What the heck to do in Provence (Toulon)?

[Wonders10]

We were in Toulon in Dec. on the Brilliance. The port is a fair distance from the city. We paid $10 each (I think) for the rt shuttle. The city was charming. There was a street market, a Christmas market, palm trees and beautiful architecture. There are cafes by the waterfront and many yachts. It wasn't some 'Oh Wow!' kind of day, just nice, relaxing and very pleasant. We walked and walked and did not regret a moment.

 

I wonder if Celebrity offers a similar shuttle into Toulon? If not, were taxis readily available (that you remember?) and think they speak some English? I know some French but not a lot by any stretch.

[shemp2000]

I wonder if Celebrity offers a similar shuttle into Toulon? If not, were taxis readily available (that you remember?) and think they speak some English? I know some French but not a lot by any stretch.

 

From my research there is a 2€ public transport boat that will take you from where the ship docks to Toulon. This transport is also part of the 6€ transport pass from the Tourist Office.

[Wonders10]

From my research there is a 2€ public transport boat that will take you from where the ship docks to Toulon. This transport is also part of the 6€ transport pass from the Tourist Office.

 

Good to know! I'm sure there will also be information in the "dailies" once we are on the ship as far as things to do an options for getting around (speaking from my experience on caribbean cruises).

[Suzieanna]

Barcelona's Sephora looks great! Unfortunately that is the day we get on the ship, and I dont think we will have the time to go that day - unless they let you off for at least 4 hours once you have checked in???

[daliflor]

Good to know! I'm sure there will also be information in the "dailies" once we are on the ship as far as things to do an options for getting around (speaking from my experience on caribbean cruises).

 

Yes, indeed!

Many large ships dock now in La Seyne-sur-Mer (and not Toulon, Provence as typically indicated on the itinerary), so I posted some ideas and photos on how to get from La Seyne-sur-Mer to Toulon: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1226994

 

also

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1229876

 

 

 

Now that you're on Toulon on your own, what can you do with few hours to kill?

 

 

Options are endless, limited probably only by your own will and/or budget: from touring the city of Toulon by foot, walking around careless... to taking a boat trip or a local, cheap ferry to one of the nearby cities or beaches (i.e. Sablettes and the bay of Tamaris or St. Mandrier- a charming little fishing and boating port set right on the peninsula that encloses the port ot Toulon) or the SNCF train to the French Riviera (Cannes, Nice) or Marseille, Cassis etc.

 

There are also local buses that can take you to Bormes-les-Mimosas (a well-known area for this beautiful yellow-flowered tree), Avignon etc.

 

 

First off, I would like to develop on one of the options: taking the tourist little train around the city of Toulon (city situated on the coast halfway between Marseille (50 km) by the A50 and Saint Tropez (50 km) by the A58 or the N98)-

 

Le Petit Train de Toulon

 

Jump on the tourist train on a summer afternoon and the 45 minutes ride is thoroughly enjoyable. It departs from the port/ Waterfront area (in Square Germain Noveau) almost every 30 minutes or so.

 

Cost: 6.00€/adult; 4.00€/kid

 

There are two types of routes that you can choose from (based on your interest; same cost):

 

a). Visit the Naval Base

July-August:10h - 11h - 13h30 - 14h30 - 15h30

 

b). Visit the city and the beaches of Mourillon (Circuit 1)

July-August: 10h30-11h-11h30-12h-13h30-14h-14h30-15h- 15h30-16h-16h30-17h-17h30-18h

 

This Mourillon tour is covering the following itinerary:

Départ sur le port

Avenue de la République

Cours Lafayette

Stade Mayol

Port Marchand

Port de Plaisance

Port Militaire

Arsenal du Mourillon

Pointe de la Mitre

Bathyscaphe

Tour Royale

Port Saint-Louis

Corniche du Mourillon

Fort Saint- Louis

Jardins du Mourillon

Plage Lido

Plage de la Source

Musée Asiatique

Eglise Saint-François de Paule

 

On June 4th 2010, we completed Circuit 1 (Friday afternoon) and it was well worth it.

Below are some photos from that day:

 

The map/itinerary of Circuit 1 of Mourillon beaches (Le Petit Train de Toulon, France)

 

Le Petit Train de Toulon

 

 

Le Petit Train de Toulon

[numbersix]

We have rented cars (once in Toulon when docked there, and once in Sanary-sur-Mer) and explored the local towns and beaches. Driving in France is easy and civilized; roads are well sign posted.

 

We quite enjoy Le Castellet, a picturesque hill-town, Sanary-sur-Mer (cute town, harbor, beach), and Cassis. Bandol was 'ok'. Lots to do/see in the area, some good wineries to visit, too.

 

Enjoy Provence!

 

Kevin

[mcatmcat]

thank you

[luv2gonow]

I am doing a wine tasting excursion through the ship. (Majestic Princess)

Happy planning

Kerri

[chubbypiggy]

Anyone know how far is the walk from the La Seyne sur mer cruise terminal to the town center of La Seyne sur mer? Is it an easy walk? Is there anything to do in La Seyne sur mer? For example, a lot of shops?

