The interesting and pleasant seaside town Hyères lies in the Var department, not far from the important port of Toulon. Hyères is the most southern and the oldest winter holiday resort on the Côte d’Azur, and has over the years attracted numerous celebrities: Queen Victoria, Tolstoy, Pauline Bonaparte, Aubrey Beardsley, Edith Whaton and Robert Louis Stevenson. Hyères is, however, in general considered more backward than the more fashionable coast cities Nice and Cannes. The town has, though, quite another charm and is not nearly as overrun as the Riviera’s more fashionable seaside towns.
- All sorts of water sports: sailing, windsurfing, diving, etc.
- Karting.
- Tennis
- Riding.
- Squash
- Trips to the Îles d’Or
- Guided tours.
- Casino.
- Night clubs
- Golf – There are lots of golf courses in the department of Var. Most of the courses can be found on the French golf union’s website. Unfortunately the website is in French. Seek under Guide de golfs and then under the region Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur: http://www.ffgolf.org/#
- L’église Saint Louis: A very interesting church and a beautiful example of a finely balanced blend of Italian Roman style and Provencal style.
- Commanderie des Templiers/Tour de Saint Blaise: Built after that Charles I of Anjou gave the town royal status. Town-hall from 1770-1913.
- Parc St. Bernard: Very beautiful park, full of flowers. Great views over the old roof tops to the Massif des Maures, the peninsula Giens and Iles d’Hyères.
- La Mauresque and La Tunisienne: Inspired by Napoleon’s campaign to Egypt arose an oriental fashion which was also reflected in the construction of houses with vaults and minarets and date palms in the gardens – very exotic.
- L’église St. Paul: Canon college from 1572. Has an interesting Gothic nave and a Roman bell tower. In the church there are also 400 votive pictures.
- Château St-Bernard: Culture centre.
Hyères is especially well known for its important palm industry, a fact which has caused the town’s surname Hyères-les-Palmiers.
The first thing you see when arriving at Hyères, is the great palm avenues leading into the town. Funnily enough Saudi-Arabia is one of the biggest export markets, due to the fact that, in Hyères, they have managed to produce a palm variety, which better than the Saudis’ own palms, resists the pollution from the oil drillings.
Hyères offers a very charming old town with narrow, winding streets, medieval, vaulted gates and old well-restored houses.
The old part of town lies around Place Massillon, a big open square with several restaurants and cafés as well as a tower from the 12th century. The well-restored Tour de Saint-Blaise is the remains of a commanderie des templiers. Here, at the square, there is a morning market where one can find Provencal and Arab specialities.
Hyères offers a 39 km coastline with fine sandy beaches and rocky creeks.
Hyères also offers a multitude of sports activities, among which sailing, diving, windsurfing and waterskiing. The town is host for big sports and cultural arrangements, all year round. Every year in April there is an international pre-Olympic regatta, gathering the sailing-elite from the whole world, and during the year the harbour receives around 2000 boats.
At Hyères, the peninsula, Presqu’île-de-Giens, juts out into the sea.
Here, salt making still takes place. From the peninsula one can sail to the three beautiful, small, subtropical islands, Iles d’Or. Île de Porquerolle is the largest and the closest of the three islands. It is car free but one can hire bicycles or walk around the island.