in the area: wide, child-friendly sandy beaches with plenty of space and good parking facilities.

The hinterland is extremely interesting but without many historical sights. It's mainly nature experiences and scenic beauty that you'll find everywhere. The area lacks none of the typical Provencal characteristics: old medieval villages with narrow, winding alleys and stairways, idyllic squares with fountains and shady plane trees, flowering almond trees in spring, olive groves, tall, slender cypress trees and vineyards as far as the eye can see. Var is especially known for the great Provençal wine regions Côtes de Provence and Bandol.

In Var, temperatures rise to 28-35 degrees in the high season. The highest temperatures will always be found inland. Temperatures are around 11 degrees in winter on the coast and slightly lower inland, where they are around 7 degrees. In the hinterland, temperatures can even drop to freezing for short periods of time. The rainy season is usually during autumn and spring, and this is also the time of year when you can experience the strong wind, the Mistral.

The above climate figures for Marseille correspond well with the climate figures for the Var coastline.