 

We will be there in about a month on a cruise stop (7 a.m. - 5 p.m.). I am thinking of just taking it easy that day and not make plans to go to Toulon or nearby areas and just stay in La Seyne sur mer.

 

Thank you.

[lovevacadays]

We stopped in Toulon during our Transatlantic cruise in December. I struggled with what to do here and fortunately found a wonderful tour. Here's the description from my cruise review:

 

Aix-en-Provence

 

I'm here to tell you that the stereotype we often have of France simply isn't true. Our day in Aix-en-Provence was fantastic. It's tough to say which port of call of this trip was my favorite but Aix is definitely at the top.

 

I planned a day with Jennifer from Tastes of Provence and 12 of us did a walking tour with her to enjoy the wonderful tastes and sites of Aix. Originally from San Francisco, Jennifer takes you back to the time of Louis XII, describing life back then as walked the streets where nobility lived. Her tour took us to some of the oldest and most loved food shops. Pastries, cheese, coffee, sampling at the Market. Four hours with Jennifer just wasn't enough. Her love of the city, its people and its food was very evident. We're looking forward to returning and trying another tour with her.

 

I should add that the ship docks about an hour away from Aix and I had to arrange for a mini-bus to provide transportation for our group. Jennifer assisted me in contacting a bus company and she followed up to ensure everything was in order. The driver was at our ship to meet us, he spoke perfect English, drove us to Aix and met us at the designated meeting point in the afternoon for our return. He, too, was a delight.

 

TASTE OF PROVENCE: www.tastesofprovence.com

 

VAR VOYAGES (Bus Company for Transportation to Aix): www.vvs-autocars.com/html/vvs-en.php

 

Good luck. I'm actually looking forward to the opportunity to return to Aix and explore more.

 

Sounds amazing! I'm getting more and more excited about our cruise. Goodness, though, it's well over a year away.

[Giskard]

we had the same dilemma and have eventually decided on a wine tasting tour from provencewinetours who were recommended on these boards.

 

As our Italy tours will be all about history we decided this would be a nice change of pace and will get us out from the built up area around Toulon

 

Would love to hear how you liked your wine tour from Provence Wine tours.

[DocShelly]

we had the same dilemma and have eventually decided on a wine tasting tour from provencewinetours who were recommended on these boards.

 

As our Italy tours will be all about history we decided this would be a nice change of pace and will get us out from the built up area around Toulon

 

How was it?

[DocShelly]

We have rented cars (once in Toulon when docked there, and once in Sanary-sur-Mer) and explored the local towns and beaches. Driving in France is easy and civilized; roads are well sign posted.

 

We quite enjoy Le Castellet, a picturesque hill-town, Sanary-sur-Mer (cute town, harbor, beach), and Cassis. Bandol was 'ok'. Lots to do/see in the area, some good wineries to visit, too.

 

Enjoy Provence!

 

Kevin

Kevin, Do you think it's too industrious for me to consider renting a car in Toulon and going to La Motte and Chateau St. Martin (two very lovely wineries)?They are about an hour from Toulon and not easy to get to as there are no trains to that area in Provence. I really wanted to see these gorgeous vineyards but I don't want to stress myself since we cast off at 6 pm. What wineries did you see?

Thanks in advance,

Melissa

[DocShelly]

Would love to hear how you liked your wine tour from Provence Wine tours.

 

Me, too. Did you take your tour yet? I think I may try that tour as well and forget the idea of renting a car and going to the Whispering Angel (my favorite rose) winery--in La Motte and Chateau St. Martin in Taradeau. Our ship casts off at 6 pm and I don't know if we will have enough time...

 

Would love your thoughts.

Melissa

[N 2 Sun]

Has any one been to Bormes les Mimosas, Le Castellet or another lovely village that they can recommend for a day trip from Toulon?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[pseudoware]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1226994

 

Edit: Looks like the author of the post I linked already chimed in on this thread. Still, I can't say enough how helpful that post was when our ship docked at La Seyne-sur-Mer.

 

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[Irish110]

Toulon was our last stop on our Mediterranean cruise last year and we were not really looking forward to this port. We ended up booking a half day cruise excursion to Cassis and we were really glad we did. I could have spent more time here. It is a small fishing village with a pretty marina and I thought one of the better beaches in France. It was much nicer than Cannes or Nice. If you are looking for a relaxing day just walking around a picturesque village enjoying lunch or doing a little shopping or spending time on the beach, I would highly recommend Cassis. I am sorry we didn't stay longer. I would return just to spend more time on the beach. I think the children in your party would enjoy the beach time. As I said we only did a 4 hour tour so we had some time to spare when we got back to Toulon. Since we were docked right in town, it was easy to walk down the marina and take in the sights and sounds and then find the main shopping district as well as a nearby mall which was close to where we docked. I had no expectations for this port but it turned out to be a really enjoyable day.

[buchhalm]

Our least favourite port by a long like. We were there on a Sunday and apart from a small market nothing was happening. The offered excursions did not appeal. In town, even their few "attractions" were closed or opened late. It would have been a complete waste of time, hadn't we been invited to a barbeque at the Toulon rugby club. A brother of my wife's friend is / was playing for the team.

That was fun.

Other than that Toulon would have been a laundry day....