Toulon is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department.
| Government | |
|---|---|
| Mayor (2020–2026) | Hubert Falco |
| Area | 42.84 km2 (16.54 sq mi) |
| Population (2017-01-01) | 171,953 |
| Density | 4,000/km2 (10,000/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Toulonnais |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Toulon is the third-largest French city on the Mediterranean coast after Marseille and Nice.
Toulon is an important centre for naval construction, fishing, wine making, and the manufacture of aeronautical equipment, armaments, maps, paper, tobacco, printing, shoes, and electronic equipment.
The military port of Toulon is the major naval centre on France’s Mediterranean coast, home of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and her battle group. The French Mediterranean Fleet is based in Toulon.
Main sights
The Old Town
The old town of Toulon, the historic centre between the port, the Boulevard de Strasbourg and the Cours Lafayette, is a pedestrian area with narrow streets, small squares and many fountains. Toulon Cathedral is there. The area is also home of the celebrated Provençal market, which takes place every morning on the Cours Lafayette and features local products.
The Fountains of Old Toulon
- Fontaine du Dauphin, Place Paul Comte.
- Fontaine des Trois Dauphins, Place Puget
- Fontaine de l’Intendance, Place Amiral Sénès
- The Fontaine-Lavoir de Saint-Vincent, Place Saint-Vincent
- View of downtown Toulon and Mediterranean Sea from Mount Faron
The Old Town of Toulon is known for its fountains, found in many of the small squares, each with a different character.
The Upper Town of Georges-Eugène Haussmann
The upper town, between the Boulevard de Strasbourg and the railway station, was built in the mid-19th century under Louis Napoleon. Improvements to the neighbourhood included the Toulon Opera, the Place de la Liberté, the Grand Hôtel, the Gardens of Alexander I, the Chalucet Hospital, the Palais de Justice, the train station, and the building now occupied by Galeries Lafayette, among others.
The Harbour and Arsenal
Toulon harbour is one of the best natural anchorages on the Mediterranean and one of the largest harbours in Europe. A naval arsenal and shipyard was built in 1599. The shipyard was greatly enlarged by Cardinal Richelieu, who wished to make France a Mediterranean naval power.
Le Mourillon
Le Mourillon is a small seaside neighbourhood to the east of Toulon, near the entrance of the harbour. It was once a fishing village, and then became the home of many of the officers of the French fleet. Mourillon has a small fishing port. In the 1970s the city of Toulon built a series of sheltered sandy beaches in Mourillon, which today are very popular with the Toulonais and naval families. The Museum of Asian Art is in a house on the waterfront near Fort St. Louis.
Mount Faron
Mount Faron (584 metres (1,916 feet)) dominates the city of Toulon. The top can be reached by cable car from Toulon or by a narrow, terrifying road that ascends from the west side and descends on the east side. The road is one of the most challenging stages of the annual Paris–Nice and Tour Méditerranéen bicycle races.
At the top of Mount Faron is a memorial dedicated to the 1944 Allied landings in Provence (Operation Dragoon), and to the liberation of Toulon.
Climate
Toulon has a Mediterranean climate, characterised by abundant and strong sunshine, dry summers, and rain which is rare but sometimes torrential; and by hot summers and mild winters. Because of its proximity to the sea, the temperature is relatively moderate.
Because of the proximity to the sea, freezing temperatures are rare; an average of 2.9 days a year, and lasting frosts are non-existent. Snow is also very rare and it is even more rare for the snow to last during the day.
One distinctive feature of the Toulon climate is the wind, with 115 days a year of strong winds; usually either the cold and dry Mistral or the Tramontane from the north. The windiest month is January, with an average of 12.5 days of strong winds. The least windy month is September, with 7 days of strong winds.
Museums
The Museum of the French Navy (Musée national de la marine) is located on Place Monsenergue, next on the west side of the old port, a short distance from the Hotel de Ville. The museum building, along with the clock tower next to it, is one of the few buildings of the port and arsenal which survived Allied bombardments during World War II. Highlights include large 18th-century ship models used to teach seamanship and models of the aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle.
The Museum of Old Toulon and its Region (Musée du vieux Toulon et de sa région). The Museum contains a collection of maps, paintings, drawings, models and other artifacts showing the history of the city.
The Museum of Asian Arts (Musée des arts asiatiques), in Mourillon. The museum contains a small but interesting collection of art objects, many donated by naval officers from the time of the French colonization of Southeast Asia. It includes objects and paintings from India, China, Southeast Asia, Tibet and Japan.
The Museum of Art (Musée d’art) contains collections of modern and contemporary art, as well as paintings of Provence from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century.
The Museum of Natural History of Toulon and the Var (Musée d’histoire naturelle de Toulon et du Var) has a large collection of displays about dinosaurs, birds, mammals, and minerals, mostly from the region.
The Hôtel des arts was opened in 1998, presents five exhibits a year of works by well-known contemporary artists.
Education
Toulon has a conservatory (Conservatoire TPM, part of Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Toulon) which taught music, theater, dance and circus and an art academy called École supérieure d’art et de design Toulon Provence Méditerranée. Toulon is also home to a number of institutes of the University of Toulon, known until 2013 as University of the South, Toulon-Var. Toulon has a campus of KEDGE Business School.
Transport
Toulon is served by the Gare de Toulon railway station, offering suburban services to Marseille (1 train every 15minutes during rush hour), Nice, Paris and regional destinations. The port of Toulon is the main port of departure for ferries to Corsica. The nearest airport is the regional Toulon-Hyères Airport.
Gastronomy
Local food highlights include:
- cuisine from the Mediterranean and from Provence
- the cade toulonnaise, a local speciality composed of chickpea flour and which is equivalent to the Socca of Nice
- the Chichi Frégi, a type of donut from Provence.
- Smash Sandwiches, a common sandwich available from street vendors throughout Toulon.
Sport
The most successful of the city’s clubs are the rugby union team RC Toulon and the women’s handball team Toulon St-Cyr Var Handball, both playing in the top division of their respective sports.
The city hosts the final four of the annual Toulon Tournament, an international under-21 football tournament.
Toulon’s main football team is Sporting Club Toulon, which plays in Championnat National, the third level of French football.
