# Var

Var is a département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the Mediterranean coast of France. Var is known for the harbour of Toulon, the main port of the French Navy, for its seaside resorts, the most famous of which is Saint-Tropez, for some fine examples of Romanesque and other medieval architecture, such as Le Thoronet Abbey and the Fréjus Cathedral, for its wines, particularly the wines of Bandol, as well as for its motorsport race track Circuit Paul Ricard, located in Le Castellet.

## Cities

* 43.1255.9305561 Toulon — the largest city has an old port that hosts a huge marina and receives many cruise
* 43.1363895.7533332 Bandol — a popular resort known for its wine
* 43.4058336.0616673 Brignoles —
* 43.1516676.3430564 Bormes-les-Mimosas — known for its omnipresent flowers, the castle ruin and the church residing on top of the mountain
* 43.1711116.5291675 Cavalaire-sur-Mer — a seaside town with sandy beaches, diving, sailing, jet skiing, maritime excursions
* 43.5394446.4661116 Draguignan —
* 43.6233336.6938897 Fayence — it has one of Europe's largest gliding centers
* 43.4330566.7355568 Fréjus — the richest concentration of Roman buildings in France after Arles
* 43.1188896.1286119 Hyères — the oldest resort on the French Riviera
* 43.6183336.76527810 Montauroux — a "perched" village (and commune)
* 43.3111116.01277811 Néoules —
* 43.6069445.75722212 Rians — the squash festival, a major celebration of cucurbits, has been held regularly in mid-October since 1996
* 43.4433336.63777813 Roquebrune-sur-Argens — a 1,000-old village between the sea and the mountains, with seaside resorts and many chapels
* 43.1191675.80222214 Sanary-sur-Mer —
* 43.3088896.63777815 Sainte-Maxime —
* 43.4247226.76777816 Saint-Raphaël — its natural landscapes with bright colours and atypical shapes, which made it an important place of Fauvism for many painters at the beginning of the 20th century
* 43.2697226.63861117 Saint-Tropez — a holiday resort for the European and American jet set
* 43.6361116.64333318 Seillans —a perched hill-top village with steeply-inclined medieval centre, accessible only on foot, and a number of small squares and old buildings: t features a castle church at its summit

## Other destinations

* 43.5286116.1494441 Cotignac — country living and day-trips to nearby villages and the sea-side
* Iles d'Hyeres (Hyeres archipelago), often referred to as Îles d'Or (golden islands), are four islands off the coast from Hyères.
** 436.2166672 Porquerolles — the largest of the islands is an extension of the Giens peninsula
** 43.056.4666673 Île du Levant — the second largest island is mostly reserved for military use, partly a long-established naturist community centred on the privately owned village of Héliopolis
** 43.0041676.3952784 Port-Cros National Park — the most mountainous of the islands is part of the national park, and is known for rare flora and as a bird refuge. Île du Bagaud is a tiny island that is part of the national park, but no access is permitted

## Understand

The principal industry of Var is tourism, thanks largely to the big summer influx of tourists to the South of France and the Mediterranean coast in particular, but also inland to the Verdon River Canyon and hilltop villages and vineyards.

### Tourist information

* Visit Var website

## Get around
### By bus

A bus network managed by Zou offers daily bus services to reach Toulon and its airport, Cannes, Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël, Saint-Tropez, Brignoles or Draguignan, or the main towns and tourist attractions of Var.

## See

Popular tourist attractions in Var include:
* The port and beaches of Saint-Tropez
* The seaside village of Sainte-Maxime, with waterfront promenade, shops and restaurants, and a ferry service to Saint-Tropez
* The beach of Cavalaire-sur-Mer, the longest sand beach on the coast
* Boat tours of the Rade, or harbour, of Toulon, the main anchorage of the French Navy
* Wind-surfing offshore of the peninsula of Giens
* Le Thoronet Abbey, one of the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monasteries in France
* The Baptistery of Fréjus Cathedral, the oldest Christian structure in Provence;The hilltop village of Bormes-les-Mimosas
* The Îles d'Hyères, including the underwater natural park around the Île de Port-Cros
* Hiking in the Massif de l'Esterel
* The hilltop villages of Gassin, Ramatuelle, Montauroux, Fayence, Callian, Seillans, Tourrettes, Saint-Paul-en-Forêt, Mons and Tanneron in the Fayence region
* The Verdon Gorge, Lake of Sainte-Croix and hilltop villages of the upper Var
* The hilltop villages, wine caves and vineyards near Bandol

## Do

* 43.255.7921 Circuit Paul Ricard is a motor-racing track near the town of Le Castellet that hosts Formula One and other big races. The last F1 was in July 2022 but it's not scheduled to hold one in 2023.

## Eat

Try the delectable tarte tropezienne while you are in Provence.

## Drink

AOC Coteaux varois en Provence is a recent appellation d'origine contrôlée in Provence. The name Coteaux Varois was first used in 1945, and became an AOC in 1993. the name was changed to Couteaux Varois en Provence in 2005. The red wines principally use the grenache, cinsaut, mourvèdre and syrah grapes. White wines use the clairette, grenache blanc, rolle blanc, Sémillon Blanc, and Ugni Blanc. There are 22 km² in this AOL. It produces 80% rosés, 17% red wines, and 3% white wines.
Bandol AOC, is grown on the coast west of Toulon, mostly around the villages of La Cadière-d'Azur and Castellet. Wines of this appellation must have at least 50% Mourvèdre grapes, though most have considerably more. Other grapes used are Grenache, Cinsault Syrah and Carignan.