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Var, France tourist information

The Var department of France is the central-southern part of Provence, along the coast between Bandol and Saint-Raphael, and inland through the Cotes de Provence wine region an to the Upper-Var.

This popular region of Provence includes a great deal of magnificent coastline, and some very interesting towns and villages. Head towards the quieter interior for a change of character.

Var Coast

The western half of the Cote d'Azur falls in this department including the well-known resorts of Saint-Tropez, Saint-Raphael and Frejus...and many others.

A sprinkling of highlights: The Iles d'Hyeres  just off the coast and including the Ile de Porquerolles are a major (and very beautiful) coastal attraction; at the eastern end of the department the coast road to the south of the Massif d'Esterel is one of the finest coast roads in France; the vineyards and wines around Bandol.

See Cote d'Azur for the coastal section of Var and the resorts in the region.

Cotes de Provence

Crossing the hills of the southern part of the region, and the Massif des Maures, is the highly esteemed Cotes de Provence wine region.

The attractive landscape is interspersed with numerous small towns and villages, including several of the well known 'perched villages' of Provence.

Some of the towns to visit here include Les-Arcs, Lorgues, Entrecasteaux , also the Abbey at Thoronet.

Head east to visit the most beautiful village at Seillans, and some of the other perched villages in this region (eg Callian, Fayence, Mons, Montauroux, St-Paul-en-Forêt, Seillans, Tourrettes, St-Paul-en-Foret and Tanneron).

Entrecastaux / Tourtour

Haut Var

Among the towns to enjoy here, see Aups, Salernes, and the classified most beautiful village of Tourtour, also Villecroze and  its troglodyte caves are also well worth visiting.

Further north again, enter into the countryside of the Upper Var (Haut-Var), just south of the Gorges du Verdon, where the landscape becomes more remote and wild. At the end of the Gorges du Verdon, the very extensive Lake Sainte-Croix has a developed tourist industry and is in very scenic countryside.

Towns and sights (and tourist classifications)

• Aups (Var)
• Bandol (Var)
• Bormes-les-Mimosas (Var) - rated as a ville fleurie category 4*
• Cap Esterel (Var)
• Entrecasteaux (Var)
• Flayosc (Var)
• Frejus (Var) - ville d'art et histoire
• Gassin and Ramatuelle (Var) - most beautiful village
• Grimaud (Var) - listed as a 'plus beaux detour'
• Hyeres (Var) - rated as a ville fleurie category 4*
• Iles d'Hyeres (Var)
• Les-Arcs (Var)
• Lorgues (Var)
• Port Cros National Park (Var)
• Saint Cyr sur Mer (Var) - listed as a 'plus beaux detour'
• Saint-Raphael (Var)
• Saint-Tropez (Var)
• Sainte-Maxime (Var)
• Salernes (Var)
• Sanary-sur-Mer (Var) - rated as a ville fleurie category 4*
• Seillans (Var) - most beautiful village
• Toulon (Var)
• Toulon airport (Var)
• Tourtour (Var) - most beautiful village

Visit Var, France - travel information

Places to visit in Var - more information

To see a larger map which shows places to visit in Var in more detail (castles, classified most beautiful villages etc) see Map of Var. (Also includes a full alphabetical list of all places in Var in France This Way.)

See a list of all Var communes