Toulon is one of the less glamorous cruise calls on the French Riviera itinerary, but it has a more honest character than many of its neighbours. France’s principal naval base occupies the western half of the great harbour, and the old town, Cours Lafayette with its morning market, the narrow streets of the pre-Haussmann centre, and the waterfront lined with pastis-and-pétanque cafes, is a working Provençal city rather than a resort. That distinction is worth appreciating.
For most cruise passengers, Toulon is a gateway. The Gorges du Verdon, a 700-metre-deep river canyon sometimes called the Grand Canyon of Europe, is around 2 hours by road from Toulon and is one of the most spectacular natural sites in France. Treat it as a long day rather than a half-day excursion. St-Tropez is 60 to 80 minutes by road in light traffic, or around 75 minutes by boat across the bay. The Îles d’Hyères (Porquerolles in particular) are reached by a 15-minute ferry from La Tour Fondue on the Giens peninsula, around 30 to 40 minutes’ drive from Toulon.
For passengers who prefer to stay close to the ship, Toulon itself is underrated. The Cours Lafayette market, the old town fish restaurants, Mont Faron by cable car for views across the bay, and the free Navy Museum on the waterfront fill a half-day very satisfactorily.
Port of Toulon: Where Ships Dock in Provence
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Port Type | Dock |
| Distance to Town | Immediate: city centre is steps from the cruise quay |
| Currency | Euro (€) |
| Language | French (some English in tourist areas) |
| Best Known For | Its role as France's principal naval base, the dramatic Gorges du Verdon nearby, and its position as a gateway to St-Tropez and the Îles d'Hyères. |
- Cruise Terminal , Quai Cronstadt, central waterfront
- Place de la Liberté , Main square and city centre
- Cours Lafayette Market , Daily covered market in the old town
- Mont Faron Cable Car , Panoramic cable car above the city
- Port de la Darse , Fishing and pleasure boat harbour
Toulon: Cruise Terminal, Quai de Cronstadt · View larger map
Getting From the Port to Town
Walking: The Best Option
Free- Walk time: 5 min walk to the old town and market
- The cruise terminal is on the Quai de Cronstadt, directly in the city centre. The old town, the Cours Lafayette market, and the main shopping streets are all within a 5-minute walk. Toulon's waterfront is pleasant to stroll, with views across the Grande Rade to the surrounding hills. The city itself can be thoroughly explored on foot.
Local Bus
€1.70 within Toulon; coach excursions from €20 to €60- Toulon has an integrated bus and metro network serving the wider city. For port-day purposes, the city centre is walkable and buses are mainly useful for reaching Mont Faron (change at Place de la Liberté) or the outer beaches. Organised excursion coaches to the Gorges du Verdon, St-Tropez, and Cassis depart from near the cruise terminal.
Taxi
€5 to €10 within city; €50 to €80 to St-Tropez; €60 to €90 to Gorges du Verdon- Taxis are available on the waterfront near the terminal. St-Tropez and the Gorges du Verdon are the main reasons to take a taxi from Toulon; both are expensive but manageable if shared among four passengers. For St-Tropez, a taxi to the port at Saint-Raphaël or Sainte-Maxime (20 to 30 min) and a boat across is sometimes faster than driving all the way around the bay.
Top Excursions
Sea kayaking in the heart of the Ramatuelle Nature Reserve
-"THE PLACE TO BE" because Exceptionally beautiful -In the heart of the nature reserve -The essential activity to do in the peninsula of Saint-Tropez -Family outing -Turquoise water guaranteed -Wild creeks -Ideal place for snorkeling
Check AvailabilityCellar Visit & Bandol Wine Tasting (in French)
During this activity in the heart of the Domaine Lou Capelan, you will be able to apprehend the different stages leading to the vinification of our Bandol wines. It will then be time to practice with the tasting of our different wines.
Check AvailabilityGuided Tour in Toulon: Port & Old City
Toulon is the capital of Var. Its importance as a central port city for the Mediterranean coast was known back in the Roman Empire. Toulon is a permanent base for the French Navy. Toulon also served Napoleon as the port from which he embarked on his journey to Egypt. We will walk along the port dock
Check AvailabilityTasting Bandol Wines & Visit of Cellar (in English)
We will start about a wine tour of the winery, around 30 minutes, in which we will explain the different process of wine-making of our products. We will go then to wine tasting, in which we will taste our Vin de Pays du Caume & Bandol Wines (Rosé, Red & White wines). 3 Vin de Pays & 3 Bandol Wines w
Check AvailabilityMore Experiences in Toulon
Bandol Wine Trip from Toulon & Ports
Embark on this magnificent experience in the company of our wine expert who was for many years a 3-star Michelin Chef Sommelier, he will have the pleasure of guiding you for 2 hours, making you discover all the stages of making a wine, teaching you how to taste a wine in a relaxed way with simple wo
Private Full-Day Calanques Tour: St-Cyr to Cassis
This private experience gives you the opportunity to discover the most beautiful spots in La Ciotat and the surrounding area in just one day. As a local guide born and raised in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, I will take you beyond the typical tourist routes and show you the hidden gems of the region. Every tou
Full-Day 3 Village Tour of Provence: Splendid & Secret
An incredible tour which starts at a near by, little known medieval village full of history, Napoleon and charm. We follow an ancient road through the mighty Gorges of Olllioules to our next destination, Le Castellet. Immediately we are surrounded by the famous vineyards of Bandol wine appellation,
Speleology, Exploration inside a secret cave
Caving in the day allows to really immerse yourself in this environment, even if the time markers are no longer the same it will be the opportunity to perhaps take your first meal underground while following the work of the water . Indeed this particular environment awaits you to reveal all its myst
The best excursions in Toulon fill up ahead of peak sailings. Compare options and book before you leave port.
