One Week in the South of France: A Toulon Itinerary

The mistake most first-timers make in the South of France is moving too much — three nights here, two there, half the holiday spent packing. The smarter way is to pick one good base and let the region come to you. From the hills above Toulon, everything worth seeing is within an hour, which means a week of variety without ever changing a bed.

Here's the week we'd plan.

Day 1 — Arrive and settle

Ease in. A swim, a wander down to the Mourillon beaches, an evening on the terrace as the light goes gold. No agenda.

Day 2 — An island day

Take the first ferry to Porquerolles — bikes, pine forest, the bluest water of the trip. Home for an apéritif.

Day 3 — Into the hills

Trade the coast for the perched villages of the Haut Var: Cotignac, Tourtour, a long lunch in a shaded square.

Day 4 — A beach to yourselves

A slow morning at a hidden cove — Pramousquier or Jean Blanc — before the crowds.

Day 5 — Wine and the calanques

Tour Bandol's vineyards in the morning, then west to the calanques of Cassis for an afternoon swim beneath the cliffs.

Day 6 — On the water

A boat around Grand Ribaud and the Giens peninsula, or sea-cave kayaking at Sainte-Marguerite.

Day 7 — Market and a slow finish

The Cours Lafayette market in the morning, then nothing at all — a last long lunch by the pool before you go.

Mauricette's Tip

Don't fill all seven days. Leave two of them empty and let the place decide — the best afternoons here are the ones you didn't plan, when the pool wins and you cancel everything. A week is plenty; rushing it is the only way to need another.

Make the villa your base

One house, sea on one side and hills on the other, for the whole week. See it and book direct.