What to do in Toulon, France??????

[Oklahoma Dreaming]

I will be on the Liberty of the Seas in June (2012) and our first full day will be in Toulon. We thought we would just shop around the port area and go to a beach but we don't know if there IS a port shopping/market area and if there is even a beach within walking distance. Also does anyone know if RRC offers JUST a bus ride to Saint Tropez? We would love to be dropped off there for the day so we could shop, find a nice pub and go to the beach then get picked back up by RRC to get back to the ship in time. We didn't want to get a private tour group in Toulon because we are using one in every other port and wanted to just take it easy. But again, didn't know if Toulon is a place you can "take it easy" in.

 

We are using a priviate tour group in Nice (used it last time we were there- I just can't think of the name and I'm too lazy to get up and get my paperwork) Rome In Limo for two stops in Italy (Livorno & Rome), Joe Banana Limos in Naples. We have used RIL before and loved them and my daughter has used JBL and really liked them so we thought we would give them a try this time.

 

Please ANY information on Toulon and things to do within walking distance from the port would be SO helpful.

MD

[Pumbaamd]

We took a ship's excursion on Voyager and loved it! Please excuse the spelling, but we visited San Ray, Marsaille and Cassis in that order. Marsaille, of course, is the big city. The other two were small towns with sidewalk cafes and quaint small town beauty. If you can find that RCCL excursion, check it out. We would do that same excursion again. It was outstanding fun!

Rick and Deirdra

[Elaine0138]

A little tourist train leaves from the port that runs round the town and has a stop by the beach. There is a market in town and lots of little shops right by the harbour, you can walk into town from the port.

[Ashland]

We were on Liberty Western Med cruise this past August and our first port was also Toulon since it was a Sunday much was closed..However we did take the ship shuttlebus which drops off near town..a farmers market along the street but everyone closed up by around noon..We opted to not do much as far as excursions since we had so much planned at all our other ports..I do remember the ship had a Saint Tropez shuttle option..just look at the excursions offered for this port..Enjoy

[Oklahoma Dreaming]

We were on Liberty Western Med cruise this past August and our first port was also Toulon since it was a Sunday much was closed..However we did take the ship shuttlebus which drops off near town..a farmers market along the street but everyone closed up by around noon..We opted to not do much as far as excursions since we had so much planned at all our other ports..I do remember the ship had a Saint Tropez shuttle option..just look at the excursions offered for this port..Enjoy

 

Ashland-

I have looked at the RRC website and have not seen "shuttle" options only TOURS. I will check again, and if there is a shuttle option for Saint Tropez, I will most definitely pre-book. Thank you.

Mar

[Ashland]

Ashland-

I have looked at the RRC website and have not seen "shuttle" options only TOURS. I will check again, and if there is a shuttle option for Saint Tropez, I will most definitely pre-book. Thank you.

Mar

Perhaps it might have been a DIY excursion..not sure, you very well might be right it could be a tour..it wasn't on my radar ;)

[Verfai]

Ashland-

I have looked at the RRC website and have not seen "shuttle" options only TOURS. I will check again, and if there is a shuttle option for Saint Tropez, I will most definitely pre-book. Thank you.

Mar

 

The shuttle has nothing to do with RCI :D it’s just somebody that is waiting for you just outside the harbor gate (it’s a modified tractor with wagons, not a real train should you wonder) and does a round trip from the harbor town to Toulon I think, info to be found an a board near the train.

 

We just walked into town (its not Toulon btw that the ships docks at, La Sene Sure Mere I believe it was) just head to the right once out of the harbor.

 

If you want to get to Toulon, there is also a water taxi present, also head right that takes you to Toulon.

[sjb317]

We did a walking tour in Aix en Provence that was lovely. It is a beautiful town, nice shops, restaurants, etc. The tour was booked through RC and the price was reasonable.

 

Sherri:)

[sanwin]

We were on Liberty last year and called at Toulon on our 1st day which was a Sunday....my OH stayed onboard with a pair of binoculars and surveyed the French Naval Fleet from deck 12 !!!!....sad I know !...but we were all tired and it was warm and dry ( end of Oct )

 

Sandra

[ollienbertsmum]

We did a walking tour in Aix en Provence that was lovely. It is a beautiful town, nice shops, restaurants, etc. The tour was booked through RC and the price was reasonable.

