The best city hikes and walks around Toulon

The Porte Massillon is one of the entrances to the old town of Hyères.

A true gateway to the historic Arsenal

Beautiful view over the beaches and the bay

by its beauty...

According to legend, Toulon singer Félix Mayol developed a passion for rugby after an oval ball knocked his hat off near a pitch. In 1919, he offered a large sum of money to acquire a plot of land and sold his songs to benefit the Lily of the Valley Club to finance its sports facilities. In his "Mémoires," published in 1929, he explains: Now, in Toulon, where the youth are particularly active and vigorous, we didn't have a single usable plot of land... All that remained was a disused velodrome, where no one ever went, which was no longer of any use, and which seemed to me to be as bored as our aspiring athletes... So, my God, it was quite simple: I bought the old velodrome! I broke ground myself on July 26th. Inaugurated on March 28, 1920, the Stade Mayol remains one of the rare examples in France of a stadium located in the heart of the city. The people of Toulon are passionate about the RCT and its "Temple de Besagne." On November 23, 1943, the stadium was bombed. Handed over to the city, the Stade Mayol was renovated and re-inaugurated in September 1965, for a match against the Welsh team of Newbridge. Since then, the famous "Rouge et Noir" players have continued to play in this stadium, so dear to the Toulon people. The stadium was recently modernized by the municipality, including the installation of two giant screens, a new sound system, new shells, and the creation of media spaces and boxes.

After the Jesuits were expelled from France in 1764, their seminary in Toulon was transformed into a naval hospital. The imposing gate of the Jesuit seminary has been moved twice. When the naval hospital was demolished in 1911, the beautiful oak door of the former Jesuit seminary was moved to the front of the Corderie and placed against the perimeter wall of the arsenal. In 1917, it served as the entrance to the offices of the Maritime Prefecture located on the upper floor of the Corderie. The gate was moved a second time during the construction of the western highway in 1975. Now leaning against the facade of the Corderie's eastern pavilion, two majestic statues overlook it. The one on the left represents Religion, and the one on the right represents Strength, armed with a club. The work was supervised by Raymond Langueneux, master of the port's sculpture workshop. The sculptures were created by Pierre Tombarelli.

This imposing building, one of the most important provincial opera houses, is located in the heart of the city of Toulon. It has two entrances: the first, open to spectators during performances, on Place Victor Hugo (Place du Théâtre), and the second, located to the north, opening onto Toulon's main thoroughfare, Boulevard de Strasbourg. The north façade is decorated with six statues created by the Toulon sculptor. The Toulon Opera House can accommodate up to 1,329 seated spectators. Boasting exceptional acoustics, this cultural venue welcomes over 50,000 people each year. The Toulon Opera House is said to have the steepest stage in France, with a 7% gradient. This gives an impression of depth and better visibility for all spectators, but can also be a challenge for dancers and actors performing. Since 1770, the city of Toulon had had the Salle de la Comédie, a venue that would soon be almost a century old, but which was very dilapidated, cramped, and uncomfortable, according to Toulon's upper class. The city's expansion decreed in 1853 and the relocation of its ramparts further north made the construction of a new venue possible. After two years of work, which began on March 5, 1860, based on plans by architect Léon Feuchère and extensively revised by Charpentier, the Toulon Opera House was inaugurated on October 1, 1862, thirteen years before the Opéra Garnier (Paris had already had venues prior to the latter's construction, notably the Opéra Le Peletier).

The harbor is one of Toulon's most emblematic sites. It includes the small harbor, which houses the military port, the marina, and the ferry terminal, as well as the large harbor, a coastal strip stretching from the Tour Royale to Cap Brun. Thanks to its exceptional natural environment (the hills surround the city and overlook the harbor), Toulon has become the only harbor to combine maritime and land defenses. This military heritage of forts, towers, and other fortresses, combined with the historic presence of the Arsenal, now known as the naval base, today provides the opportunity to tell great stories of strategy, battles, and the Revolution. All year round, the boatmen located at the port offer guided tours of the most beautiful harbor in Europe: the naval base and buildings of the French Navy, the marine cemetery, the port of La Seyne-sur-Mer and the former shipyards, the Tamaris corniche, Lazaret Bay and its mussel beds, the Saint Mandrier peninsula, the fortifications (Eguillette, Balaguier, Tour Royale), and the Mourillon beaches. Toulon harbor is also an ideal navigational area for sailing, dinghy sailing, and a variety of water sports (sea kayaking, paddleboarding, rowing, etc.). It hosts numerous prestigious regattas and nautical races.