DESCRIPTION

Hyères-les-Palmiers is a beautiful Provencal town in the department of Var, attracting visitors who are in search of countryside and looking to explore. With the Îles d’Or archipelago (Golden Islands) just opposite, you can enjoy the unique, preserved setting here at Hyères, whilst observing rare species of flora and fauna. Also being a seaside resort, the town has had its fair share of illustrious visitors: Queen Victoria, Victor Hugo, Leo Tolstoy, Paul Bourget and Pauline Borghèse, to mention but a few.

HISTORY

Around the Fourth Century B.C., Greek sailors from Massilia established a trading post here which they named Olbia. In Greek, Olbia means «the happy one». Happy they certainly would have been thanks to the large reserves of salt from the nearby salt marshes and its booming leather, oil and wine trade. Near a port for galliots (a type of ship/galley), Olbia also had a marina enabling ships to stop over in the hope of escaping pirates which were rife at the time. After Ligurian invasions and numerous wars, Olbia was razed. The Romans settled the colony of Areae, which means «salt marshes» in Latin. At the beginning of the Eleventh Century, the Château was built on the hill. Subsequently, there followed the religious wars, the era of the Knights Templar, and epidemics... Only a few ruins are left of the Château. However, the Tour des Templiers (Knights Templar Tower) built in the Twelfth Century, is still standing.

ENTERTAINMENT

The town of Hyères puts on several festivals, such as the Midi Festival and the International Eurosud Show which is given over to model and figurine making. There are also many golfscourses. The Jazz Festival at Porquerolles takes place on Porquerolles Island.

WALKS

The old medieval hilltop town is a pleasant place to visit. In addition to the ruins of the Château, you can also see Eglise Saint-Louis, (church), Place de la République (square) and the Tour des Templiers (Knights Templar Tower) at place Massillon (square). Built in the Twelfth Century by the Knights Templar, this tower housed the town hall until 1914. In the Almanarre district, the Olbia archaeological site is excavating the trading post founded by the Greeks in the Fourth Century B.C. On the museum side of things, the villa Noailles houses a Modern Art Museum and an Art and Architecture Centre. Its gardens, comprising parc Saint-Bernard boast a wide variety of rare plant and animal species. The town also has the jardin d’Acclimatation Olbius-Riquier (zoological gardens). You can go on the salt tour which enables you to find out about trades associated with salt, its production techniques and so on, in the Pesquiers – La Capte salt marshes.

EXCURSIONS

A sight-seeing must is the Îles d’Or (Golden Islands) archipelago with its three main islands which so far have been spared from being put under concrete: Porquerolles Island where you can go on excursions by bicycle or on foot to explore this little paradise on Earth with few inhabitants. Port Cros Island: no bicycles here ! This is one of the most protected environments in France. You can see a wide variety of migratory birds and rare plants. The Giens peninsula, which was once an island, is well-known for its beaches and well-conserved nature: it is not unusual to see pink flamingos and other rare species of bird. The archipelago also includes Levant Island, as well as a multitude of little isles around about.

On the islands, swimmers can make an exploratory underwater trip. Simply equipped with mask and snorkel, you can observe the abundance of flora and fauna on the seabed and follow a signposted underwater route.

LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS

Located in the department of Var, the town of Hyères-les-Palmiers is a few kilometres from Toulon, and not far from Fréjus – Saint-Raphaël and Saint-Tropez. In the immediate vicinity are the towns of La Crau, Carqueiranne and Pierrefeu-du-Var.
The town is one of few to be served by all types of transport as it has its own airport and a large harbour.
By air :
Toulon – Hyères Airport is in the Hyères-les-Palmiers district. It serves France and some European countries. Two international airports are nearby: Nice Côte d’Azur International and Marseille Provence Airport.
By road :
The A8 motorway called «la Provençale» passes by the town; take the «Hyères-les-Palmiers» exit.
By train :
The TGV and the TER stop at Hyères railway station.
By sea :
The town has two harbour terminals: Tour Fondue, at the tip of the Giens peninsula, handles trips between the town and Porquerolles. For the islands of Port Cros and Levant, boats depart from Hyères Port.

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