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Toulon, France © David.Monniaux/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0
Toulon, France © Lubranomaxime/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0
Toulon, FranceToulon is a medium-sized city (15th town of France) between Marseille and Nice. It is in the west of French Riviera and in the southeast of Provence.Toulon, France
Climate
Climate is typical of the South of France. The summers are relatively hot, with temperatures usually higher than 30 °C. June is a hot month but a sudden storm may occur every once in a while. July usually features hot temperatures and blue sky. August may be even hotter, but storms may begin to occur especially after the 15th of the month. Autumns are rainy. Storms *will* occur. Winters are dry. Temperatures don't usually drop sharply under 0 °C, but the wind factor causes a loss in Celsius degrees equal to one less degree per 10 km wind speed, thus with a wind blowing at 50 km/H O°C will feel like minus 5°C.Read more
Destination:Toulon, FranceToulon is a medium-sized city (15th town of France) between Marseille and Nice. It is in the west of French Riviera and in the southeast of Provence.Climate
Climate is typical of the South of France. The summers are relatively hot, with temperatures usually higher than 30 °C. June is a hot month but a sudden storm may occur every once in a while. July usually features hot temperatures and blue sky. August may be even hotter, but storms may begin to occur especially after the 15th of the month. Autumns are rainy. Storms *will* occur. Winters are dry. Temperatures don't usually drop sharply under 0 °C, but the wind factor causes a loss in Celsius degrees equal to one less degree per 10 km wind speed, thus with a wind blowing at 50 km/H O°C will feel like minus 5°C.
Unlike many other towns of France, there is no big river which crosses this city. As a matter of fact, there are no big rivers in the whole department of Var. A few smaller ones in the city are Rivière neuve, Le Las, L'Égoutyer also known as Rivière des amoureux (lover's river for a no apparent reason). All the other rivers are in tunnels under the town, and not visible.History
The history of Toulon dates back three thousand years. The Ligures settled here because of exceptional conditions:- a hill protects the center of the town from the Mistral, a strong wind which blows in the southeast of France (you will experience wind almost every day).
- on the south face of the hill, several sources gush out, which is exceptional in the so dry Provence. The name Toulon is linked to Telona, an ancient Ligurian goddess of sources.
- the hill (named Faron, about 500 m high) enables one to view boats arriving from very far away, especially enemy boats. The name Faron cames from the Greek pharos (English: lighthouse) for this reason. At the top of Faron, there still is a military camp dedicated to communications with submarines.
- the water of the port is very calm because it is protected by a peninsula (Saint-Mandrier) that nearly closes the port as a lagoon. It was possible to watch boats entering the port from there.
During the Middle Ages, Provence was under the coup of lords, before being integrated into the French Kingdom in 1482. During the XVIIIth Century, Toulon became an important military port for France, where boats and sails were being built. A famous convict prison was built. During the French Revolution, Toulon gave support to the monarchy, but Bonaparte (later known as Napoleon the Ist) took back the town. During World War II, Toulon was invaded on November 27th, 1942. The seamen scuttled all the boats so that the Nazis couldn't use them. The town was freed by the Allied Forces on August 25, 1944.
Source:https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Toulon
Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0Toulon, France: Port Information
There are two cruise ports in Toulon.
Smaller cruise ships dock in the center of Toulon. One can easily get to the city's tourist attractions, restaurants, stores, etc. on foot.
Larger cruise ships dock in the port of La Seyne Sur Mer, a small town across the bay. One can get to Toulon on a shuttle bus or ferry.What to see in Toulon, France
Vieille Ville
Vieille Ville (old town) or Basse Ville (lower town) is a historical center of the city. It is located NE of the harbor. As it was built in the Middle Ages, it's a really a maze of narrow streets. A couple of bigger ones, Rue d'Alger and Cours Lafayette, are bordered by numerous shops and crowded every Saturday.- Vieux Port. Visit the old harbor and its promenade. The folk of old Provence, the typical accent of locals, and some wooden boats on the still sea (the folk is better in smaller town along the coast, however). Numerous souvenir shops, coffee shops, and fish restaurants. Also on the port square, you'll see the statue of the Spirit of navigation pointing at the sea, locally known as "cul vers ville" for its buttocks are turned toward the city. For the record, it might interest you to know that the statue was hidden and thought lost, during WWII, until it was found by chance in a local carpenter's shop who returned it to the authorities.
- Place Puget. in the historical center, is the ancient center of the town. There is a fountain built in 1780 with a sculpture of 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.
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Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-la-Seds
near Place Puget (aka Saint Marie de la Seds Cathedral). Built in the XIth century, it has never been finished but widened in 1738. There are numerous paintings of the XVIIIth Century. - Tour de l'horloge. (aka Tour Carrée), a monumental clock at 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.
- The Genius of Navigation (near the City Hall). By Louis-Joseph Daumas, erected in 1847.
- Church of Saint François de Paule. Just between the harbor and the south of Cours Lafeyette. Built in the XVIIIth Century, it is of typical baroque style.
Haute Ville (upper town) is located on the north of the historical center. Most of the buildings and squares there are in the splendor of the late XIXth century style. The major part of Haute Ville was built under the guidance of Georges-Eugène Haussmann (aka "Baron Haussmann", who was later called to build Paris).- Place de la Liberté. (Liberty Plaza in English) This is one of the town's main square with a fountain of "Monument de la Fédération", featuring a very idealized start of the journey of the Statue of Liberty from Toulon to New York on the frigate Isere. In winter, a skating rink is put up for children and there's a picturesque Christmas market featuring a tasting of several specialties from around France during most of December. However, this square may be noisy due to the main boulevard of the town running just along the square.
