Luxury holidays in Var

Saint-Tropez, Toulon and Hyères may be the Med-lapped stars of this southern France department, but Var has just as much terre as mer. Beyond its pretty ports and coves, trail-ribboned national parks of oak and pine forest, pocketed with scenic lakes, are your outdoorsy playground. And rafting in the Gorges du Verdon tops the wish-list for adventurers.

When to go

The Riviera’s enduring appeal means that Var’s coastal stretches can be crowded in July and August; June and September are blissful and balmy. Note that seasonal closing kicks in from November to March.

Getting there

  • Planes

    Marseille and Nice airports are your closest international runways for sojourns in Var; Toulon-Hyères welcomes domestic flights.

  • Trains

    Coastal services run between Toulon and Marseille, making a Riviera escape by rail perfectly possible. 

  • Automobiles

    For dedicated drivers, the glamorous top-down appeal of having your own set of wheels to explore this surf-and-turf department is hard to resist — but for fly-and-flop stays in Var, trains and transfers serve amply.