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Vidalumi

France

Toulon/Provence (La Seyne), France

Toulon, France: France's Main Naval Base in the Heart of Provence

Toulon, the capital of the Var, lies between Marseille and Nice on one of the largest natural harbors in Europe, sheltered by the Saint-Mandrier peninsula and backed by Mont Faron. The wind blows here almost every day, so take a layer for the boat crossing and the hilltop.

Port traffic
QuietNext 30 days

Good to know

Overview

Cruise ships berth either at the cruise terminal in La Seyne-sur-Mer, on the western shore of Toulon's inner harbor, or in Toulon's old port, and your cruise line confirms which before the call. From La Seyne, boat-buses of the city transit network cross the harbor to the Station Maritime on Toulon's waterfront, and they are quicker than the road buses at busy times.

  • Toulon's old town, a pedestrian area of narrow medieval streets, starts behind the waterfront.
  • The harbor is also France's largest naval base.
  • France uses the euro.

Toulon on Your Own

An independent day in Toulon is simple: cross the harbor by boat-bus if you berth at La Seyne, walk the old town and its market, and take the cable car up Mont Faron if the weather is clear. Keep an eye on the boat-bus times for the return to your berth.

  • From the terminal: Ask your ship how passengers reach the boat-bus landing at La Seyne.
  • The old town: The Provençal market fills the Cours Lafayette on most mornings, and the cathedral stands near the Place Puget, whose fountain dates from 1780.
  • The naval museum: The Musée national de la Marine, on Place Monsenergue on the west side of the old port, is entered through the arsenal's gate of 1738.
  • Mont Faron: The cable car climbs to the top of the 584-meter hill in about six minutes; bus line 40 stops near the lower station, or it is about 40 minutes on foot from Place de la Liberté. The cable car usually closes for maintenance from mid-November to the February school holidays, and on days of high fire risk the last ride up leaves at 5:30 p.m.; check before you go.
  • Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.

Getting Around

Toulon's buses and harbor boat-buses are run together by the Réseau Mistral network, and all the boat lines meet at the Station Maritime in Toulon. Les Sablettes, and Saint-Mandrier on the peninsula that closes the harbor, can also be reached by boat at city transit fares.

  • The boat-buses run all year, except in exceptional weather.
  • In summer, boats run more often to cope with visitors.
  • Toulon's railway station is near the Place de la Liberté in the upper town; Marseille is about 65 km west.
  • Bus line 40 serves the Mont Faron cable car.

Where to Eat

Most of Toulon's cafés and restaurants are along the port on the Quai Cronstadt and in the Mourillon district by the beaches. For a taste of the city itself, look in the Cours Lafayette market for two local specialties.

  • Cade is a flatbread of chickpea flour, a local cousin of Nice's socca, sold around Toulon and Hyères.
  • Chichi frégi is a fried dough snack sold at the market.
  • The market on the Cours Lafayette sells the produce of Provence.

Tipping in France

Tipping is not expected in France, because the cost of service is included in menu prices by law.

  • Anyone who wants to tip after good service usually just rounds up the bill.

Culture & Customs

Toulon is first of all a navy town: the French Mediterranean fleet and the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle are based here. Its old town is a place of small squares and fountains, and the upper town was laid out in the 19th century by Georges-Eugène Haussmann, before his rebuilding of Paris.

  • The fountains of the old town were first built in the late 17th century, and many have been restored.
  • The Genius of Navigation, a statue of 1847 on the waterfront, has a local nickname because it turns its back on the town.
  • The Place de la Liberté, in the upper town, is one of the city's main squares, with the opera house nearby.
  • Toulon Cathedral, Notre-Dame-de-la-Seds, stands in the old town near the Place Puget.

A Brief History

Toulon's harbor, sheltered by the Saint-Mandrier peninsula, made it a naval town from early on, and France's kings built it into their great Mediterranean arsenal. The 20th century brought the scuttling of the fleet in 1942 and Allied bombing that destroyed much of the port.

  • Roman times: The Roman settlement of Telo Martius was one of two imperial dye works making purple from the murex sea snail.
  • 1480s to 1524: Provence passed to France, Charles VIII began a military port here in 1494, and François I completed the Tour Royale at the harbor entrance in 1524.
  • 1543: As part of an alliance against the Holy Roman Empire, the Ottoman fleet of Barbarossa spent the winter in Toulon, and most residents had to leave the town.
  • From 1660s: Under Louis XIV, Colbert ordered Vauban to build a new arsenal and fortify the town.
  • 1720: Plague from Marseille killed about half the population.
  • 1793: The city's rebel administration handed the city and its fleet to the British; the Republic's siege drove them out, with the young artillery captain Napoleon Bonaparte among the besiegers.
  • 1942: On November 27, as German forces moved to seize it, the French navy scuttled its fleet in the harbor.
  • 1944: After the Allied landings in Provence in August, Toulon was freed later that month.
  • Where to learn more: The Musée national de la Marine, on Place Monsenergue, traces the arsenal from Louis XIV to the aircraft carriers, and the Memorial to the Landings in Provence on Mont Faron covers 1944.

For Families

Families can mix a beach morning with a cable-car ride and a boat-bus trip across the harbor.

  • Younger children: The four sheltered coves at Mourillon have sand, restaurants, deckchairs for hire and games for children.
  • School age: Ride the cable car up Mont Faron, then visit the Memorial to the Landings in Provence near the top station, with photos, weapons and models from 1944. The big-cat breeding center on the hill is about 25 minutes' walk from the top station and closes on rainy days.
  • Teenagers: The naval museum's large 18th-century ship models and its galleries on galleys and submarines suit older children.

Accessibility & Mobility

Mont Faron's cable car has lifts at the lower station and at the exit on the Faron road, and the viewing terraces at the top are step-free. The old town's medieval streets are narrow, though mostly pedestrian.

  • Tactile paving leads to the lower cable-car station for visitors with sight loss.
  • The bus 40 stop at the cable car may not let a wheelchair user get off without help.
  • At the top, a reserved parking space for disabled visitors has a path straight to the terraces.
  • Ask your ship about the gangway and about getting from your berth to the boat-bus landing.

Shopping in Toulon/Provence

Toulon's old town is its shopping district, a mostly pedestrian maze where the Rue d'Alger and the Cours Lafayette are the busiest streets. The market on the Cours Lafayette is the place for Provençal produce.

  • The upper town's 19th-century buildings include the store now occupied by Galeries Lafayette.
  • The old-town streets are at their busiest on Saturdays.

Beaches

Toulon's own beaches are at Mourillon, east of the center, where the city built a row of sheltered coves with sand brought in. On the La Seyne side, the beach at Les Sablettes can be reached by boat-bus.

  • The Mourillon coves have restaurants, deckchair hire and play areas for children.
  • Two small beaches by the Tour Royale, Pipady and La Mitre, have lifeguards in summer.
  • Les Sablettes beach lines the isthmus joining the Saint-Mandrier peninsula to the mainland.

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