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Opera of Toulon
, place Victor Hugo (100 m east of the Place de la Liberté), +33 4 94 93 03 76. - The railway station is 100 m northwest of the Place de la Liberté, also of XIXth Century style.
- Musée de la Marine (Naval Museum), place Monsergue (at the entrance of the naval base), +33 4 94 02 02 01. Collections relating the naval history of the town.
- Museum d'Histoire Naturelle (Natural history museum), Boulevard de Strasbourg. An interesting building per se, the museum features wildlife collections. The same building also hosts Bibliothèque municipale (Municipal Library).
- La Tour Royale, pointe de la Mitre, +33 4 94 24 91 00. 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 (+33 4 94 02 06 96), opened May to October. Before being a museum, this boat was dedicated to the transportation of tanks for a landing.
- 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), +33 4 94 92 68 25. 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, +33 4 94 88 08 09.
- Mont-Faron zoo (French: Zoo du Mont-Faron), +33 4 94 88 07 89. It is a center for wild beast reproduction.
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On top of the
Mont-Faron hill
(500 m high), you'll be able to enjoy a birdseye view of the town. If you drive by car, the road is impressive. If you ride up by way of the cable car, the feeling is even more impressive. Several paths allow hikers to walk across the forest and go to/from the museums, the zoo, the cable car, etc. - Alexandre the 1st Garden (French: Jardin Alexandre Ier), at the west of the Municipal Library, the garden opened with entertainment for young children and a bandstand with casual concerts on Sundays.
- Frédéric Mistral Garden (French: Jardin Frédéric Mistral), cours Frédéric Mistral, garden with collections of exotic species. Newlyweds often choose to go there to have their wedding photographs taken, on Saturdays afternoon.
Fort de Brégançon — a summer residence of the President of France, which is located near the town of Bormes-les-Mimosas. Now it can be visited by a prior reservation.What to do in Toulon, France
Events- Jazz in Toulon, annual music festival.
- On July the 14th, Bastille Day is commemorated with a military march on the main boulevards. During the afternoon, there is usually an aircraft show that will be best seen from the beach and, at midnight, fireworks.
- On August the 15th, fireworks at the Saint Louis fort next to the beaches.
The town features several beaches just south of the Mourillon quarter. They were set up in the 1950s 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).- 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 20 km 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.
- RC Toulon — A club with a proud history, the rouge et noir (red and black) are currently a major force in French and European rugby, thanks to a deep-pocketed owner (comic publisher and Toulon native Mourad Boudjellal). Toulon, who play at Stade Mayol in the heart of the city, has assembled an impressive array of international stars, and are currently on an unprecedented streak of three European club championship crowns (2013–2015). Tickets may be hard to come by for some big matches, and the club has recently played one or two major matches a season at either Stade Vélodrome in Marseille or Allianz Riviera in Nice.
What to eat and drink in Toulon, France
Eat
- Le Pascalou, 3 Place À l'Huile, +33 4 94 62 87 02. Fish restaurant in the center.
- Brasserie Le Saint Gabriel, 334 Avenue de la République, +33 4 94 89 14 10. Provençal cuisine.
- Pizzeria La Flambée, 518 Boulevard Bazeilles, +33 4 94 42 12 07. Reasonable prices and good food.
- Le Grand Café de la Rade, 224 Avenue République (in the harbor, facing the statue of the spirit of navigation), +33 4 94 24 87 02. Big coffee shop and restaurant, easy to find. There are really numerous coffee shops and restaurants on the harbor, this is only an example. Mixed reviews.
- Lycée des Métiers de l'Hôtellerie et du Tourisme de Toulon (Toulon's Catering and Tourism School), Rue César Vezzani, +33 4 94 09 70 81 (9h00 - 16h00). lunch Monday to Friday, arrivals 12h00 - 12h30, end 13h45; dinner Tuesday and Thursday, arrivals 19h00 à 19h30, end 22h30; closed during school holidays. This is quite an unusual venue, but they have 2 restaurants where their students are practicing: Le restaurant Provence with menu imposé and Le restaurant Cote d’Azur with the menu a la carte. Great prices and good reviews. There is also Boutique Gourmande (opened 9h-15h) on the ground floor where they sell ready meals, pastries, and bakery.
Drink
- Le Chantilly, 15 place Pierre Puget. A historic brasserie founded in 1907.
Shopping in Toulon, France
- Marché de Provence (traditional market), Cours Lafayette. Every morning except on Mondays. Perhaps the biggest market in the region. You'll find all the local products of the region there.
- Marché des Producteurs (farmers' market), Rue Paul Lendrin (just off Cours Lafayette). Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
Safety in Toulon, France
In general, the city is safe. Nevertheless, you should always use your common sense like in any other place. Pickpocketing, robberies may occur.Language spoken in Toulon, France
French is the official language. English is the main foreign language.
LOCAL TIME
3:45 pmJuly 4, 2022CURRENT WEATHER
27.48 °C / 81.464 °F
sky is clearTue
30.32 °C/87 °F
sky is clearWed
29.17 °C/85 °F
scattered cloudsThu
30.12 °C/86 °F
few cloudsFri
28.19 °C/83 °F
sky is clearLOCAL CURRENCY
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