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Camping Hyères: touristic places not to be missed

Hyères les Palmiers, a city steeped in history

Welcome to Hyères-les-Palmiers, the city of palm trees!
Take advantage of your stay on the French Riviera to immerse yourself in this seaside town with more than 2400 year history.
We have selected the city’s emblematic sites and monuments for you, for a journey through the centuries during your stay in a camping Hyères.

Le site archéologique Olbia

Olbia archaeological site

From your camping Hyères, your air-conditioned mobile home rental or your apartment by the sea, immerse yourself in the ancient history of the city!
More than 2400 years ago, on the shores of the Almanarre beach, the ancient Greek port city of Olbia, which means “the blessed one”, was located at the crossroads of maritime trade in the Mediterranean. Alleys, shops, thermal baths, houses, sanctuaries… so many places of life that attest to the richness of this city. Free or guided tours to discover the origins of the town Hyères.

Medieval city, Castel Sainte-Claire park and ruins of the Castle (Château d’Hyères)

Go back in time to medieval times during a walk in the old town, « Vieux Hyères » as the locals say! Go through Porte Massillon and enter this ancient fortified town as far as Place Massillon and the Tour des Templiers which dominates it. Cobbled streets, porches, old doors and flowered houses will guide your wanderings in all seasons. The Parcours of Arts, a local initiative intended to energize the city centre, will allow you to visit workshops and shops of artists or craftsmen of heterogeneous styles, passing not far from the Saint-Paul Collegiate Church or the Saint-Louis Church, two jewels of the religious heritage of Hyères, but also the old washhouse (ancien lavoir), accessible from a staircase descending from Place Saint-Paul.

Above, we advise you to discover our favourite: the Parc du Castel Sainte-Claire, to experience a rejuvenating and bucolic interlude in this remarkable garden, whose Castel was built in the 19th century by Olivier Voutier, one of the discoverers. of the Venus of Milo. In 1927, the American novelist Edith Wharton bought the property and had the current botanical garden laid out there, of great wealth, notably composed of many exotic species. A real invitation to travel…about 20 minutes from your camping Hyères.

Les ruines du Château d’Hyères

Continue your historic walk to the ruins of the castle (Château d’Hyères)… Built in the 11th century by the Lords of Fos, at the top of the hill overlooking the sea, the old castle, rebuilt over the centuries, was intended to observe and coastal defence, including pirate attacks. Walk the paths laid out under the trees, pass through the ruins, towers and ramparts to the observation tables, from where the view is breathtaking over the city, the peninsula of Giens, and the three Golden Islands, which stretch a stone’s throw from the continent, including the radiant Port-Cros and its eponymous National Park created in 1963.

Understand why an anonymous person wrote in 1861: « I have just visited the ruins of the old castle, and enjoyed this immense point of view. This day restores to my heart all the freshness of youth and memory. »

At the beginning of the 20th century, the city took on new life with its mild winters and became a renowned seaside resort, frequented in particular by Queen Victoria from 1892, following the footsteps of the British aristocracy who came to enjoy the fresh air and the sun of this winter tourism. Hyères attracts artists and writers through the decades…

Camping Hyères only became popular from the 1960s, with the strong growth in departures on family holidays by the sea.

Villa Noailles

Villa Noailles & Parc Saint-Bernard

Going back down to the city center, another essential step… The Villa Noailles, today an Art Center focused on architecture, design, fashion and photography, is one of the first modernist buildings in France. Designed in 1923 and inhabited from 1925, the initial villa built by the architect Robert Mallet-Stevens on behalf of Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles, wealthy patrons of modern art during the Roaring Twenties, applies the precepts founders of the rationalist movement. The successive extensions until 1933 as well as the remarkable development of the site will make the modest holiday home a real stationary liner of 1,800 m².

Located at the foot of the Villa, the Saint-Bernard Park occupies a privileged place and offers a marvelous panorama on the horizon and on your camping Hyères. A garden designed by the Vicomte de Noailles himself, with rare exotic and Mediterranean species.

 

Enjoy your campsite in Hyères is the ideal starting point to discover the riches of the city.

The essentials in Hyères in the Region Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur :

Want to find out more about the charming town of Hyères and its heritage?
Book your accommodation with Vacances Giens ! Camping Hyères pitches, air-conditioned mobile homes, apartments by the sea… All you have to do is to make your choice.