Best Day Trips from Toulon France
We have just returned from several weeks in Toulon (November 2024). Our information is accurate, up to date and from our personal experience. As experienced travelers we know what to search out for fellow travelers. While in Toulon we took several easy to do day trips from Toulon France . We went to the beach communities of Les Sablettes and Saint-Mandrier.
On another day we visited Hyères, a small historic city closeby.
Where are Les Sablettes and Saint-Mandrier
Les Sablettes is a small town between La Seyne-sur-Mer and Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, all on an isthmus on the southside of Toulon Harbour. Les Sablettes is well known for its wonderful beaches. Actually there are beaches all along the peninsula. All three are just a short ferry ride from Toulon.
Map of Les Sablettes and Saint-Mandrier
History of Les Sablettes and Saint-Mandrier
Les Sablettes was established as a resort in the 1880s with the building of a luxury hotel there. It was bombed by the Allies in 1944. rebuilding took place from 1950 to 1953. It is now a well known resort for locals and tourists.
Saint-Mandrier was once a single island in the middle ages. It became fully joined to the peninsula in the 17th century. The municipality came into being in modern times, 1950.
La Seyne-sur-Mer has 500 years of renowned ship building. Shipbuilding came to an end in 1986.
Why Visit Les Sablettes
Three reasons why to visit Les Sablettes – the beach, the beach, the beach! In addition you can find some watersports such as paddle boarding, windsurfing and gentle surfing. Restaurants and bars are close.
Why Visit Saint-Mandrier sur Mer
You can enjoy an outstanding harbour with seaside restaurants and bars. Climb a narrow upward trail to see the Franco-Italian graveyard with its unusual pyramidal tomb overlooking the harbour.
Things to do on One of Your Day Trips from Toulon France in Les Sablettes
Les Sablettes Information Centre
As you exit the ferry keep to the right. The Information Centre is about 200 yards in that direction. Here you can get maps, directions and good advice on what is going on at the moment.
The Beach
We strolled the main attraction in Las Sablettes – the beach, over 1km in length. Even in late October kids were surfing, people relaxing and swimming, people enjoying the seaside restaurants and bars. The main beach at Les Sablettes is designated as a Blue Flag beach for the purity and clarity of the water. The lifeguard station is open from 10am to 6:30pm during the tourist season. We will return on a sunny warm day on another of our day trips from Toulon.
Bars and Restaurants
This menu board from one of the restaurants by the beach gives the choices for breakfast. We had the Mediterranée, a typical French breakfast (and the cheapest) – hot drink (espresso), orange juice and a croissant. This is one of the few places we saw eggs on the menu – English breakfast. There were several restaurants and bars along the 1 km beach.
Visit a Theme Park
This is a small theme park in Les Sablettes – open in the afternoon and evening. We did not try it.
Scuba Diving at Les Deux Frères
Les Frères are the large rocks seen in the distance from the beach at Les Sablettes. Scuba diving here is worth the effort – gorgonians and groupers, wrecks and drop offs made exceptional by the clarity of the water. There are several dive centres in the area.
A number of legends surround Les Deux Frères. Here is one: 2 brothers found a wounded mermaid on the beach at Les Sablettes one evening. They nursed her back to health and fell madly in love with her. In their passionate madness, they killed each other. Before returning to the sea the mermaid begged Poseidon for a visible memory of their passion. Poseidon then erected the 2 rocks.
Check out the Real Estate on Les Sablettes
This is a luxury apartment, Villa Capricio, seen from the ferry as we approach the harbour of Les Sablettes. 2 floors, 6 rooms, 4 bathrooms. It was built in 1905 and recently renovated. There are commercial establishments below. This apartment is a steal at 3,500,000€ unfurnished. But wait, there are many other accommodations in a more moderate price range – 1 and 2 bedroom condos overlooking the water and beach are plentiful.
