Since our initial sabbatical year abroad, Nik and I have always said we would try to meet up with friends if they happened to take a trip to Europe. Lucky for us, such a thing happened at the beginning of May when our friend Courtney was a on a cruise with family that was stopping in Toulon.
Where is Toulon
Just over 90 minutes East from Nice by car, Nik and I took a road trip with Koval the dog to spend a few nights in Toulon. It was an easy enough location to visit so we could catch up with Courtney, her mom and brother for a few hours while their cruise ship was docked. Much like Nice, Toulon is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southeastern France.
We found a decent looking Airbnb located near the port and across from Stade Mayol, home to Toulon’s rugby team.
The building our Airbnb was in has quite the history. Located along the harbor front, it was an area that was greatly destroyed during World War II. During the 1950s, this area of Toulon went under a phase of rebuilding and reconstruction. Dubbed ‘la Frontale,’ the series of buildings was designed and built in an almost identical manner. I’m sure at the time, the design was a great marvel. Now it just looks dated.
Overall, the location was great and within easy walking distance of much of Old Town and several charming squares.
Port of Toulon
Nik and I didn’t know much about Toulon, other than that it’s home to the French Navy and was liberated by the Allies during World War II in Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France.
In terms of yacht watching, it was mostly ferry ships to Corsica, local fishing boats, coastal tour boats and Navy ships in the distance.
For obvious reasons, the Military Port of Toulon is pretty guarded with restricted access so we couldn’t get too close. The most notable Navy vessel we were able to identify was Dixmude (L9015), an amphibious assault ship, a type of helicopter carrier.
Toulon is also the home port of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, the flagship of the French Navy. It is the first French nuclear-powered surface vessel, and the only nuclear-powered carrier completed outside of the United States Navy. The only views of additional Navy vessels we could get was from atop Mont Faron. (More on that below.)
Dining out in Toulon
One of the highlights of our stay in Toulon was a delicious lunch with Courtney, her brother Matt and their mom Barb. After a quick stop at our Airbnb for Koval to see his “Auntie Courtney” we walked to Toulon’s food hall, The Halles de Toulon, for some wine before going to lunch.
Related: Seeing Courtney in Amalfi Coast, August 2022!
BEAM! Kitchen
Nik and I learned about BEAM! Kitchen from a YouTube video and though there isn’t a published menu since it changes frequently, we took a chance and made a lunch reservation since it looked very good. It ended up being delicious and a hit among all of us.
A few of us started with the special cocktail of the day, a tasty fruit punch concoction, as shown below as Nik enjoyed his.
The lunch menu featured three courses for 35€ and appears to change daily, or at least quite regularly. To begin the meal, a butternut waffle and some dips were brought to the table for sharing.
One of the dips was a pea and mustard purée with parmesan on top and the other was a carrot and spices dip: lemon gel infused with vanilla. Both, along with the waffle, were so good.
For the entree course, we were given the choice of meat, seafood or vegetarian and you didn’t know how they’d be prepared.
I chose the seafood which was served as a piece of sea bass with fennel and an immersion with ginger, asparagus, milk and apples gently piled on top. Nik chose the meat, which ended up being chicken with artichoke, mushroom, shallot, mashed potato and a parmesan crumble. Much like the first course, these entrees were delicious.
We finished lunch with a rich but delicious dessert — panna cotta, a classic Italian treat made from sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and set in a mold. Ours came infused with pepper and vanilla, paired with an almond cake crisp over diced strawberry and basil.
Our whole group agreed that lunch at BEAM! Kitchen was fantastic. I’m so glad we took a chance to eat there, not knowing ahead of time how the menu might shape up. I highly recommend a meal there and should I ever visit Toulon again, I would definitely return for lunch or dinner.
Le Chantilly
As Nik and I randomly strolled through Toulon’s Old Town, we came upon a rather busy square that had restaurants at each corner. Le Chantilly was one spot that appeared pretty busy and had a good looking menu. We got seated outside under the awning, so we had some air but also were covered from the hot sun.
I chose the Caesar salad for my lunch and Nik chose the roasted chicken. Both of these dishes are our go-to’s quite often. I always like to use a Caesar salad as baseline of restaurants. They’re pretty hard to screw up, but it can happen.
Our entrees were great, and we wrapped up lunch by sharing a banana split.
Bière de la Rade
There isn’t much of a beer scene in Toulon, but Nik did find a brewpub, Bière de la Rade. We took a short Uber ride to check it out and were glad we did.
The bartender spoke wonderful English and was incredibly friendly. Along with our beers, we ordered tacos and pizza for dinner. Sadly, no pictures of the food, but it was very good. Since we were driving back to Nice and not flying, we bought some beers to bring back with us.
Place de l’Equerre
One plaza I want to mention is Place de l’Equerre within Old Town. It’s a very pedestrian-friendly area, with bars and restaurants lining the edges and offering plenty of outdoor seating.
We stopped at Church Beer and ordered some tapas: meatballs, gyoza and chicken tenders. They hit the spot with our beers.
Sightseeing in Toulon
We spent one morning exploring a few historical markers near the port and Maritime Museum before heading up to Mont Faron via cable car.
The Musée National de la Marine, pictured below, opened in 1814. It traces how Toulon became the Mediterranean’s largest naval port in the reign of Louis XIV, The Sun King. For one reason or another we didn’t go in, though we probably should have.
Mont Faron
Overlooking the city of Toulon is Mont Faron. You can reach it by driving or taking a cable car. We chose the latter. Of note, the cable car was inaugurated in 1959.
The ride up and viewing platform once you reached the top offered gorgeous views of the city.
Also at the top of Mont Faron is a memorial dedicated to the 1944 Allied landings in Provence (Operation Dragoon), and to the liberation of Toulon. But it was closed! We were bummed. The website never reflected the closing but France has a habit of making a long weekend if a holiday falls on a Thursday, and the day before was May Day.
We did see a Sherman Tank.
The M4 Sherman was the medium tank most widely used by the United States and Western Allies in World War II.
Putting a bow on Toulon, I’m glad we had an excuse to visit. Much like the whole country of France, Toulon has so much history that it was fascinating to explore and enjoy some of the amazing views around the city.
