Discover Provence Coast and French Riviera Best Kept Secrets

 

Provence Coast and French Riviera

Sanary - Historical City of Diving

 

Jacques Cousteau, Frederic Dumas and Phillipe Thailliez have been the pioneers of modern diving and they started and developed their technics and skills in the waters of Sanary and Bandol. The Frédéric Dumas International Diving Museum in Sanary contains unique collection of original diving equipments used in the adventure of modern diving

Diving Links

Western Var Region Diving Sites and Centers

View Larger Map

 

Sanary sur Mer

Port Issol Bay Underwater

 

Six-fours-les-plages

 

La Seyne sur Mer

 

Diving Sites - Islands

  • Bendor Island - Off Bandol Coast
    This small island, 7 minutes by boat from Bandol, is the hosting place of the smallest harbor on the Mediterranean.
  • Embiez Island
    The Embiez archipelago is a jewel of the Mediterranean with 95 ha of forest, vineyards, ‘garrigue’ and gardens. It is located 10 minutes by boat ride from Le Brusc harbor in Six-Fours-les-Plages, and 20 minutes from Sanary.
  • Port-Cros, Le Levant and Porquerolles

 

 

Additional Information



Beaches and Sea

 

 

Sanary Bay… 1967

National Geographic, June 1967 - French Riviera: Storied Playground on the Azure Coast

 

Six-Fours-Les-Plages

 

Beware of JellyFish!

They love French Riviera too! A suggestion: try Medusyl

 

The Beach Newspaper

 

Best Beaches between Marseille and Toulon

Calanques de Cassis
Saint Cyr - Les Leques
Bandol
Sanary
Six-Fours-les Plages
Le Brusc
Fabregas
Les Sablettes
Le Mourillon

 

Beach Regulation

Boats and Sailing

 


‘Tall Ship Race’ - Toulon, July 21-23 2007. Event organized by the Sail Training International

Pointus de Sanary (Fr)

Deep Sea Fishing

Mistrigri-Albacore
Sanary/Mer - Tel 04 94 74 36 54
Day-long fishing trip off the coast of Sanary. Specialized in tuna and swordfish fishing.
Departure at 6:00 am from Sanary harbor; return in the evening - July, August and September only.
170 Euros / Person, all fishing gear included.

Flawless
Sanary/Mer - Tel 06 80 45 28 45
Fishing and whales/dolphins/tortoise… watching. Day trip on 13 meters long fishing boat.
Departure at 6:00 am from Sanary harbor; return at around 8:00 pm from June through October, 7/7.
140 Euros / Person, fishing gear provided, catch between 3 to 6 Kg (6 to 12 pounds) of fish.

Sailing and Daily Cruise

Var Croisieres Eole
Toulon - Tel 04 94 32 73 04
Daily trips to Embiez, Porquerolles islands… on a 14 meters sailboat.
Sample Program: Departure at 9:00 am, lunch in a ‘Calanque’ (Creek) or at the harbor at Porquerolles Island, return at around 6:00 pm at Toulon.
80 Euros / Person (plus 5 Euros for meal) for a day trip, 70 Euros for children under 15 years old. Week end rate: 199 Euros.

Croix Du Sud
Sanary - Tel 06 09 87 47 97
Regular trips to Embiez island, daily cruises to Cassis and Marseille ‘Calanques’, whales and dolphins watching in collaboration with Regard du Vivant.
Rates from 12 to 25 Euros with discount for children between 3 and 12 years old.
Reservation at the Croix du Sud location on Sanary harbor.

L’Atlantide
Bandol - Tel 04 94 32 51 41
Saint Cyr - Tel 04 94 26 73 73
Discover the seashore trail between Bandol and La Madrague, hiking at the Cassis and Marseille Calanques.
Rates from 10 - 32 euros / person (8 to 22 for children between 4 and 12 years old).

Frédéric Mistral
Departure from Bandol, Embiez Island, Le Brusc for daily trips to Cassis Calanques.
Rates from 9 Euros (children from 2 to 12 years old) to 18 Euros (adults).
Information at 04 94 10 65 20

Aquavision
At the Embiez Island discover the underwater world aboard an underwater observatory equiped ferry. Information at 04 94 10 65 20.

Sailing Schools and Boat Rentals

Sanary Nautical Society
Sanary - Tel 04 94 74 16 39
The school is affiliated with the French Federation of Sailing, the Provence/Cote d’Azur League, French Sailing School Quality Label and Certified with the Department of Youth and Sports.
The school offers initiation, training and certification for all ages (starting for 7 years old children).
Rates vary from 100 - 160 Euros

Nautiq Conseil
Boating school of Sanary
Information at 04 94 88 05 04 or ecolnav@hotmail.com

Boat Rentals
Sanary - Tel 04 94 88 31 39
Located near the Port Authority, on the Baux Pier in Sanary (next to the lighthouse).
Rentals of 6 CV to 225 CV (6 to 15 persons), with or without boat permit.
Rates from 70 - 350 Euros / rentals (1/2 or full day)

Provence Stories and Lifestyle

 

July 14 Parade

Playing ‘Petanque’

The Best Petanque Bowl!

