St-Raphäel

St-Raphaël is a popular family resort located midway between Cannes and St-Tropez and has almost grown together with the slightly larger neighbouring town of Fréjus.

St-Raphaël is beautifully situated right on the border between the lush Massif des Maures and the red Estérel coast.

St-Raphaël was already a favourite holiday resort in Roman times, with wealthy families settling near where the modern casino is located today.

In 1799, St-Raphaël made history when Napoleon landed here after a victorious expedition to Egypt. At the harbour there is a pyramid-shaped monument commemorating Napoleon's landing.

St-Raphaël was discovered as a seaside resort in 1860 by Parisian journalist Alphonse Karr, who attracted a host of famous Parisians, including Alexandre Dumas, Maupassant, Berlioz and Gounod. Rich Englishmen followed, and when the railway arrived in 1864, tourists flocked to the city.

St-Raphaël offers first and foremost beautiful sandy beaches, a marina, good shopping opportunities and countless restaurants and cafés. Unlike the neighbouring town of Fréjus, St-Raphaël is not really all that interesting. The old town, Quartier du village, is cosy with its narrow streets and shady squares. Every morning there is a flower and vegetable market.

North of the railway you'll find Eglise San Raféu, a heavily fortified Templar church from the 12th century. These churches are very rare and therefore extremely interesting. True to tradition, it is gloomy inside and out and completely unadorned. The neighbouring presbytery houses the Musée Archélologique, with a large collection of Roman memorabilia brought up from the bottom of the sea by local divers. The city's beautiful Romanesque-Byzantine style cathedral, Notre-Dame-de-Victoire, was built in 1884 and is located by the old harbour. Unfortunately, it has been blocked off behind a large pink property complex that has completely ruined the impression of this impressive church.

Inspiration for your holiday:

Attractions:

Quartier du village: The old town centre.

Eglise San Raféu: Templar church from the 12th century.

Notre-Dame-de-Victoire: Cathedral from 1884.

Archaeological Museum

Quartier de la marine: The harbour where fishermen sell fish every morning.

Activities in St-Raphäel

International New Orleans Jazz Festival with thirty bands from all corners of the world.

Women's Week in June, when all sporting and cultural events are exclusively female.

The Paris-St Raphaël car race, the only all-female motor race in Europe.

Art museums

Casino

Golf: There are a multitude of golf courses in the Var department. The French Golf Union has a website where most courses are presented. Unfortunately, the website is in French. Go to Guide de golfs and search here under the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur region: http://www.ffgolf.org/.

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