Situated a stone’s throw from the busy city of Toulon, and
an equally short distance from the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea,
the old town of Hyères offers something a lot more peaceful. Cosy narrow streets and alleys climb steadily
up a sun-baked hillside, crowned by the ruins of the town’s ancient castle. Hyères served as an upmarket winter retreat
for 18th century British monarchs attracted by Provence’s pleasant climate,
but has since been lost from the mainstream tourist trail and reclaimed by the
rich local culture. I was really excited
to discover this Provençal gem and the colourful historic landscape it has to
offer.
Hyères is everything I dream of when imagining southern
France. Narrow medieval streets are lined
with softly coloured buildings with typically Mediterranean shutters and washing
draped from window ledges. Colourful
squares are filled with tables and chairs; people sit outside café bars soaking
up the sunshine, and watching the day go by.
This town has a real charm which is very easy to fall in love with.
Something I love about the town is its lack of well-known
brands. The old town is crammed full of
small family owned shops offering a range of crafts, souvenirs and local
produce. I got carried away sampling
local olives, cheeses and wines – Hyères is a playground for the senses!
As is the case in many French towns, history is a very
prominent theme in Hyères. There are
constant reminders of times gone by, which is not surprising considering the
town’s long and interesting past. There
is evidence of human inhabitation of the area since the 4th century
BC, when bloody battles took place between the local Massiliote people and the
Ligurian tribes. However, it was during
the medieval period when Hyères began to grow into a thriving community,
protected in the 11th century by a hilltop castle and a series of
fortified walls. Whilst the castle
stands in partial ruin today, it still opens up a window into Medieval France
and provides extensive views of the terracotta rooftops of the old town and out
towards the coastline.
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| Rooftops of Hyeres from the castle |
Whilst the town itself is a few miles inland, the sea is
within easy reach. The closest beaches
to Hyères are dominated by a vast saltmarsh ‘Les
Salins de Hyères’, and whilst this is quite an interesting landscape, it’s
not the most picturesque. For the best
beaches in this area, head to the east of La Londe.
This is the first of a series of posts on my journey through
the beautiful French Riviera, keep updated over the coming days and weeks for
my thoughts on Cassis, Le Lavandou, Théoule sur Mer and Menton! Thank you so much for reading, feel free to
leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
Elis Griffiths. x
