Come and enjoy the sweetness of life in the Var, the most southerly and most attractive tourist department in France, offering 300 days of sunshine a year.
Behind the hills of the Esterel, lies the Fayence region. This is a beautiful, still relatively peaceful area, with old and charming villages, impressive landscapes interchanged with waterfalls against flowering hillsides.
Fayence is part of 5 hilltop villages ideally situated halfway between the sea and the mountains. In Latin, Faventia Loca means a favourable location and it is just that! Fayence was a fortified town and has managed to keep the charm of its medieval origins. You will find many little shops and restaurants in lovely narrow streets. Twice a week you can wander around the colourful Provencal market.
Tourrettes is a peaceful hillside village with narrow streets embraced by olive trees. It has a castle that has now been converted into housing and a distinctive clock tower that dominates the village.
Seillans is a very ancient village set on the hillside of the Canjuers Plateau. Cobbled lanes lead steeply up to the church and the old castle. Seillans is well known for its yearly flower festival. Well worth a visit!
Callian is built around its feudal castle and is one of the oldest villages in the Var. It has many winding streets and a lovely village square where you can have a drink in the shade of the plane trees, nearby a little waterfall.
Montauroux is a delightful little hillside village. The village centre isn’t very big so it doesn’t take long to explore the narrow streets of the old town. It has a lot of lovely old stone fountains.
Lac St. Cassien This beautiful, unspoilt lake is about 29 km round and bordered by forested hills. It offers you a great day out for swimming, canoe and pedalo hire, sailing and picnic areas. The lake is well known for carp fishing. Hiking, horse riding, off road biking and mountain biking is also possible around the lake.
Fayence Gliding Centre The airfield on the plain just South of the town is a major sailplane centre and considered to be the best in Europe. It offers you the possibility of flights 365 days a year. For more info visit www.aapca.net.
Golf club resorts The prestigious golf course Terre Blanche is located at The Four Seasons Resort in Tourrettes. For more info visit www.terre-blanche.com and there are many other golf courses in the area.
Fréjus is only 30 min. away from Fayence and is a popular town with lots of little shops in attractive streets. The cathedral is built in the centre and set in a pretty square. You can visit some Roman sites; The Aqueduct, The Theatre and The Amphitheatre.
Nearest beaches
Fréjus/St. Raphael
These wide, fine sand beaches stretch for 2 km and offer you everything for a great day at the beach! You can stroll along the boulevard of Fréjus to St. Raphael, again well worth a visit.
Children attractions
In Fréjus there is the largest water slide park of the Côte d’Azur. Your children will love it! www.aqualand.fr
In Antibes at Marineland you can meet up with dolphins, sea lions and killer whales.
www.marineland.fr
Maybe your children prefer a day in the Zoo?
www.zoo-frejus.com
Antibes was a fortified town. It has a lively old centre with lots of little shops, restaurants, a covered Provençal arts and craft market every Sunday afternoon and the famous Picasso Museum.
Cannes is of course very well known for the yearly International Film Festival in May when the rich and famous gather together. It is beautifully set in the Golf de la Napoule. Also worthwhile visiting are the two islands off the coast.
Grasse, the perfume capital of the world! The old town is large with tiny streets that wind between ancient buildings and houses up and down ancient steps. Well worth visiting is one of the perfume factories.
St. Tropez is the place where the international jet set meet and spend their holiday. If you are thinking of paying St.Tropez a visit you could take the boat from St. Maxime to Saint Tropez.
Gorges du Verdon is a spectacular canyon that forms a border between the Alpes de Haute Provence and the Var, between Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. The canyon is deep and beautiful. This is a must! Isola 2000 and Auron are the two major ski stations in the area and around 1 ½ hours drive. For more information www.isola2000.com or www.auron.com
Train des Pignes runs between Nice and Digne. It will lead you through breathtaking scenery, old stations and villages.
Another possibility is to take the train from St. Raphael to Ventimiglia which stops at various stations on the way.
Ventimiglia is just over the Italian border and is well known for its Friday market, the largest in Europe.
Many artists have found their inspiration in the South of France. Antibes, St. Paul de Vence, Tourrettes sur Loup, St. Tropez, Nice are just a few of the places which have exhibitions of the work of artists such as Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Miró.
This area is of course a paradise for people who appreciate good food and wine. There is a great choice of restaurants in the area, many offering typical Provençal menus and local vineyards offering you visits and tastings.
For more information about the Provence visit www.provencebeyond.com Photographs are kindly provided by www.web-provence.com & www.mirjam-terpstra.nl