The French Riviera has no shortage of beautiful places, the whole coastline is a gem. It’s one of those places you just don’t get bored of visiting. I am always finding new spots that join my list of favourite places on the Côte d’Azur. Which, on this occasion, is the resort town of Saint-Raphaël, coming hand in hand with the town Fréjus. A visit to Saint-Raphaël is one you won’t regret.
This French Riviera town boasts history, beautiful beaches of both sand and pebbles, a palm tree lined promenade, restaurants, shops, old port, yachts galore to admire and appreciate the wealth of the area, plentiful sunshine days, in addition to temperatures that are admirable year round. So, lets take a look into a worthy visit to Saint-Raphaël.
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When to go to Saint-Raphaël?
How to get to Saint-Raphaël?
Where to stay in Saint-Raphaël?
What to do in Saint-Raphaël?
Saint-Raphaël in a nutshell: Basilique Notre Dame de la Victoire stands proud in the old town. The prominent dome visible from a distance lets you know just where you are – stunning Saint-Raphaël. The Ferris Wheel perched on the promenade takes your eyes to the Mediterranean Sea. Jardin Bonaparte, next to the Ferris Wheel, is where you can find people admiring the coastal views, relaxing and even kids playing at the park area.
Yachts rest in the old port, showing some of the wealth that remains in this area. Boats wait to depart with visitors to the likes of famous Saint-Tropez, or even for the more adventurous to go diving in the Med. Boat tours are aplenty.
Fréjus is stumbled upon without even realising it – head around the port (away from the Ferris wheel) and next thing you have reached Plage de Fréjus. Restaurants, beautiful ports and yachts, walkways, and beaches await you the further you go.
When to go to Saint-Raphaël?
As noted the weather is favorable all year – hot summers and mild winters.
I visited in May and would highly recommend going at this time of year. There is a lot more hustle and bustle than I had expected from this town, heading into summer time at least – it is lively and well frequented.
May allows a visit before the summer crowds appear, and you can enjoy a temperature hot enough for the beach, but comfortable enough to enjoy strolling the coastline.
Winter sees less visitors and in summer people flock here. I’d recommend the end of April through to the end of June, then September or October for the most comfortable experience in terms of temperature and crowds. But if you want the most vibrant atmosphere and temperatures without a doubt warm enough for the beach, summer is your time.
How to get to Saint-Raphaël?
Firstly, where on the French Riviera is Saint-Raphaël?
Saint-Raphaël is situated 66km from Nice, and a visit here will land you between Cannes and Saint Tropez.
The best airport to fly into is Nice airport – Aéroport Nice Côte d’Azur
From Aéroport Nice Côte d’Azur
– take the tram to Nice Saint-Augustin (€1.50)
– take the train (TER) from Nice Saint-Augustin to St.Raphaël-Valescure (from €13)
If arriving from Italy, or you’re already in Nice itself, again you will take the train. Hop on at the main station, Nice-Ville and ride to St.Raphaël-Valescure (from €13.90). The journey time is around 50 minutes – 1 hour from Nice-Ville.
Alternatively, it is often cheaper to fly into the French Riviera city of Marseille, which lies slightly further from Saint-Raphaël, but is just as accessible. Train will be the transport of choice again. From the main station Marseille St. Charles you can take a direct train to St.Raphaël-Valescure. The ride will be longer than from Nice, around 1 hour 40 minutes.
St.Raphaël-Valescure station is situated in the heart of the town.
Where to stay on a visit to Saint-Raphaël?
Saint-Raphaël has ample accommodation options. However, it is not home to any hostels as such for the solo budget travelers out there (which I normally am however was not on my Saint-Raphaël visit).
Hotel rooms and even apartments, although maybe not as conveniently located as some of the hotels, are very reasonable however. If there are two of you, hotel rooms/apartments can work out at the same price as a hostel bed would anyway.
Most accommodation in Saint-Raphaël itself should land you in a great location. That’s to say accommodation around the train station/old town/port/plage du Veillat will have you in a prime spot.
On my trip, the main accommodation focus was near the train station, as well as beach, restaurant, supermarket, port.
I got this spot on with a stay at Hotel Le 21.
Being relatively cheap and a 30 second walk away from the train station was what sold this hotel to me. On exiting the station, it was immediately in sight across the road to the right. Perfect as I had quite a lot of luggage on this trip.