 

Sherri:)

 

I did this, see my post on the thread below. I thought it was worth it and very much the 'cheap option' for the day. You can go to Aix and just wander around and the market and shopping are very good. A relaxing day.

 

I actually feel that it is easier to do Naples as a DIY - going to Pompeii/Sorrento or Capri - or Rome on the train than La Seyne, however that is just me.

[Pushkin]

I will be on the Liberty of the Seas in June (2012) and our first full day will be in Toulon. We thought we would just shop around the port area and go to a beach but we don't know if there IS a port shopping/market area and if there is even a beach within walking distance. Also does anyone know if RRC offers JUST a bus ride to Saint Tropez? We would love to be dropped off there for the day so we could shop, find a nice pub and go to the beach then get picked back up by RRC to get back to the ship in time. We didn't want to get a private tour group in Toulon because we are using one in every other port and wanted to just take it easy. But again, didn't know if Toulon is a place you can "take it easy" in.

 

We are using a priviate tour group in Nice (used it last time we were there- I just can't think of the name and I'm too lazy to get up and get my paperwork) Rome In Limo for two stops in Italy (Livorno & Rome), Joe Banana Limos in Naples. We have used RIL before and loved them and my daughter has used JBL and really liked them so we thought we would give them a try this time.

 

Please ANY information on Toulon and things to do within walking distance from the port would be SO helpful.

MD

 

Toulon was one of our ports on a Med cruise last September. As a few have said, the ship docks at Le Seyne sur Mer (sp?). You can catch the ferry to Toulon (you can see ferry landing from ship), or you can walk to the little town of Le Seyne sur Mer (LSSM) (it is about 1/2 mile as I recall). We were there on a Sunday and we hired a pedi-bike to go from the ship into LSSM. There was an open-air market going on (think it is every Sunday) which we enjoyed (items for sale including food items/bakeries (yum!)). But I do believe it ends fairly early -- about noonish. If you wanted to visit LSSM and then go to Toulon, your best best would be to go back towards the ship and catch the ferry. It is very far to walk - I think about 4 or 5 miles. Toulon is a cute little seaside-type town with many eateries along the water. There was also some type of museum that had a long line on the outskirts of Toulon.

[mskaufman]

We will be going to Aix even though it is a Sunday.

[texancruzer]

We also did Aix-en-Provence tour thru the ship (which we don't normally do) from Toulon and as it was an "on your own" type we had a great time wandering/shopping/eating on our own. We did opt to do the 1/2 day one since this was our last stop on a 9 day cruise and we wanted an easier day. Besides we had to get back to the ship and pack :( to disembark the next morning.

[katiepe]

Does anyone know if NCL-specifically the Spirit -actually docks at Toulon?

On the link of ships in port for La Seyne sur Mer NCL is not mentioned.

[World Gallery]

Does anyone know if NCL-specifically the Spirit -actually docks at Toulon?

On the link of ships in port for La Seyne sur Mer NCL is not mentioned.

 

We are on the Spirit's June 3rd sailing and I called about this. They did not know and said that the captain will find out that day (or something like that) but basically saying that they can't tell me now. I told this to our private driver/tour guide and she said that she will find out that day and meet us whereever we dock. Very frustrating! You may want to call NCL and maybe you will get a different answer. That seems to the the trend, getting different answers each time you call:)

[katiepe]

Thanks World ..yes it is frustrating.

[zazou]

Sorry I'm late but I've look at the website of Toulon tourisme and the NCL Spirit will dock at Toulon.

 

You can see the schedule here:

http://www.toulontourisme.com/PDF/PDF_divers/croisiere.pdf

 

sorry it's in French.

 

Isa

[katiepe]

Sorry I'm late but I've look at the website of Toulon tourisme and the NCL Spirit will dock at Toulon.

 

You can see the schedule here:

http://www.toulontourisme.com/PDF/PDF_divers/croisiere.pdf

 

sorry it's in French.

 

Isa

Thank you very helpful.

I just looked at the schedule for La Seyne Sur Mer didnt even think to look for Toulon:o

[richfromhaw]

We were on the Thomson Dream last week and one of the port stops was Toulon.

