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Travel guide
Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël and the Esterel
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September to October
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Welcome
Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël and the Esterel, in a few days
Fréjus was Forum Julii, founded by Julius Caesar and later a naval base under Augustus, and it keeps an amphitheatre, a 5th-century baptistery and a cloister with a painted ceiling of fantastic creatures. To the east, Saint-Raphaël opens onto the Esterel: red volcanic rock, a coast road built in 1903, clear coves and trails up to the Pic de l'Ours.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Fréjus cathedral complex · about 1 hCathedral, cloister and one of France's oldest baptisteries, 5th century, whose cloister ceiling is painted with a medieval bestiary of animals, monsters and grotesques.
- Afternoon · Fréjus Archaeological Museum · about 45 minFinds from digs across the Roman colony and naval port of Forum Julii, including the two-faced Hermes that has become a symbol of the town.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range hotels in Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël and the EsterelBooking
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Fréjus Amphitheatre · about 45 minA Roman arena from around 100 AD, built against the hill below the ramparts, that once held an estimated ten to twelve thousand spectators.
- Afternoon · Cap Dramont and Île d'Or free · about 2 hA coastal path round a volcanic headland, facing a small island topped by a Belle Époque tower said, without proof, to have inspired Hergé.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range hotels in Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël and the EsterelBooking
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Agay Bay free · about 1 hAn almost circular bay east of Saint-Raphaël, wider than its mouth and sheltered by the red Esterel hills, a safe anchorage for boats.
- Afternoon · The Anthéor coves free · 2 to 3 hSmall red-rock coves between Agay and Cap Roux with water clear enough to see the bottom; start from Anthéor beach with a mask and snorkel.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range hotels in Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël and the EsterelBooking
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Corniche d'Or free · about 1 hThe coast road opened in 1903 between Saint-Raphaël and Mandelieu-la-Napoule, following every cape and cove above red rhyolite and blue-green water.
- Afternoon · Pic de l'Ours free · half a dayAn Esterel summit above the Corniche d'Or, crowned by a TV mast and reached through red rock, cork oaks and scrub.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range hotels in Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël and the EsterelBooking
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €115 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/frejus-esterel
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.