Things to Do in Toulon
Toulon is genuinely worth a half day in its own right before any excursion. The morning market, the waterfront, and the cable car to Mont Faron can be done in three hours and leave plenty of time for an afternoon day trip. For passengers on a longer port call, the old town’s restaurants are an excellent place to spend a Provençal lunch.
The key choice is between destinations: the Gorges du Verdon for dramatic inland scenery, St-Tropez for the Riviera glamour and yacht harbour, and Porquerolles for the finest beach day in the western Mediterranean. All three require a full day. Passengers who want to stay close will find the city itself more interesting than expected.
- Gorges du Verdon. A 25 km canyon carved by the Verdon river through Provence’s limestone plateau, reaching depths of 700 metres and classified among the deepest in Europe. The Route des Crêtes road follows the southern rim with a series of viewpoints above the turquoise river below. The Point Sublime on the northern rim offers the most dramatic perspective. Excursion coaches from the cruise terminal make this accessible without a hire car.
- Île de Porquerolles. The largest of the Îles d’Hyères (the Golden Islands), Porquerolles is a protected national park with clear water, pine-backed beaches, and no private vehicles. The 15-minute ferry from La Tour Fondue arrives at the village, from which hire bicycles reach the island’s main beaches in 20 minutes. Plage Notre-Dame, on the northern coast, is considered one of the finest beaches in France.
- St-Tropez. The fishing village made famous by Brigitte Bardot in the 1950s retains its appeal in the old town: the citadel, the Place des Lices, the Annonciade museum, and the Place aux Herbes market. The Vieux-Port is lined with superyachts in season. Arrive by boat from Sainte-Maxime to avoid the summer road traffic that can extend journey times significantly.
- Mont Faron Cable Car. The cable car above Toulon rises to 584 metres and offers panoramic views across the Grande Rade, one of the finest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, to the surrounding massifs and the islands beyond. The summit has a zoo (specialising in big cats) and a memorial museum to the Allied landings in Provence in August 1944. Return tickets are €8.50.
- Cours Lafayette Market and Old Town. Toulon’s daily covered market is one of the liveliest in Provence: cheeses, olives, vegetables, and street food in a 19th-century building a 5-minute walk from the cruise terminal. The old town behind it has narrow streets with independent shops and restaurants serving Provençal cooking. The fish restaurants around the Port de la Darse, the inner fishing harbour, are good for lunch.
The Gorges du Verdon is one of the finest landscapes in France: a canyon up to 700 metres deep with a turquoise river at the bottom, ringed by a road with viewpoints that rank among the best in Europe. The round trip from Toulon takes at least 90 minutes each way, which means an organised excursion (departing early) or a hire car is needed to see it properly and return in time. It is worth the early start.
Eating Near the Cruise Port
- Dock Port
- 5 min walk to old town and market
- Euro (€)
What to eat in Toulon
Cade toulonnaise is the town’s own street food and it barely exists outside it: chickpea flour batter baked thin in a wide copper tin, cut into pieces and eaten hot with black pepper, a close relative of Nice’s socca and Genoa’s farinata. Chichi frégi are the sweet ones, long sugared doughnuts sold at the market. Provençal cooking otherwise means olive oil, tomato, aubergine and garlic, and ratatouille and tapenade both come from this coast.
What to drink
Toulon sits inside the Bandol appellation, which makes one of the best rosés in France and a serious Mourvèdre red, and both are far better than the pale supermarket Provence rosé most people know. Pastis is the aperitif, aniseed and cold water, drunk slowly. Coffee is small and taken standing at the counter.
Where to find it
It’s about five minutes from the berth to the old town. The Cours Lafayette market runs every morning except Monday and is the best thing in Toulon: a long street of Provençal produce, olives, spices and the cade sellers. The restaurants around it and along the port are ordinary French rather than tourist-facing, because Toulon is a naval city rather than a resort.
Good for a short port call
The Cours Lafayette market is five minutes away and worth going to even if you eat nothing. Cade is a two-euro, two-minute lunch.
