Discover the Var and its treasures
Discover the Var and its treasures with our ideas for visits to La Londe-les-Maures and the surrounding area.
Entre villes côtières, sites naturels et itinéraires incontournables, explorez une région riche et envoûtante depuis le camping dans le Var.
The Maures in the background… the sea on the horizon…
The most beautiful towns to visit around La Londe-les-Maures
The port of Grimaud, France’s Little Venice, a lakeside village, is a listed 20th-century heritage site.
Before 1966, the bottom of the gulf was a swamp. In that year, François Spoerry (designer of the Tour d’Europe in Mulhouse), who died in 1999, set about creating what would become Port-Grimaud today.
More than 2,400 homes (including 1,100 single-family homes), over 2,000 boat spaces, 7 km of canals and 12 km of quays make up Port-Grimaud.
The 90-hectare site welcomes some 500,0000 visitors a year (around 100th place for tourist sites with free access).
France’s most visited website in 2000.
Tourtour
Tourtour, a village in the Haut Var region of France, overlooks a beautiful part of Provence.
Its architecture and environment have been preserved. Its main square is spacious and welcoming, and its narrow streets open onto an exceptional panorama.
Away from the main roads, Tourtour is a charming place to stay thanks to its lush green surroundings, the springs that feed the village’s eight fountains and the paddlewheel of the old oil mill, still in operation today.
The church of Saint-Denis, the two castles with their benevolent towers, the maze of narrow streets and flower-filled squares all evoke a rich medieval past. But Tourtour remains a lively village that has managed to preserve the balance between a rural way of life and a desire to be open and welcoming: thanks to its population, Tourtour already has a European vocation.
Source: TOURTOUR tourist office
Saint-Tropez
An international tourist capital that has become a myth, Saint-Tropez has contributed to the Côte d’Azur’s renown.
In St Tropez, everything is famous and celebrated:
- Beaches: Bouillabaisse, Caneliers, Salins, Pampelonne…there are around forty on the peninsula.
- The Place des Lices, where under the plane trees, pétanque matches take place, mixing show business stars and local celebrities wearing the famous “Tropéziennes” leather sandals and sipping Pastis at aperitif time.
St Tropez became St Trop in 1950, when the Parisian artistic and intellectual world, enchanted by the charm of the little port, would descend on St Trop for the summer. Sagan, Picasso, Prévert and many others crossed paths on the harbor. The myth grew stronger with the arrival of Brigitte Bardot in the 60s, and she has been living here for over 20 years.
Since then, St Tropez has become one of the favorite places to stay and relax for Parisian socialites and the international Jet Set.
Cassis
Cassis is a tourist town in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, about 20 km east of Marseille. Famous for its cliffs and calanques, it is also famous for the Cassis wines (white and rosé) produced in the region.
Cap Canaille, located between Cassis and La Ciotat, is Europe’s highest sea cliff. It rises to 394 meters. Cassis has 11 km of coastline and 2 listed sites: the Calanques massif since 1975 and Cap Canaille since 1989. You can admire these two sites, as well as the town, from the top of the Route des Crêtes linking Cassis to La Ciotat.
Cassis stone is a high-quality, orange-colored limestone that was once used in the streets of Marseille for public works due to its extreme strength. It was also used for the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York. This limestone owes its color to the presence of iron oxides. This characteristic makes it a sought-after mineral for sculpture.
The quarrying of Cassis stone dates back to Antiquity. Over the centuries, several quarries were opened, then abandoned. Today, tourism is Cassis’ main source of wealth.
Must-sees
The Gorges du Verdon is a unique site in Europe, crossed by the river Verdon.
Situated in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region, straddling the Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departments and just two hours from Marseille, the Verdon is a land of a thousand colors and scents, with its thousand-year-old Verdon gorges, where the Lac de Sainte-Croix and the wild Lac d’Esparron open up to you.
It’s also a land dotted with vineyards and lavender fields that smell of Provence…
Les 3 Îles d’Or
Treasures of the Var coastline, the 3 îles d’Or, off the Hyères roadstead, are the jewels of this part of the coast. Steeped in history and the vestiges of a rich past, they are also ideal for year-round excursions:
- Porquerolles, the largest, with the most beautiful beaches, to discover on foot or by bike.
- Port-Cros National Park, renowned for its underwater flora and fauna.
- Ile du Levant, a naturist paradise.
Access to the islands is from La Londe-les-Maures from April to mid-November: departures for Porquerolles, Port-Cros, the two islands cruise, coastal cruises with a stopover at Port-Cros.
A legend recounted by Hyères writer Gustave Roux tells of 4 daughters of astonishing beauty whose father, Prince Olbianus, was proud of them. One day, as they were bathing off our coast, pirate sails appeared on the horizon. Their father, aware of the danger, begged them to return to shore as soon as possible, but the unfortunate girls had strayed too far. So, in despair, the father kneels on the beach and begs heaven to save his unfortunate treasures. A metamorphosis takes place.
The four daughters of Prince Olbianus felt their limbs transform, freeze, stiffen and petrify: three of them were transformed into islands, and the one closest to the shore, already stretching out its weeping arms towards him, became the delightful Presqu’île de Giens.
Lavandou
Parmi les activités incontournables du Var et à seulement un quart d’heure du camping Parc Valrose, Le Lavandou nommé aussi “La Cité des Dauphins“, est un passage obligatoire.
On the seafront, this authentic fishing village lies on the shores of the Mediterranean, facing the islands of Levant and Port-Cros, and stretches along 12 km of coastline with 12 magnificent beaches of fine sand, each with a different grain size and color.
On the land side, Le Lavandou nestles at the foot of the Massif des Maures, with its lush Mediterranean vegetation and protected environment.
(source OT Le Lavandou)
Bormes-les-Mimosas
A 12th-century heritage site – listed as one of the most beautiful in the Var, the medieval village of Bormes-les-Mimosas is a must-see for lovers of old stones and history.
Venture down its winding lanes and follow your inspiration, and you’ll be delighted.
From the Place de l’Isclou d’Amour or the Poulid Cantoun to the Ruelle des Sarrasins, the Rue Rompi Cuou and the Venelle des Amoureux, you’ll be in for a surprise: period architecture, sculpted porches, façades with a patina of Midi colors, vaults housing brocantes, small workshops and hatters… you’ll have plenty to discover and admire…
(source: OT Bormes)
Our itinerary tips
To help you organize your visits to La Londe-les-Maures and explore the Var region, here are a few practical itinerary tips. The Parc Valrose campsite, just 5 minutes from the town center, is easily accessible from the A57 freeway: take the Hyères/La Londe-les-Maures exit, then follow signs for La Londe on the D98. Once in the village, head for the well-signposted Route de Saint-Honoré, where the campsite is located.
If you’re arriving by train, Hyères station is the closest, with TER and TGV connections from Marseille, Toulon and Paris. A cab or VTC will then take you to La Londe.
For travelers arriving by plane, Toulon-Hyères airport offers quick access before continuing on to your destination. These different itineraries will enable you to discover the many treasures of the Var region with complete peace of mind.
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