Hyères

Towns and Villages - by Provence Beyond

Villages > Hyères      

Nearby:  | Aix-en-Provence 96 km | Belgentier 24 km | Bormes-les-Mimosas 22 km | Brignoles 50 km | Calanques | Le Castellet 41 km | La Garde-Freinet 54 km | Le Lavandou 22 km | Marseille 86 km | Pierrefeu-du-Var 16 km | Toulon 18 km |

Below: | town | Park St Bernard | The Seaside and Presqu'ile de Giens | Museums | Olive-Oil Mills | Gardens | Sundials | O.T. | Dates | Wine | Transportation | Fun | Sports | Hiking | Dining | Lodging Hotels |

The Town of Hyères

Hyères is a fabulous town, and vastly different from the seaside resort area of the coast. Coming up from the beach, or turning in from the end of the autoroute, you'll drive up through a commercial-residential district on the Avenue Gambetta with its wide sidewalks lined by double rows of palm trees. If you come into town by train, you'll have a 10-15 minute walk from the station to the center. However you arrive, don't plan on leaving soon; if you have only one day you'll miss a lot of Hyères.

From the top of the avenue, much more town extends out to the right (east), including wide pedestrian shopping malls (the outside street variety). Straight north from the end of Ave Gambetta, continue on the Rue Rabaton to the Place Massillon and the start of the old town.

The Place Massillon is a large, open square, with the 12th-century Tower of Saint-Blaise and several good terrace cafè-restaurants. The daily market is held here, and the tiny streets leading to the square are packed with market stalls and shops. The well-restored old "tower" was a Knights Templar commandery.

Above the Place Massillon are a maze of interesting old streets on the hillside, meriting hours of wander and exploring; It's small enough, though, that you'll discover most in just an hour or two (not counting the park). On one level there's an observation table with a good view of the plains below and the coast. Behind the observation table, the medieval Porte Pensicola leads upwards tint even narrower streets, many of them paved with thick round cobble stones and bordered by stone walls, with shrubs and flowers everywhere. A lot of the streets of the upper vieille ville have the stone roots of the underlying rock joining streets and walls.

The old town has, in addition to its narrow streets and medieval arched portes, lovely old houses, many painted in the Provençal pastels with contrasting shutters and doors. Most are finely restored, many with the ancient stone door and window frames integrated into the facades. Even the vieille village school house is interesting with its red brick construction.

Park St Bernard

If you like flowers, or gardens, or quiet restful places, or great views, you'll love this park. In the old town go up the Rue Saint Esprit to where it turns and becomes Rue Barbacane. Facing the Porte Barruc archway, follow the steps to up to the right through a small gate, and into a lush other world. (It's open from 8h00 until evening.)
      A myriad of walkways and steps leading to different levels or through small arches into adjacent plots take you through a lush, green and colorful environment. Olives, pines and other trees provide shade in extensive gardens full of Mediterranean plants. We found many that we have in our Wild Flowers section, as well as more exotic varieties and many we haven't seen before.
      The park is peaceful and quite, with benches or low walls for sitting and resting. There's a great view of the coast from here, and down across the roofs of the town, including the observation table below. High above and behind the park, you can see the lookout point at the Chateau ruins with an even further view.

At the top of the park is the Les Palmiers district, where the ramparts of the Villa de Noailles are being rebuilt. A road from here goes around the hill to the right, circling up to the Chateau ruins to the top, apparently a 45-minute walk.

The Seaside and Presqu'ile de Giens

The seaside and out onto the peninsula Presqu'ile de Giens is typically seaside resort, but perhaps more crowded than most. It's lined with campsites, hotels, tourist shops, traffic, restaurants and attractions, in a setting of salt marshes and umbrella pines. A popular attraction is the large Magic World fun park, on the D42 road just west of Hyères-Plage.

The Presqu'ile has the village of Giens, a little port, and the Tour-Fondue with an old fortress and the ferry to the islands of Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Levant. Just off the point are the little islands of Petit Ribaud and Grand Ribaud: pretty, but without access. The fortress is picturesque, sitting on a promotory jutting into the sea. You can clamber up the rocks (a bit dodgy) and walk around the base of the fort, but there's not much point. La Tour-Fondue itself has a pretty little inlet, with a few fishing boats anchored.

The ferry to the Porquerolles leaves roughly every hour, and many passengers take their bicycles for touring the island.

Office de Tourisme

Tel (CDT): 04 94 65 18 55; Fax: 04 94 35 85 05

Web: www.hyeres-tourisme.com
Email: info@ot-hyeres.fr

Dates

Sat, Sun - Market; at Magic World
Sun - Puces (flea markt), La Capte

Museums & Sites

Museum

Villa Noailles

Location: Forum du casino - 3, av Ambroise Thomas; BP 721, 83400 Hyeres

Open: 7 July - 26 Sept, 14h-19h; Fridays open only 16h-22h

Closed: Tue, Holidays

Tel: 0498 080 198

Web: www.villanoailles-hyeres.com

Olive Oil Mills    (List of Mills - 83)

Fenouillet Domaine - Domaine du Fenouillet

Denise Lacour

Location: 324 Route de Toulon, La Bayorre

Tel: 0494 651 326

Web: www.domaine-du-fenouillet.com

Olive oil and olives available.