The location really could not have been better. For example:
– 30 second walk to the train station
– 1 minute walk to Monoprix (supermarket) – was visible from my room
– 2 minute walk to Vieux-Port de Saint-Raphaël (you will most likely want to dine here)
– 4 minute walk to Plage du Veillat
– 4 minute walk to Jardin Bonaparte
– 7 minute walk to Plage de Fréjus
– 21 minute walk to Port Fréjus
– 36 minute walk to Plage de la Base Nature
The hotel itself was very pleasant and exceeded my expectations for the price.
It’s a small little hotel but the rooms are reasonably sized and with modern, bigger than expected bathrooms. It’s perfect for a few days. The main downside is the lack of a fridge or kettle, but this can be lived without for a short period of time.
If you don’t fancy this one as such, look for accommodation nearby and you’ll be in an excellent spot.
What to do when visiting Saint-Raphaël?
Essentially, visit Saint-Raphaël to relax and enjoy the true essence of the Côte d’Azur.
- Saint-Raphaël Vieux-Port
- Enjoy the area of the old port
- Many restaurants available around here that provide a wonderful setting for a meal or even just a drink.
- Jardin Bonapart
- Public garden/park
- Free entry, open from 9am until around dark (closing hours vary on the month)
- With just a small incline to the garden and viewing platform you can have a wander and be treated to amazing views of Saint-Raphaël and the extending coastline
- Play park area for children
- Good relax/picnic lunch spot
- Public toilets available
- Beaches
- Visit one, or some, of the beaches of Saint-Raphaël and neighbouring Fréjus, including Plage du Veillat, Plage Beau-Rivage – pebble beach, Plage de Fréjus, Plage de la Base Nature.
- Visit Fréjus
- Fréjus is the town next to Saint-Raphaël that you find yourself in without even realising it! Eating places aplenty along by the main street of Plage de Fréjus as well as further at the port. Be sure to stop off at Pinocchio for some delicious ice-cream. Easily found – located just as you enter Fréjus from the Vieux Port.
- Explore the area on foot
- With it’s continuous coastline, there is no shortage of beautiful walking (or running) available to you.
- Follow the promenade east from Plage du Veillat and you will reach Port de Santa-Lucia, from where you can join the coastal walk ‘Sentier de l’esterel’. I didn’t get the chance to do this part – I only ran as for as to the beginning, it will be on my list for next visit!
- Alternatively head west from the Vieux Port and you will immediately encoutenter Fréjus, from where you can continue along by Plage de Fréjus, reach Port de Fréjus and either head north to Fréjus town itself or rather stick to the coastline taking you to a beautiful stretch of sandy beaches – Plage de la Base Nature is very popular.
- Ride the Ferris Wheel
- Located on the waterfront of Saint-Raphaël, a ride on the Ferris Wheel will reward you with gorgeous views of the coastline
- €5
- Le Petit Train de Saint-Raphaël
- Take a 30 minute ride on the little tourist train around Saint-Raphaël
- Lovely little ride providing some historic insight as you go
- Leaves from the bottom of Jardin Bonapart, next to the Ferris wheel
- €6
- Tickets can be booked here, or can be bought from the driver.
- Sunday market
- Found along the waterfront in both Saint-Raphaël and by Plage de Fréjus on a Sunday morning
- Take a boat tour
- Boat trips aplenty are available from the ports of Saint-Raphaël and also Port Fréjus
- Various options from snorkelling/diving, to all inclusive tours of the coast, to boats transporting you to a different area from where you can be free to spend your day
- Booking/information centre located near the end of the port near the Ferris Wheel, next to Jardin Bonaparte
- Day trips
- Tying in with the boat tours, you can take a day trip, whether by boat, train or bus.
- A top choice to visitors of Saint-Raphaël is to visit St.Tropez.
- Saint-Raphaël lands you in one of the best locations from where to easily get to St. Tropez.
- Accessible by bus or ferry. Bus takes longer but is significantly cheaper, ferry is more expensive but faster, and the more exciting of the two. Had I been travelling on a backpacker budget like I usually am I would have taken the bus, but on my visit I took the ferry and it was great. The view leaving Saint-Raphaël was just lovely and it was very nice to be out on the water. A little tour of the Côte d’Azur by boat, leading to a day of exploring, perfect if you’re not so keen on just being on a boat trip for too many hours and prefer to get off somewhere and explore.
- Take a day trip by train to Cannes – a short ride away, 25-40 minutes depending on the train.
- Similarly take the train or bus to one of many other beautiful places along the coast.
Hopefully this guide gave you a better insight into a visit to Saint-Raphaël and makes you want to take that trip to an unmissable area of the Côte d’Azur.