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Bandol
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Across La Ciotat bay are the fine sand beaches and unremarkable family resort of
LES LECQUES
, an offshoot of the old town of
ST-CYR-SUR-MER
, behind. The
train station
is in St-Cyr, but the
tourist office
(July & Aug daily 9am-7pm; rest of year Mon-Sat 9am-6pm; tel 04.94.26.73.73,
www.saintcyrsurmer.com
) is on the place de l'Appel du 18 Juin, on the seafront in Les Lecques. St-Cyr has the cheapest
accommodation
, such as the rather basic but serviceable
Auberge Le Clos Fleurie
(tel 04.94.26.27.46; 160-220F/€24-34), near the station on avenue General-de-Gaulle, but there's a greater choice in Les Lecques. A ten-kilometre
coastal path
(signposted in yellow) runs from the east end of Les Lecques' beach through a rare villa-free stretch of secluded beaches and
calanques
to the unpretentious resort of
BANDOL
, while inland are
vineyards
producing some of the best wines on the Cote, the
appellation
Bandol. The
appellation
covers a large area stretching from St-Cyr to Le Castellet up in the hills to the edge of Ollioules, just east of Toulon; you'll see
degustation
signs along the route. The reds are the most reputed, maturing for over ten years on a good harvest, with bouquets sliding between pepper, cinnamon, vanilla and black cherries.
In Bandol there are a number of cheap hotel options near the centre, including Hotel Florida (tel 04.94.29.41.72; 160-220F/€24-34) and La Cigale Bleue (tel 04.94.29.41.40; 160-220F/€24-34), not to mention plenty of other middle-range hotels such as the Hotel Brise , 12 bd Victor Hugo, close to the beach (tel 04.94.29.41.70; 300-400F/€46-61), with en-suite bathrooms. The tourist office , on allee Vivien by the quayside (July & Aug daily 9am-1pm & 2-7pm; rest of year Mon-Sat 9am-noon & 2-6pm; tel 04.94.29.41.35, fax 04.94.32.50.39) will help if you are stuck during the busy high season.
The other stretch of
coastal path
this side of Toulon is along the southern edge of the
Sicie peninsula
from Le Brusc. The path climbs up to the sturdy clifftop chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Mai, once a primitive lighthouse, which affords fantastic views of the coast and hinterland. The chapel itself is only open in May and on certain special dates (Easter Monday, August 15, and for the pilgrimage on September 14). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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France,
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