Tourrettes travel guide

Visit Tourrettes (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France)

Tourrettes is a perched village in the Var department of Provence, set in the hills inland from the Cote d'Azur to the north of Frejus and west of Grasse.

Note: Tourettes is not to be confused with Tourrettes-sur-Loup, a perched village in the Alpes-Maritimes department of Provence!

Explore Tourrettes

France This Way review: the old heart of Tourrettes is quite small, and although a visit doesn't take very long it is a pleasure to explore.

You can park in the square at the bottom of the village. From here you can explore the narrow streets of the village that lead out of the square and slowly lead up through Tourrettes.

On the way you will pass the 11th century Church of Saint André (restored in the 16th century) to reach the clocktower that stands at the top of the village - the clocktower was built in the 14th century, as was the small chapel of Penitents.

Along the way you pass lots of quaint houses, and small open squares. There is a village lavoir to the north of Tourrettes.

The castle on the hill to the west is the Chateau de Puy, built in 1830 by Alexandre Fabre - he had worked in Russia for 20 years and built the castle to be a copy of the École des Cadets in the town of Saint Petersburg in Russia (the castle is not open to the public, it is now a retirement home).

Tourrettes has long been a centre for local artists and in the village as well as artist studios you will notice lots of small works of art such as painted shutters and doors or paintings on the walls that add an additional layer of interest to your visit.

From the top of Tourrettes there are extensive views and a table d'orientation to help you get your bearings.

Before leaving the village be sure to find time to visit a cafe and sit enjoying the ambience of this traditional Provencal village.

In the vicinity

The region that includes Tourrettes is known as the Pays de Fayence, and contains several pretty villages worth visiting in close proximity, including Fayence itself and Callian, Seillans and Montauroux among others (Seillans is listed as one of the 'most beautiful villages in France').

Together the villages make a very pleasant trip as an excursion from the busy French Riviera just 20 kilometres to the south.

You can find more travel ideas in the Var guide and the Provence guide.