Things to do on One of Your Day Trips from Toulon France in Saint-Mandrier
Saint-Mandrier Information Centre
We walked from Les Sablettes to Saint-Mandrier – a pleasant walk of about 40 min. Buses run along the main road every 30 min or so and your weekly bus pass is valid here. The Information Centre at Saint-Madrier is within sight of the ferry dock – to the right as you disembark. Here, there are maps and suggestions for sights and activities.
Beaches
There are a number of beaches at Saint-Mandrier. On the south side away from the port you can try Plage de Grave and Plage de la Coudoulière. On the north side out from the port 3 more beaches – Plage du Canon, Plage du Touring and Plage de la Vieille.
Hiking
There are many hiking trails at Saint-Mandrier. They are for all interests and all levels of ability. Maps are available at the Information Centre. We took the narrow upward winding trail to the military cemetery.
Port of Saint-Mandrier
One of the best things to do here is to stroll around this wonderful port. We did and found much to see. There are personal sailing yachts, naval vessels and fishing boats. The fishing boats return in the morning and their overnight catches fill the stalls nearby.
Franco-Italian Cemetery
Not far behind the Information Centre there is a poorly marked trail along the side of the military complex (no public entry). This is a narrow stony trail up the steep hill. It took us 25 minutes to reach the top. Very nice views along the way. At the top we came upon the Military Cemetery which displayed a large pyramid recognizing the marine officers who died from 1670-1935 in the local Maritime Hospital. The cemetery received the remains of 975 Italian soldiers killed by the Allies in World War II. The cemetery also features the remains of Admiral Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville, who served as commander of the naval forces in the Mediterranean under Napoleon.
The hike is well worth the effort.
Where to Eat in Saint-Mandrier
There are a number of restaurants and bars around the port at Saint-Mandrier. This is a good area to sample seaside Provencal cuisine. Our recommendation is Le Calypso – we had a wonderful lunch with wine (of course) and sat at their covered section across the street overlooking the water. Price was moderate but great value for the meal we shared.
Tour Royale
Tour Royale as we saw from the ferry from Saint-Mandrier to Toulon on one of our day trips from Toulon. The tower was built in the 16th century to protect the entrance to the naval harbour. Tourists can get to it by land in the Mitre section of Mourillon and then climb the tower. Read about the extensive and interesting history of the Tower when you visit.
How to Get to Les Sablettes and Saint-Mandrier
Ferries run every 30-40 minutes from the port to both destinations. You can use your weekly bus pass for no extra cost. The ferries take about 20 minutes to each place separately. There are a number of local ferries so be sure you pick the correct destination. Check costs and ferry schedules here.
You can also drive from Toulon since both destinations are on a peninsula. However the easiest way is to use the ferry
Day Trips from Toulon France – Hyères
Where is Hyères
Hyères is a small French city east of Toulon. Population here is about 55,000. The main part of the city is hillside. There are large salt marshes near the Mediterranean and a resort community by the sea. There are several offshore islands. We travelled from Toulon by bus and spent the day here. One of several easy day trips from Toulon.
Map of Hyères
History of Hyères
The area was visited by the Greeks in the 4th century BCE. Documents from 963CE mention the name Eyras (from the Latin) which became Hyères over time. Later Romans once occupied the town, then the Knights Templar. The salt marshes were a source of wealth for the town in the Middle Ages. The town’s warm weather attracted the wealthy. Catherine de Medici stayed here in 1564 because of the sub tropical climate. Hyères is the original resort community along the Côte d’Azur.
Why Visit Hyères
Experience 2400 years of history. Everywhere we turned in Hyères we faced historical buildings, places where history occurred or remnants of culture from earlier times. On the coast there are wonderful beaches and even offshore islands. Lots of activities around the seaside. Hyères is known for its unique Provencal dishes.
This was one of our day trips from Toulon. We spent a full day here and just managed to see most of the Old Town area. We would’ve preferred to stay for 3 days to fully experience all Hyères has to offer.
