Hyeres Forum: Hyeres and Porquerolles - is it worth 3 days stay?

Thanks. That gives me rich enough picture of Hyeres and what can we do there. Hope the weather will be nice in September....

Hi, you should have lovely weather in September and without the crowds! Don't forget the port area as Hyeres is in two parts, suggest the Sunday morning market in the port, followed by a walk around the harbour and later a rest in the Olbius Riquer gardens (5mins by car from port), certainly you can spend a day in the town, just keep walking uphill to see most of the sights, September will not be busy on the ferry however if not prepared to hire a cycle and explore Porquerolles then I would not visit, instead drive to Toulon and drive to the top of Mount Farron or have a boat trip around Toulon port sightseeing the French naval fleet, whatever happens you will fill 3 days seeing a traditional French town (with 7000 palm trees in the commune) which as yet remains off the traditional tourist trail! any other info you require then let me know, I've had property there for 20 years and can probably answer most questions, I hope you love it and return!!

Hi boathousefrance,

can I ask you a couple of questions? Is it worth spending 5-7 days in Hyeres without a car? Is it easy to get around by public transport? Are there good beaches within walking distance or it's better to go to Le Lavandou where seems to be 12 nice beaches not far from each other? I've heard it's very windy in Hyeres so probably will be too cold to swim in September?

Thanks in advance!

Hi, there are a number of beaches in Hyeres all within walking or cycling distance of the port, some are stones others are sand, in September they will be mainly empty of people, I must say that if it's beach only you are interested in then go to Le Lavandou, it has a large pleasant promenade and nice sand, however the town is not as interesting as Hyeres old town.

There is good public transport in Hyeres plus the train station, you could spend 5/7 days in Hyeres Port and town centre (very old and interesting) but it's to far to walk from the port to town , you would need a bus or cycle.

Personally I think June and September are the best months, the whole of Hyeres is sheltered by the mountains and is probably less windy than other resorts - very climatic! of course there are the traditional French winds but they are not constant and September is normally very pleasant, I go into the sea September and even have in November. Let me know if you want anymore information - Martin

Thanks so much for your help!

Hi,

Sorry to hijack this thread but this information is invaluable! I am planning a one month driving holiday in August, along the French coast and into Italy, hopefully spending 7-10 days' in France, exploring as many beaches as we can.

This is one of the areas that was on our list to visit and perhaps stay for 1-2 nights, but after trying to fit so many places, we decided to miss this area out, obviously a bad idea!

To add this into our itinerary we would need a very cheap place to stay! We will have a tent and a car, so camping slightly outside the area (but still on public transport route as I hear parking maybe problamatic) is an option. Our maximum budget would be €35 per room per night.

Would appreciate any recommendations for places to stay in this fantastic sounding area.

Thanks

Hi, you will not get anything for 35 Euros in this area, August is always fully booked and busy! suggest you pre book on internet somewhere to pitch your tent due to demand, Martin

ps try Camping Manjastre, Bormes - if they have vacancies you will not be disappointed! Martin

I understand we are going to have difficulties with it being August, trying to do everything we can now to eliminate as many problems as we can as it's the only time of the year we can manage, plan dates and route and book as much accommodation as possible before we travel.

Thanks for the suggestion for the campsite, had a quick look at it and looks just what we want! Might even spend a few days there and just travel to the different areas from there.

Thanks again for your very helpful recommendation.