Toulon Things to Do

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The Musee d'Art in Toulon features both a regular collection of excellent works and also exhibits well known local artists. When we visited in October 2011 there was an exhibition of Francois Nardi, who painted many paintings of the local Provence Coast and harbors. The collections are on the second floor and during our visit the entrance was not clear. Up a set of staircases and through an unobtrusive door and voila. Free entrance...closed on Monday. My wife and her sister seemed to like the sculptures on the ground floor by the stairway.

At least there is something open on Sunday morning in Toulon. The Farmers Market is quite extensive with a wide variety of meat, fish, fowl, cheese, clothing, shoes, etc. etc. Located just in from the port, by the Church St. Francois de Paul. On the South side of the square is the tourist office.

A few blocks inland from the Port is the Hotel des Arts, what looked to be an old mansion now converted into a museum featuring specific exhibitions. During our visit the exhibition was two contemporary artists, most dealing with abstract color and texture relationships. It only took 20 minutes or so to visit.

This clock used to signal the start and finish of the working day, nowadays it s the clock that not working. It is inside the grounds of a naval place no public access, but it can be seen from the street.

A must is to go and see the market, just across the road from the sea front. Its known as "Le marche de Provence". Its actually well known in France. There you can find fresh fruits and vegetables from nearby, aswell as lovely exotic. There is everything there really!

Be sure to go and see the Theatre, its an amazing building and if you are standing to the front of it then look at the old bank, behind it to the left, another amazing building.

A walk along the sea front is well worth a trip, you may see some warships. As Toulon is France's naval port. Walking along the sea front you will see some stunning boats.

if its shopping you want then go to the Mayol centre. There are some great shops there with everything you need.

Discover Hyères, the oldest resort on the Côte d’Azur. Its medieval, walled quarter clings to the southern slope of Casteou hill. Dominated by a ruined castle, Old Hyères overlooks the modern town with its new harbour used by pleasure boats and ferries plying between the mainland and the Hyères Island.
The town became well known in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly to the English. Some of its most famous visitors included Queen Victoria and Leo Tolstoy. With surrounding orchards, gardens, vineyards and fields, this appealing resort has the distinction of not being totally dependent on tourism.
Make sure to visit the old quarter. Highlights include the Massillon Gate leading into Rue Massillon, a bustling shopping street lined by many Renaissance doorways. From the terrace square one can enjoy a fine panoramic view. Additionally, Renaissance and Romanesque houses and churches complete the picture of Old Hyères.

Ile de Porquerolles (Porquerolles island)
A real paradise,, without cars, buses, noise
Just take a boat from Toulon sea port and you'll have a wonderful time there. Smell of eucaliptus and pins will give the new life to your lungs. Nice sunny send beach is excellent for relaxing. There are also many bars, cafes and restaurants everywhere. Known writers and artists like this place very much.
For example, now the famous beautiful French actress Milène Demongeau (let the french people excuse me if I made a mistake in spelling her name but I've never seen it written in French) lives there (by the way her mother was Ukrainian, she immigrated to France)

Inside the Naval Base, the square clock tower with the steel framed bell tower was built between 1772 and 1775 and was originally used as a watch tower.