Getting Around
Porquerolles, the largest of the three golden islands, has some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean and almost no motor vehicles. Ferries from La Tour Fondue (near Hyères, 30 min by taxi from Toulon) take 20 minutes to the island. Hire a bicycle there and you can reach the northern beaches: Plage Notre-Dame is among the best in France: in 20 minutes from the ferry landing.
Essential Travel Tips
The road to St-Tropez around the Gulf of Saint-Tropez is notoriously slow in summer due to traffic. A more reliable approach is to take a taxi or bus to Sainte-Maxime (30 min from Toulon) and cross the bay by ferry to St-Tropez in 20 minutes, bypassing the congested peninsula roads entirely. Ferries Bateliers run this route in season.
Toulon’s covered market on the Cours Lafayette runs every morning except Monday and is one of the best in Provence. Cheeses, charcuterie, olives, socca, and seasonal produce from local farms and fishermen. It is at its most vibrant in the first two hours of the morning and begins to wind down by noon. Worth an early visit before any excursion.
Plan around all-aboard rather than the headline sight, especially in Toulon where the journey back to the ship rewards a margin. A short packing list works in your favour: layers, water, sun protection and shoes that handle the local pavements.
Deciding between a shore excursion and independent travel in Toulon comes down to two things: how much you trust the local logistics, and how forgiving the return is if something runs late. First-time cruisers usually overestimate the difficulty of independent travel in compact ports and underestimate it in spread-out ones.
Excursions are worth the premium in some ports and not in others. Toulon sits in the middle: ship tours carry real logistical value on long day trips, but the city itself is straightforward enough that your spending money goes further on independent food, taxis and the occasional museum.
Repeat visitors to Toulon often time their next cruise around shoulder season; the difference in crowd density and cabin pricing is significant. Visa and passport rules rarely catch UK passengers out here, but the right cabin choice can make the rest of the cruise more comfortable than any single port day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both are reasonable choices. Toulon’s old town, morning market, and Mont Faron cable car make for a pleasant half-day without leaving the city. The Gorges du Verdon, St-Tropez, and Porquerolles are all significantly more dramatic, but require most of the port day to reach and return from. If your port call is 8 hours or more, a day trip is worthwhile. For shorter calls, the city itself is enough.
By road, St-Tropez is 60 to 80 km and can take 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic, which is severe in summer due to the single-road approach to the peninsula. The faster route in season is to take a taxi or bus to Sainte-Maxime (30 minutes) and cross by ferry to St-Tropez in 20 minutes.
Yes, but it requires an early start. The canyon is about 90 minutes from Toulon by road. A full excursion covering the main viewpoints of the Route des Crêtes takes 3 to 4 hours on site, giving a round trip of around 7 hours. Organised excursion coaches from the cruise terminal make this possible without a hire car.
The Cours Lafayette is a covered daily market (except Monday) in the centre of Toulon’s old town, running most of its length along the Cours. It sells fresh produce, cheeses, olives, charcuterie, fresh fish, and local specialities. It is one of the better Provençal markets and is at its best before 10am.
Take a taxi from the cruise terminal to La Tour Fondue, near Hyères (approximately 30 minutes, around €30 to €40). From La Tour Fondue, TLV ferries run to Porquerolles in 20 minutes. Return ferries run through the afternoon: confirm the last boat time before crossing, as services reduce after 6pm in high season.
The Toulon terminal is immediately in the city centre, so a dedicated shuttle is rarely operated. The old town, the market, and the waterfront are all within a 5-minute walk of the quay. Some cruise lines offer optional excursion coaches to the Gorges du Verdon and St-Tropez: these are paid rather than complimentary.
Toulon’s cruise terminal is in the central harbour, a 10-minute walk from Cours Lafayette and the old town. Most ships moor alongside; the working naval base occupies the western half of the bay. No tender is required for typical cruise vessels.
The cruise terminal is on the Quai de Cronstadt, directly in the city centre. The old town, the Cours Lafayette market, and the main shopping streets are all within a 5-minute walk. Allow 5 min walk to the old town and market.
The morning market, the waterfront, and the cable car to Mont Faron can be done in three hours and leave plenty of time for an afternoon day trip. For passengers on a longer port call, the old town’s restaurants are an excellent place to spend a Provençal lunch. The main options are Gorges du Verdon, Île de Porquerolles, St-Tropez.
The cruise terminal is on the Quai de Cronstadt, directly in the city centre. The old town, the Cours Lafayette market, and the main shopping streets are all within a 5-minute walk. Allow 5 min walk to the old town and market.
Toulon
Toulon is the most honest port on the French Riviera itinerary: less glossy than Monaco, less touristy than Cannes, and with a day-trip portfolio (the Gorges du Verdon, Porquerolles, St-Tropez) that is as good as anywhere in the western Mediterranean. Passengers who spend the whole day in the city will find it quieter and more genuine than expected. Those who leave for the gorge or the golden islands will not regret the early start.
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What We Check
- Berth and terminal details, including whether the port is walkable or requires a transfer
- Transport options and realistic return timing for different port types
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Typical Sources
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