Marcel Pagnol : A true Provencal

Quiz about Marcel Pagnol, movie director (in French) - Quiz TV5


Hitch a ride for the time of your life in perfect Provence - Sunday Mirror, Apr 2, 2006 by CHRIS DREW Review from a Englishman in Provence.

Unusual Provence Tour (in French)

History

 


Pointe de La Cride, 1927, Sanary/mer - France.
October 2005, Marines Exhibit.Click Here to view slide show

Lumiere Brothers - Train arriving in La Ciotat station

Greek and Roman Trades

  • Wreck and archeological sites in Les Embiez and around
  • Roman ruins: Port Issol (Sanary)

Romanesque and Medieval Areas

German and Austrian intellectuals exiled in Sanary

German and Austrian intellectuals in exile

Food and Wine

 

Sanary Restaurants and Cafes

Lavender Biscuits

If lavender is commonly used in fragrances of different kinds - from perfumes to toilet sprays, it is rarely used in food. But the delights of lavender do not stop at its smell. Eating lavender is great too.

Ingredients:
125g of melted butter (unsalted)
1 egg
250g of flour
100g of sugar
1 tablespoon of dried lavender

Rub the butter together with the sugar and the egg until you reach an even texture. Add in the flour (all at once) and use your finger tips to knead the dough. Add flour if too sticky. When the dough has reach the consistency you like, add in the lavender. Cut the dough in half and put one of them in the fridge (brave chefs can skip that bit as I often do).

Preheat the oven gas mark 7/ 180° C /350 °F/, put a baking sheet on a baking tray. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until the dought is relatively thin, less than half a centimeter. Use a glass to cut the biscuits in a nice round shape and a knife to transfer them onto your baking sheet. Don’t forget the other half of the dough in the fridge and proceed in the same way. Bake for about 15 minutes until the side and the bottom of the biscuits are golden brown. Let them cool on a rack. Transfer onto a nice plate with some fresh lavender.

A specialty of Avy Bakery in Sanary is the Lavender Torte - A frangipane paste, dried lavender flowers and raspberry jam…

Lavender Tarts and other pastries

Wines and Drinks

  • Cotes de Provence
  • Cote de Bandol
  • Pastis / Anisette / Pernod

Fruits and Vegetables

  • Melons
  • Watermelons
  • Citrus
  • Figs

Olives

Provencal Specialties

  • Bouillabaise
  • Ratatouille
  • Soupe de Poissons / Rouille
  • Aioli
  • Pan Bagna
  • Fougasse
  • Tropezienne

Rougets

Aioli width=

Gigot

Forests, Garrigue and Gardens

 

BEWARE TO FOREST FIRES

Discover ‘Pinedes’ (Mediterranean forests): Aleppo Pine and Cicadas

Walks in the Garrigue and pick up ‘Herbes de Provence’

  • Valuable benefits of thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, basil…otherwise called ‘Herbes de Provence’.
    Beside giving tasty flavor in cooking, these plants have excellent properties for curing and relieving cold, stomach and digestion problems, dry skin , and more.
    More are http://pages.infinit.net/belber

Gardens

  • Lavender
  • Mimosa
  • Laurel Flowers
  • Palm Trees
  • Olive Trees

It is harvest time!

After wine harversting, before olives picking, chestnut is now the focus of all interests.

Who says Chestnut, means Collobrières. The Maures region capital is the center of the most beautiful orchard of the department. On the 10.000 hectares of green spaces and oxygen, 1.000 are dedicated to this tree that was for a while neglected, and is now being rediscovered for its vertues.

It is first an efficient firebreaker as we have often seen fires being stopped at the edge of chestnuts massif. Its fruits are delicious and are often used in dishes, desserts, soups, creams and others.

Its nutritious values are stunning and it is a mine of vitamins and minerals. It contains for 100g, 10 mg of Vitamin A, 25 mg of Vitamin B1, 20 mg of Vitamin B2, 220 of Vitamin C (as much as limon), 34 mg of calcium, 93 mg of phosphorus, 560 mg of potassium, 65 mg of sodium, 68 mg of sulphur, 51 mg of magnesium, .7 mg of iron.

Green Provence is also shows unique places and ambiance, candle dinners, jazz brunch, soups festivals…

These are places pleasant to live and where we appreciate products from earth and human contributions, where we cultivate art of Provencal Living.

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Sanary / Toulon / Provence