Europe › France

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

61 photographs · 13 venues

Photographs

Places worth going

Bormes-les-MimosasDon't missTownsProper hilltop Provençal village: narrow lanes, flowers over everything, views down to the sea. Small enough to do in an hour, and worth stopping for if you're driving the coast.CassisDon't missTownsGorgeous little port town and the natural base for the calanques. Park above and walk down; the boats for En-Vau and Port-Miou go from the harbour. Give it a full afternoon if you can.Giens PeninsulaDon't missOutdoorsThe drive out to Giens is lovely on its own, salt flats one side, sea the other. It's also where the Porquerolles boats go from, so you'll probably end up here anyway. Windy, always!Le PanierDon't missTownsBest hour on foot in Marseille! It's the old quarter above the Vieux-Port, all steep lanes, pastel walls and pale blue shutters, with washing hanging out of the windows. It gets quiet as soon as you climb away from the main drag.Notre-Dame de la GardeDon't missLandmarksGo for the view. The whole city is laid out below you, with the Frioul islands and the Château d'If out in the bay and the coast running off both ways. I didn't go inside the basilica, didn't need to. Fair warning: I drove up and it's a set of very narrow, very steep switchbacks, so take the bus if you'd rather not deal with that.Old Port of MarseilleDon't missTownsThe heart of Marseille and where everything else runs off from. Masts and superyachts side by side, the fish market at the top end in the morning, and the whole thing glitters in the afternoon light. Walk the full length of it at least once; you'll end up back here anyway.Parc national des CalanquesDon't missOutdoorsI chose not to hike it and took a boat trip instead. Seeing five or six calanques for not much money was so worth it! From the water you get the full height of the white cliffs with the pines somehow growing straight out of them, and right at the head of En-Vau there's a little beach you can see the swimmers on. If you do the walk, pack plenty of water and food, because there's nothing but nature when you get there.Passion Med - Catamaran Var - Excursion et privatisation bateau vers PorquerollesDon't missActivitiesBest day of the Provence leg! Half a day out of Giens on the catamaran, anchoring off Porquerolles to swim and snorkel, and the crew were great company. You see the island from the water rather than going ashore, which honestly was the better way to do it - would absolutely do it again.PorquerollesDon't missOutdoorsI saw it from the water rather than landing, out on the catamaran with Passion Med, anchored off the beaches to swim. Even from the boat it's stunning: pine right down to the sand, and water that really is that colour. Worth knowing the boat timetables are awkward if you want to go ashore. The last one back leaves before sunset, so for an evening there you'd need to stay the night.Restaurant La CabaneDon't missFood & drinkHad the razor clams in parsley butter with a chorizo crumb, the linguine in truffle cream with burrata and a parmesan crumble, and the fillet of sea bream in an aioli crust with crushed potatoes, with a rosé. The razor clams with chorizo were excellent, the linguine was the one I kept going back to - truffle cream, a whole burrata melting into it, the crumble for crunch - and the dorade under an aioli crust was better than it sounds. Outside tables, rosé, right by the water - exactly what you want in Hyères.Castle of Châteauneuf-du-PapeWorth a stopLandmarksI went purely for the name! It's the ruin of the popes' summer castle and there's not much left of it, but you're up above the vineyards with the Rhône valley spread out below, and on a clear day you can see for miles. Really nice if you like a good red. If it's on the way, definitely stop by.MarseilleWorth a stopTownsRougher round the edges than the rest of the south and much more interesting for it! Give it a couple of days rather than a stop. The Vieux-Port, Le Panier and Notre-Dame de la Garde are the obvious three, and the calanques start where the city ends. Driving here is insane though: narrow streets, scooters everywhere and nobody indicating. Park it and walk, or use the metro.V.I.Pizz HyèresWorth a stopFood & drinkHad a pizza, the chicken Caesar and a bowl of hand-cut fries. The pizza was amazing, and the Caesar was really good too - proper chips and a good sized salad. Exactly what you want on a night you don't feel like going out. Handy if you're staying nearby in Hyères.