Toulon, France
May 19 (Monday) - Provence (Toulon), France (9:00-5:00)
Water Taxi in
the Bay of
Toulon
There are water
shuttles between
the harbour of
Toulon, La
Seyne-sur-Mer
and St
Mandrier-sur-Mer.
The crossing
takes around 20
min
The Cruise Ship,
Royal Carribean,
charges 18 Euros
per person fro a
round trip to
the town of
Toulon.
You can easil y
get a water taxi
for 4 Euros per
person for a
round trip to
the same
destination.
When you get off
the ship there
is a tourist
information
building that
can direct you
to where the
water taxis are.
It is a 5-10
minute walk to
the taxi.
In Toulon ther
is an incredible
outdoor market
and lots of
restaurants.
Mt Feron
farnicular was
closed due to
high winds.
Toulon, France Port | Map | Locations
Key Attractions:
La Seyne, Mount Faron, Provencal
Markets, Cours Lafayette,
Aircraft
Carrier-Charles de Gaulle,
Submarine Fleet, Naval Museum,
Bonneaux, Gordes, Verdon Park,
Aix-en-Provence, Cours Mirabeau,
Avignon,
Palace of the Popes,
St-Tropez,
Bandol, Le Castellet,
Marseilles,
Verdon Park
and Canyon,
Cassis, Calanques
Toulon is the 3rd largest city
on the French Mediterranean
coast and the home to the French
Mediterranean fleet. For
naval history buffs it is a
wonderful destination. For
others it is a less congested
destination than other regional
ports and offers easy access to
the interior of Provence and the
legendary Cote d'Azur.
The city's
old town is a pedestrian area
that features the scenic squares
with historic fountains,
shopping, restaurants and the
Cathedral, begun in the 11th
Century and completed in the
18th. For a great view of
Toulon, its harbor and the fleet
take the cable car up Mount
Faron. Baron Haussmann built
many majestic buildings in the
upper town during the 19th
Century including the city's
Opera House.
Historical center
This part of the town was built in the Middle ages. It is called
vieille ville (English: old town) because of its age or basse
ville (English: low town) because it is the lowest point of the
town except the sea). The historical center is located just
north of the harbour. You'll see very small intricate streets.
Specially recommended wide streets are the Algiers and Lafayette
streets (French: Rue d'Alger and Cours Lafayette). These two are
bordered by numerous shops and crowded every Saturday. Other
small streets feature only old-looking buildings.
Tour de l'horloge, a monumental clock a the entry of the naval
base (at the west of the port), formerly used to ring at the
beginning and at the end of the working day.
Just between the harbour and the south of Cours Lafeyette,
you'll see the Louis Blanc place with Saint François de Paule
church. Built in the XVIIIth Century, it is of typical baroque
style.
Traditional markets of Provence, every morning on Cours
Lafayette except on Mondays. You'll find all local products of
the region there. There are also other smaller markets.
Place Puget,
in the historical center, is the ancient center of the town.
You'll find a fountain built in 1780. The sculpture showed three
dolphins, now completely covered by ivy. You'll enjoy staying in
the shade of this place, at a coffee shop, during a hot
afternoon.
The Saint Marie de la Seds Cathedral is near Place Puget. Built
in the XIth century, it has never been finished, but widened in
1738. There are numerous paintings of the XVIIIth Century.
The new town
Also called Haute ville (English: high town) by contrast with
basse ville, because it was built in a higher part of the town.
It was located at the north of the historical center, in the
XIXth Century, by the baron Haussmann (who was later called to
build Paris). Numerous buildings and places are in late XIXth
Century style.
Place de la
liberté (English: Liberty plaza). This is one of the town's main
square. There's a nice statue in a fountain. In winter, a
skating rink is put up for children and there's a picturesque
Christmas market featuring tasting of several specialties from
around France during most of December. However this sqaure may
be noisy due to the main boulevard of the town running just
along the square.
Museums and places of interest
The town features several beaches just south of the Mourillon
quarter. They were set up in the 1950's to develop tourism. More
beautiful beaches may be found elsewhere on the coast. In any
location, you should be prepared to crowd on the beach. The
beaches of Toulon are associated to a park with entertainment
for children of all ages. At the east of the town, the Cap Brun
and Anse Magaud beaches are more isolated, far less crowded, but
more difficult to reach (need to climb a little).
Take the cable car (French: téléphérique) to go to the Mont-Faron
Hill. Téléphérique du Mont-Faron, boulevard Amiral Vence (or bus
40, stop at téléphérique).
It gives direct access to the Memorial Museum of landing in
Provence.
Memorial Museum of landing in Provence (French: Musée-Mémorial
du débarquement), top of Mont-Faron.
Bibliothèque municipale et Museum d'histoire naturelle (English:
Municipal Library and Museum), Boulevard de Strasbourg. As a
building, the library is worth seeing. The museum features wild
life collections.
The Navy Museum (French: Musée de la Marine, place Monsergue (at
the entrance of the naval base).
Collections relating the naval history of the town.
The Museum of Tour Royale, pointe de la Mitre.
The Tour Royale, one of the numerous forts of Toulon, was built
in 1514 by the king Louis XII. Later, it was used as a prison,
now opened for visits. It also features a naval exposition.
The Boat-Museum named La Dives, pointe de la Mitre,
opened May to October. Before being a museum, this boat was
dedicated to the transportation of tanks for a landing.
Beaches
Beautiful beaches may be found in the small towns around Toulon.
The following ones seem to be specially recommended.
Les Sablettes in la Seyne sur Mer.
L'Argentière,
in the town of La Londe-les-Maures (30 km east of Toulon).
La Capte, near Hyères (15 km east of Toulon). The bottom is of
pure sand (no seaweed) and the depth increases very very slowly.
St Cyr sur Mer some 20kms west of Toulon features a long sandy
beach, perfect for families and kitesurfers. There too the
seabed drops rather slowly, enabling one to reach way out into
the water.