Map of Old Town Hyères
Things to do on One of Your Day Trips from Toulon France in Hyères
Tourist Information Centre
The Office of Tourism Hyères is at the corner of Av de Belgique and Av Marechal Foch. Whether you are driving, taking the train or bus, it is easy to find – use your mobile for directions. The staff gave us some excellent maps for self guided walking tours. We followed the 2 tours, each of different sections of the Old Town. We took our time and used the whole day. Best thing to do if you only have 1 day.
Following is a selection of stops along the self guided tours of about 30 sites.
Don’t want to walk on the self guided tour – then rent a bike
Rent your bike here
Statue of Charles 1st d’Anjou
It was during the reign of Charles I of Anjou (1246-1285) that a fortified enclosure was built which included walls supported by the ramparts of the castle, nine towers and five gates.
Sainte-Marie des Anges
This is a convalescent home for Franciscan nuns
Godillot Stables and Riding Ring
I am standing in front of the former stables built for the wealth French industrialist Alexis Godillot. Godillot was a designer and industrialist. He changed footwear from being identical on both feet, to having a right foot and left foot. He also designed the curvature of the insole at the arch of the foot. His design for military boots is still used today. This place is now an upscale residence.
Villa Saint-Hubert (aka Villa Godillot)
The Villa Saint-Hubert was built at the end of the 19th century and was once home to Alexis Godillot
Anglican Church
This was consecrated in 1884 and was built because of the significant number of people from Britain wintering in Hyères. We were very surprised to come across an Anglican church in France on one of our day trips from Toulon.
Église Saint-Louis
Église Saint-Louis dates to the 13th century and has since had improvements through the years – the organ dates to 1879 and the stained glass windows to the 19th century. We wandered into it and spent some quiet time away from the busy plaza outside.
Porte Massillon
We passed through the Massillon gate dating from the 14th century. It was once the main city gate. One of its two watchtowers (not shown) are still in existence. We discovered interesting shops and small restaurants when we passed through.
La Taverne Royale
The Taverne Royal is designed as a medieval restaurant. Although it was closed when we visited we peeked inside to see. The menu posted outside featured fois gras from an original recipe and a fish bouilllabaisse combination for about 80€ for 2. We will visit here again on one of our next day trips from Toulon France.
Porte Barruc
Porte Barruc is one of 5 gates protecting the residents near the 13th century castle until the Middle Ages. Porte Barruc is the only surviving gate from the inner walls. We were amazed to walk through another of the ancient gates – this one after a steep climb.
More Sites to Visit
We have only selected a sample of the historic sites of Hyères. Some others not to be missed include The Castle from the 11th century overlooking Hyères, Villa Noailles, Romanesques House, Tour des Templiers, and Place Portalet.
We did not have time to visit the seaside part of Hyères, the salt marshes, resort areas and the offshore islands. We will have to leave these for our next trip.
Wander along Av de Belgique
As we wandered along Av de Belgique looking for a suitable restaurant these 2 street troubadours were providing music for all.
How to get to Hyères
We took the #39 bus from Av Republique near the Information Office in Toulon. Be sure to get off at the Jean Jaurès stop in Hyères. Facing away from the bus go to Av Marechal Foch and turn right. The Tourist Information Centre is at the end of the block on the righthand side.
The trip takes about 45 min. Use your weekly bus pass for a return ride. Bus schedules and costs here
From Toulon it is easy and convenient to drive. Take A57, then A570 into Hyères. The trip takes 20-30 min depending on traffic. Lots of city signs directing to the Tourist Information Centre.
One can aways take a train from Gare Toulon to Gare Hyères. Check rates and schedules here. Once in Gare Hyères the walk to the Tourist Information Centre is about 35-40 min. Take an uber!
Conclusion
We thoroughly enjoyed the day trips from Toulon. They were easy to take and were all included with our weekly bus pass. Les Sablettes and Saint-Mandrier were interesting and relaxing. The warm weather made our exploration a pleasant activity. Discovering all the history at Hyères was stimulating. Our one regret was that we needed more time, maybe 3 days.
Where to Stay in Hyères France
For accommodation in Hyères click here
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