Gardens (Jardins)

Garden

Park St Bernard

A large, terraced garden of lush plants and wildflowers, with a view down across the roofs of the old town to the sea.

Location: In the old town go up the Rue Saint Esprit to where it turns and becomes Rue Barbacane. Facing the Porte Barruc archway, follow the steps to up to the right through the small gate.

Open: 08h00 - evening

Entry: Free

Sundials (Cadrans Solaires)

Hyères-

Wine

Bormes-les-Mimosas is in the region of the Côte de Provence wines.

Transportation Hyères

Air

Toulon-Hyères Airport

The Toulon-Hyères airport is located between the Hyères town center and the beach.

Bus

Department 83, Var Buses

See Beyond's Bus Schedules Page 16: Var Department for downloading Var bus-lines map [Plan du Reseau] and bus-line schedules [Horaires] (link for PDF files).

Nice, Hyères, Toulon Bus

Bus service between Nice, Hyeres and Toulon is provided by Phoceens Cars (2, Place Massena, 06000 Nice). There are two buses a day, one morning and one afternoon. Stops include: Nice Place Massena, Nice Airport, Cannes Le Cannet, Mandelieu, La Crau-La Valette, Hyeres, Toulon.
See Bus Schedules page 8, Toulon-St Tropez-Nice - Evasion Provence Service.

Driving

The autoroute A570 starts at the edge of Hyères town center. Nine km to the west it connects to the A5 that goes through Toulon to Marseille and points north and west, and to the A57 that goes northeast to joint the A8 autoroute between Aix-en-Provence and Nice.

Rail

Toulon is on the main Nice-Lyon-Paris line [rail map].
Hyères and Toulon are connected by a local train line and good bus service. This is the best way to get to or from Hyères by public transport.

Fun - Amusement - Kids

Amusement

Kiddy Parc - Parc d'Attractions pour Enfants

A 3-hectare amusement theme park for kiddies, 500 meters from the Port de Hyères. Rides, slides, animals, water slides and games, go-karts, and so on.

Location: Port d'Hyères

Open: April - September

Entry: Kids over 2 years: 13.50€ Parc; 15.50€ Parc + Cirque; 17.00€ Parc + Cirque + Jeux d'Eau (Water Games)

Email: infos@kiddyparc.com

Web: www.kiddyparc.com

Mini Golf

Golf Mini Hyérois

Location: 810 chem Roubaud

Tel: 0494 572 500

Sports

Camping
Diving
Mini-Golf
Ice Skating

Cycling

Holiday Bikes

VTT cycle and motorcycle rental

Location: 19 rue Jean D'Agrève

Tel: 0494 387 945

Holiday Bikes

VTT cycle and motorcycle rental

Location: centre Nautisme 4 centre cial Ship Souk

Tel: 0494 387 945

L'Horizon

Location: 14 av Méditerranée

Tel: 0494 580 378; Fax: 04 94 58 03 78

L'Indien

Location: av Mer l Ayguade

Tel: 0607 384 467; Fax: 04 94 58 35 27

Michel François

Location: 14 av Doct Robin

Tel: 0494 387 945

Diving

Destination Plongée

Location: av Aéroport

Tel: 0494 383 585

Espace Mer Le Brigantin

Location: che Bouvet, La Tour Fondue, Giens

Tel: 0494 589 494

Special NV BIO Nitrox and wrecks

Hiking

Maps:

IGN (1/25,000) #3446 OT "Hyères, Porquerolles"

Didier Richard (1/50,000) #25 "Maures Haut-Pays Varois"

East, south and west of town is very built up. Immediately to the north of town, however, are the forested hills of Les Maurettes. From the hilltop above the town, trails go out into these hills to the north; it's an area only about 5 km from east to west.

To the northeast of Hyères, only a few km away, is the start of the Maures: a vast area of beautiful forests and hills, and good hiking. For the Maures you'll need map Didier Richard (1/50,000) #25 "Maures Haut-Pays Varois".

Dining

There are plenty of restaurants in Hyères, that we haven't tried. Our one lunch on the Place Massillon included a very good Pates aux Pistou and an interesting Aïoli complet. The Aïoli was served as one deep dish with fresh codfish, green beans, boiled potato, cauliflower, carrots, a whole artichoke, shellfish and a boiled egg, with a dish of Aïoli sauce on the side.

La Crèche Provencale

Location: 15 rte de Toulon

Closed: Sat noon, Mon

Tel: 0494 653 028

La Fontaine d'Aristée

Location: 20 impasse Saint-Joseph

Tel: 0494 353 737

This is also a hotel, located in a residential area between the town center and the beaches. Cuisine refined and original, and they have a weight-watchers menu.

Le Jardin

Location: 19 av Joseph Clotis

Open: 7/7 days, midi-midnight

Tel: 0494 352 412

Close to the center; set in a relaxed tent-style soft-top. Friendly, English-speaking staff. Very popular so phone ahead.

Les Jardins de Bacchus

Location: 32 av Gambetta

Closed: Sat noon, Mon off-season; 1-15 June; 1 week Jan

Tel: 0494 657 763; Fax: 04 94 65 71 19

Fine cuisine (restaurant gastronomique), a couple of blocks below the old town.

Lodging - Hotels