Saint Raphael, France

The town of Saint-Raphaël (France) is located on the French Riviera, near Toulon and the beautiful port of Fréjus with its namesake bay. Beyond the city limits, the Esterel mountain range comes into view, and to the West- the Mont-de-Mars mountains, which slope down to the coast, forming chaotic coves and bays that have a red color due to porphyry rock formations.

The wonderful beach, protected by the surrounding mountains, lies deep within the bay, where two large tourist ports are also located, with a fleet of elegant sailing ships and motorboats, as well as the old port, where fishing and commercial activity continues to this day. Whether along the promenade or within the city itself, you can find countless stylish venues, cafés, restaurants, prestigious hotels, and boutiques.

The area of Saint-Raphaël at the mouth of the Argen mountain stream has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by megaliths and archaeological discoveries. Later, the Ligurians settled here, and then-following them-the Romans, who took control of this region in 151 BC. The Romans, however, were more interested in the neighboring Fréjus, founded in 49 BC, thanks to its strategic position, and they used Saint-Raphaël as a place for rest, as shown by the ruins of a Roman villa with baths and the remains of a nursery in the old port area.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Moorish pirate raids became frequent on these shores, resulting in the region being largely deserted. In the 10th century, the area became part of the lands of the Lérins Abbey, and from the 12th century onward, the Knights Templar established themselves here. Up until the 18th century, the settlement remained in complete obscurity, drained by enemy raids and malaria epidemics.

But in 1799 and 1813, it witnessed two events that became historical. These were Napoleon’s triumphant arrival after the Egyptian campaign, commemorated by an obelisk in the port, and the shameful dispatch of the fallen Emperor into exile on Elba.

The golden age of Saint-Raphaël began only in the middle of the last century, when the journalist Alphonse Karr, and then other writers-including Dumas and Maupassant-came here frequently, captivated by the charm of the area. After the intellectual elite came the social elite: luxurious villas and residential neighborhoods appeared here.

Today, Saint-Raphaël is a wonderful resort, suitable first and foremost for family vacations and an active lifestyle. Ladies will be able to visit spa facilities with thalassotherapy, while men can take up sailing, go for bike rides, go horseback riding, or enjoy a sea excursion in a canoe.

Here, you can and should enjoy the sea: 42 km of beaches-sandy and pebbly-stretch along the coastline, interrupted by stretches of unusual red cliffs of the Esterel.

In the city itself, there aren’t all that many sights. Behind the seaside boulevard, decorated with gardens and elegant buildings from the past century, and beyond the railway tracks that divide the city into two parts, lies the historic center, where the Saint-Pierre church is the dominant landmark. The church was built by the Knights Templar on the site of two earlier temples in the Romanesque-Provençal style. One of the church’s chapels houses an intriguing pagan monolith made of red sandstone, dating back to the prehistoric era. In the presbytery, there is an interesting Museum of Archaeology and the Prehistoric Period, which, among other things, has an extensive collection of Roman vases discovered in coastal waters.

After enjoying the sea and water activities, hikers and cycling enthusiasts, as well as people who enjoy horseback riding, can either go along the coast-from the Port of Saint Lucia to the hamlet of Bémette-visit the Dramont headland, the Golden Island, and the miniature port of Poussai, or enjoy the protected Mediterranean nature of the Esterel forest massif. Most of the massif is part of a protected natural area; however, numerous tourist trails run here, with a total length of 40 km, and guided horse and bicycle excursions are held (the total length of the paths is over 100 km).

Saint-Raphaël is located on the French Riviera and has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and a mild, damp winter. The average annual temperature is 14.4 °C, with an average maximum of 19.6 °C and an average minimum of 9.1 °C. Record temperatures were recorded on 9 January 1985 (−9 °C) and on 29 July 1983 (+42.5 °C).

The number of hours of sunshine per year is 2748; the maximum number (355.5) is in August, and the minimum (145.5) is in December. The average annual rainfall is 823 mm; the rainfall is unevenly distributed: the lowest amount falls from July to August, and the highest in October and November (in both months-over 110 mm of precipitation).