Toulon

Toulon is the capital of the Var department and France's largest Mediterranean naval port. Toulon is beautifully situated in a fine natural harbour surrounded by hillsides midway between Marseille and St-Tropez. Provacances offers holiday homes in the nearby seaside resorts of La Seyne-sur-Mer, Sanary-sur-Mer and Carquieranne. The coastline around Toulon offers fine sandy beaches and all kinds of water activities.

Toulon is not really very interesting, but the old town, La Cité, or basse ville as it is also known, offers a labyrinth of narrow, winding streets, covered passages, charming squares such as Place Puget, Place Trois Dauphine and Camille Ledeau, with cosy cafés, restaurants and old fountains. The old town also offers several fine little shops, and in the morning, fish, vegetables and flowers are sold from stalls in Cours Lafayette.

Place Victor Hugo is home to a beautiful theatre and opera house and to the south, a network of alleyways leads down to the harbour. Unfortunately. This entire neighbourhood was destroyed during World War II and the houses that were built after the war were constructed during a period of poor building materials.

The main attraction can be found outside the city centre. From the suburb of Super Toulon there is a cable car to the top of Mont Faron with the Tour Beaumont fortress, converted into a memorial hall for the liberators of the city in 1944. You can also drive up here, but the greatest experience is undoubtedly the cable car ride. The view from the top is absolutely breathtaking.

 

Inspiration for your holiday:

Attractions:

The old town, La Cité.

Mont Faron with the Tour Beaumont fortress.

A large theatre and opera house.

Cathédrale Ste-Marie-Majeure: the city's 11th-century cathedral, renovated in classical style in the 17th century and extended. The church houses several works by Puget and Jean Baptiste Van Loo (1684-1745) and a beautiful baroque altar.

Musée de la Marine: The very fine entrance to the museum is decorated with impressive statues of Mars and Bellona. There are two enormous 18th-century model galleons that used to serve as training ships, a model of Barbarossa's galley, a ship's prow and figureheads and two wooden figures carved by Pierre Puget.

Musée d'Art de Toulon: Art museum that includes a permanent collection of traditional and modern Provençal painting. The first floor of the museum houses various exhibitions mainly featuring works by international artists.

Musée du Vieux Toulon: Concentrates mainly on the young Napoleon and his efforts to defend Toulon. There are also several old weapons and a number of historical sketches of the Puget.

Activities in Toulon

Walking and hiking in the area - along the coast and in the hinterland.

Fine bathing beaches.

Climbing: The stunning rocky coves, les calanques, at Cassis attract a sea of climbers from all over Europe every year. You can either start from easily accessible places where you have walked or driven out, or directly from the water. In many places the cliffs rise vertically from the sea up to a height of 240 metres. Climbers starting from the sea are taken out by small boats from Cassis harbour or dropped off from the navettes - tourist boats.

Golf: There is a wealth 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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