If you're adventurous, Cassis is a great place to visit.

It's about a 20 minute walk to the train station in Toulon, 35 minute train ride to Cassis. The train station in Cassis is about 3 miles away from the port and we called a taxi to take us back & forth ( about 10 Euros each way).

There's also a bus that runs hourly to from Cassis train station and port.

Cassis port is a wondeful place to visit, we had an outdoor lunch along the water, little shops & boutiques in town. We also took a one hour boat ride ( kiosk at port that sells tickets, walk up, first come first served) for 15 Euros each. Saw 3 calanques (fiojrd like along the coast line, just breathtaking).

If you go, enjoy, you'll love it, wish we were back.

Have the mussels & pomme frites for lunch, they're great.We ate in Le Sol along the marina.

[kessdarln]

Awesome review... I decided on Cassis and was thinking about the train instead of the ship, now I know. Did you buy your train tickets in advance? Your meal sounds perfect!

 

We were on the Thomson Dream last week and one of the port stops was Toulon.

If you're adventurous, Cassis is a great place to visit.

It's about a 20 minute walk to the train station in Toulon, 35 minute train ride to Cassis. The train station in Cassis is about 3 miles away from the port and we called a taxi to take us back & forth ( about 10 Euros each way).

There's also a bus that runs hourly to from Cassis train station and port.

Cassis port is a wondeful place to visit, we had an outdoor lunch along the water, little shops & boutiques in town. We also took a one hour boat ride ( kiosk at port that sells tickets, walk up, first come first served) for 15 Euros each. Saw 3 calanques (fiojrd like along the coast line, just breathtaking).

If you go, enjoy, you'll love it, wish we were back.

Have the mussels & pomme frites for lunch, they're great.We ate in Le Sol along the marina.

[richfromhaw]

We bought the train tickets at the Toulon station round trip, no need to pre book or pre buy tickets.It's a commuter type train.

At Cassis port, there were probably 20 restaurants ringing the harbor, my guess is that you wouldn't go wrong at any of them. Le Sol was very pleasant, suggest you eat al fresco, what a delight.

A caveat about the taxi or shuttle to/from Cassis train station to port. It's not walkable (>3miles) up & down mountains, and when we were there, the city shuttle bus wasn't operating and we had difficulty getting a taxi in the afternoon from the port back to the train station. Hopefully our experience was an anamoly but wanted you to know what happened to us. Hope this helps.

[kessdarln]

Very helpful! Thank you!

 

We bought the train tickets at the Toulon station round trip, no need to pre book or pre buy tickets.It's a commuter type train.

At Cassis port, there were probably 20 restaurants ringing the harbor, my guess is that you wouldn't go wrong at any of them. Le Sol was very pleasant, suggest you eat al fresco, what a delight.

A caveat about the taxi or shuttle to/from Cassis train station to port. It's not walkable (>3miles) up & down mountains, and when we were there, the city shuttle bus wasn't operating and we had difficulty getting a taxi in the afternoon from the port back to the train station. Hopefully our experience was an anamoly but wanted you to know what happened to us. Hope this helps.

[crock921]

So for a first timer, you suggest Cassis over Aix? We are sailing in on Celebrity, and have most of the day to spend there.

 

We are younger, and do not mind put some miles on the sneakers. Adventure and memorable experiences are what we are looking for over more shopping.

[homeinboca]

So for a first timer, you suggest Cassis over Aix? We are sailing in on Celebrity, and have most of the day to spend there.

 

We are younger, and do not mind put some miles on the sneakers. Adventure and memorable experiences are what we are looking for over more shopping.

 

I think you can do both, that is what we are looking into. It's only a short ride from Toulon to Cassis, and the boat tours run about an hour. We can spend some time there and then head to Aix, for a couple of hours, then back to the ship with plenty of time.

[katiepe]

I can honestly say there is nothing to do in Toulon!

Buy some lavender soap?? That is all I did. We did take the little tourist train.

We just got back from an NCL cruise and decided to use Toulon as a do nothing day and that is exactly what it was.

I am not even sure if it was worth the boat ride as due to bad weather we ended up docking at La Seyne Sur Mer.

In hindsight maybe we should have booked some kind of tour-any tour-why are the ships even stopping here was the question most of the cruisers were asking.