Toulon to Riviera

[SeansMommy]

On the Royal in July, hubby and i. (Mid 40's) is going to French Riviera do-able? We are in port 9:00 to 5:00, if so how do we get there?

[Hlitner]

On the Royal in July, hubby and i. (Mid 40's) is going to French Riviera do-able? We are in port 9:00 to 5:00, if so how do we get there?

 

Guess my question would be where on the Riviera? But yes, its possible to use the trains to get to places as far as Nice (or even further) but you would be talking about nearly 4 hours round trip to Nice. Cannes would be about an hour closer.... One needs to give a lot of thought to travel time and schedules before going off on your own. There are some nice places in Provence that are closer.

 

Hank

[SeansMommy]

Hank, open to suggestions. And what about St. tropez?

[Hlitner]

Hank, open to suggestions. And what about St. tropez?

 

We are not big fans of St Tropez which we see as merely a "has-been" sea resort community. It is hard to make recommendations unless we have an idea what you are looking for.....but when it comes to cities Aix en Provence would be higher on our list. We have been outspoken in our dislike of Toulon as a port (we prefer the location of Marseille) because its location just puts it a bit far from most of the best places.

 

Hank

[marazul]

Technically, the French Riviera is the coast from Nice to Menton on the Italian border. Practically, it is the coast from Marseille to Menton. The question is what's your idea of the Riviera and what would you like to see? I agree with Hank that Aix-en-Provence would be a great excursion. However, if you are thinking of beaches and quaint towns on the sea, you could rent a car and drive West to Bandol (20 minutes) and then a further 30 minutes to Cassis. In Cassis you can take small tour boats that take you to see the Calanques. There are great restaurants to eat on the shore in both towns. Bandol is famous for red and rose wines and Cassis for whites.

http://www.provenceweb.fr/f/var/bandol/bandol.htm

http://www.provenceweb.fr/f/bouches/cassis/cassis.htm

 

Aother interesting alternative would be to go East to Hyeres (25 minutes) and then to Giens (20 minutes) and take the little ferry (20 minutes and frequent crossings) to the island of Porquerolles. Or simply get the ferry from Toulon to Porquerolles they run in the summer, but better check on that. http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/var/porquerolles/porquerolles.htm

http://www.porquerolles-france.com/

 

We use http://www.autoeurope.com. They usually have summer specials.

[SeansMommy]

We are not big fans of St Tropez which we see as merely a "has-been" sea resort community. It is hard to make recommendations unless we have an idea what you are looking for.....but when it comes to cities Aix en Provence would be higher on our list. We have been outspoken in our dislike of Toulon as a port (we prefer the location of Marseille) because its location just puts it a bit far from most of the best places.

 

Hank

 

okay Aix it is, open to tour suggestions if you have any.

[Hlitner]

Agree with Marazul that Bandol is an OK place for a beach day.... if one likes European beaches (we are generally unimpressed with the quality of the sand and surf). Regarding Tours to Aix, we admit to having an anti-tour bias. Aix is a charming Provencial city that can best be explored on foot. If you simply Google the city you will be able to get all kinds of lists of places to see and some walking tour routes. We would never go to Aix without having a long lunch along the Cours Mirabeau in one of the cute cafes (if the weather is good you can eat outdoors).

 

But getting to Aix from Toulon does have logistical issues if done on your own. There are some trains, but the trip takes at least 1 1/2 hours each way with at least one train change and the cost can be about 40 Euros per person. It is actually faster to simply rent a car and drive (we can make the journey in about an hour) and if you share a car with another couple the cost should be no more then 30 Euros per person (including gas). We are big proponents of having a rental car in France (and Italy) but understand that many of our fellow Americans have some hesitation driving in Europe.

 

And by the way. Since Marazul tossed the seaside town of Bandol in the mix....it turns out that if you drive between Toulon and Aix.....you would go right by Bandol. So this could be a situation where you grab an early rental car, drive straight to Aix...and then if you have the time you can also stop at Bandol during the return drive.

 

Hank