guide
The Var is a department where you can swim in a deserted cove in the morning, eat a pissaladière at a village market at noon and kayak in a canyon in the afternoon. If you’re looking to visit the Var, you’re probably wondering where to start. Between the coast, the hinterland and the Verdon gorges, there is plenty to do.
We help you see more clearly to organize your stay in the Var!
The Verdon Gorges are what attract most visitors to the area, and rightly so. The canyon stretches for over 50 kilometers, with cliffs rising up to 700 meters. Two roads allow you to feast your eyes: the Route des Crêtes on the north side and the Corniche Sublime on the south side. Below, the Sainte-Croix lake and its 2,200 hectares of turquoise water. You can rent a pedalo or an electric boat there, and enter the gorges by water. One of the best ways to visit the Var without rushing.
Claire’s favorite: go to Sainte-Croix lake early in the morning, before 9am. The water is smooth, there’s almost no one there, and the light on the limestone cliffs is incredible. It’s a completely different place than in the afternoon in the middle of summer.
The Var is also the sea. And quite a bit of it: 432 kilometers of coastline between Bandol and Saint-Raphaël. The problem is choosing. Here are some beaches worth the detour:
If you visit the Var coastline with family, a campsite with water park near the beaches is a good compromise: the sea in the morning, water slides in the afternoon when the children want more.
Many visitors stay on the coast. Too bad, because the Var hinterland is well worth the detour. Tourtour, perched at 635 meters, offers a 360° panorama of Provence. Cotignac has a tuff cliff pierced with troglodyte caves right in the center of the village. Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, listed among the Most Beautiful Villages of France, is known for its pottery and that famous star suspended between two cliffs. Each has its own character, and none looks like the other.
« The Cotignac market, Tuesday mornings, is one of the most authentic in the area. Goat cheeses from the Canjuers plateau, olive oil from Brignoles, jams you can’t find anywhere else. If you only do one market in the Var, it’s that one. »
Ready to organize your stay? Take a look at our selection of campsites with water park in PACA!
The must-see places to visit in the Var are the Verdon Gorges, Lake Sainte-Croix, the beaches between Hyères and Saint-Raphaël, the villages of Tourtour, Cotignac and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, and the Esterel massif with its red rocks. Allow at least a week to see everything without rushing.
The best time to visit the Var is from May to October. But if you want to avoid the crowds, June and September are the two best months: the weather is fine, the sea is at a comfortable temperature, and prices are lower than in peak summer. The Var enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine a year.
Visiting the Var as a family works very well. The beaches are often lifeguarded, the Verdon Gorges can be explored by pedal boat even with young children, and campsites with a water park offer paddling pools and slides suited to every age. There's plenty to keep everyone busy.
Visiting the Var properly takes at least five to seven days to alternate between the coast, the hinterland and the Verdon. With ten days, you'll have time to add hikes and enjoy your campsite without racing through everything.
Swimming in the Var away from the beaches is possible at Lake Sainte-Croix, Lake Esparron, or in your campsite's water park. Good alternatives when you fancy a change from the sea.
