TOULON: Ultimate World Cruise / Ep. 99 – From Naval Base to Beaches: A French Adventure

oin us as we explore the charming town of Toulon, a hidden gem on the southeastern coast of France. Nestled between Marseille and Nice, Toulon offers a blend of rich history, vibrant harbor life, and stunning Mediterranean views.
In this video, we start our journey with a scenic boat ride from La Seyne-sur-Mer, soaking in the picturesque coastline and learning about the town’s strategic naval importance. Once ashore, we hop on a tourist train to uncover Toulon’s lesser-known spots, including its historic naval base and the lively waterfront promenade.

We stroll through the colorful markets, admire the vibrant local culture, and even find time to relax at the nearby beaches. With perfect weather and a laid-back atmosphere, this adventure in Toulon is one for the books.

Whether you’re a history buff, a beach lover, or simply looking for a unique travel experience in France, this video has something for everyone. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to follow our ongoing Ultimate World Cruise journey!

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It’s day 210. Welcome to Toulon. There’s sunshine, history, and Mediterranean charm. Join us on this French adventure. Toulon is strategically located on the southeastern coast of France, nestled between Marseille and Nice, right along the Mediterranean Sea, making in a key naval port and a scenic gateway to province. Welcome to Toulon. We are in La Seyne now. We’re not in Toulon. Toulon is on the other side of the bay. You must take the boat leading from the dock just outside the exit. Okay, and we can take the boat. We can pay for it over here? Exactly. Okay. We just got off the ship and we’re heading to Toulon. Nice shuttle boat, huh? It’s like a 30-minute ride. The boat ride’s fun. We’re in France, but he said we weren’t in Toulon yet. Toulon? Toulon? He said we weren’t there yet. We’re going to have to go over there by boat. This area has the biggest French navy. It’s their main port. We’ll be going by and you’ll be able to see some of the navy ships. That’s kind of the primary reason this is here. It’s a small town. We decided not to go inland. We could have taken a train and gone to some more medieval towns, but we have to be back on the ship by 3 o’clock. And, well, we’re running out of steam. Our ship is docked at La Sayne sur-mer. Just across the bay from Toulon. The tender boat transfer, it feels like a delightful harbor tour, offering stunning views of the Mediterranean coastline. With the weather being absolutely perfect, sunny skies and a comfortable breeze, we couldn’t ask for a better day to explore. As we glide across the water, we soak in the picturesque scenery. We’re admiring the vibrant colors of the town, and the sparkling blue sea all around us. My first impression is of a vibrant harbor, crowded with sailboats and tour boats, while cafes and restaurants line the waterfront, offering scenic views. The first thing we notice after stepping off the tender is one of those charming tourist trains. These are quite common in European cities, especially where tourists gather. They’re great for quick introduction and orientation, showing you key spots and giving ideas for further exploration. They’re typically priced between 5 and 10 euros, with rides lasting anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. So we decided to hop on for 9 euros each to discover Toulon. Considering that Toulon doesn’t offer much in the way of attractions or activities, particularly on a quiet Sunday, a day at the beach sure seems tempting. After passing through typical city streets, alongside an old navy base, and skirting the bay with views of a small boat harbor, we arrived at Fort St. Louis. The tourist train doesn’t stop, it’s just a ride. Beyond the fort, though, begins the beach area. There are four small beaches here, the first being natural and then the other three are man-made. A charming park nearby also makes for a great picnic spot. This inviting beach area is conveniently close to Toulon City Center. It offers an ideal place to unwind and enjoy the day. Today is scorching hot and the sun is beating down intensely. Just look at the streets, they’re nearly deserted, prompting us to limit our walking. As we go by, we see this pedestrian street, and it looks like a very lively market. It’s catching our eye, and so we plan to explore it later for a while. [music] Now we’re entering the area that’s known as Little Chicago, and it served as Toulon’s red light district from 1950 to 1970. It was infamous for its shady night bars, where sailors and other men were approached by women of the night, giving this neighborhood a notorious reputation during those decades. Right next to the Little Chicago is Toulon’s naval base. It features a unique clock tower with a wooden bell on the top. This is the principal base of the French Navy, and it happens to be the largest in the Mediterranean. We took that little train tour, and it was definitely worth it. I’d recommend it. It’s a small town, and some of the places that we saw that you wouldn’t know about, like the beach, was beautiful. If you wanted to come here and just, like, take your stuff and just go to the beach, probably take an Uber or whatever to the beach, that would be a really nice way to spend the day. It was a beautiful park, and we saw some other parts of the town now that we’re going to walk to, and if it wasn’t for the little train, probably wouldn’t have found it, but it was worth it. I liked it. Well, it’s only nine euros, though. Yeah, nine euros, and it was cool in the shade. It was quite entertaining. These buildings on the waterfront, well, they’re ordinary, but the view, it is extraordinary. Toulon’s prominade, it remains the central gathering spot for everyone in the city. This is really nice. I saw this waterfront. I thought it’d be really nice down here. That’s wonderful, yeah. Yeah. Just place to have a cold beer and watch people. Oh, yeah. Amazing amount of sailboats. Amazing yes. After strolling along the waterfront, we decided to head to the market on the pedestrian street. It seems like all the action is happening over there today. Fresh spices. Well, we welcome. Oh, small. Yeah. Yep. Craving fresh fruit. I know. Fresh food. Our food is not fresh. No, it’s not. I’m craving it. I want to go home. I know. Oh, look at these beautiful cheeses. Those are those tomatoes we like. Yeah, they’re rugby. Rugby. I think when we get home, we’re going to live on tomatoes. Yeah. Actually, it’s really nice and colorful Tressa. Oh, it goes and goes. Wow. Oh, yeah. It’s nice and cool in here. Yeah. Yeah. I wonder if it is just on Sunday. Probably just Sunday. Look at the size of those peppers. Keeps going. Keeps going and going. After two hours, like basically 45 minutes on the little train, walking around by the time you did the boat transfer, it’s been two hours. And, well, it’s not a whole lot else to do. It’s Sunday. And we’re ready to just go have a beer on the waterfront. So, I’m going to go buy Zarko a beer. A French beer? Of course. With a French kiss. Okay. Yeah, you got to drink beer around the world. A traditional French breakfast is this. It’s not like what we get. You get a croissant, a baguette, orange juice. Looks like a, but that’s probably espresso. Espresso. And some probably real butter. And chocolate or what? And jam. And jam. That’s the real breakfast. Can’t beat the setting. We’re sitting here looking right out at the harbor. Perfect place for a beer. Yeah, and a glass of wine. Oh. Yeah. It’s better than beer. It’s not so filling. Wow, that’s really good wine, actually. Well, we’re leaving Toulon. The French Navy, they have a few rust buckets. Maybe they’re going to recycle the metal. Today was a slow-paced port visit. We did enjoy every moment of our brief stay, and of course, the laid-back atmosphere. It was a short visit, but we saw enough. What did you think of Toulon? It had a nice beach. Yeah, well, a lot of nice beaches are all here, Tressa. Stay tuned for our next episode. We’ll be visiting Palma de Mallorca, marking our first Spanish port and the 100th episode of the Ultimate World Cruise. Keep the likes and comments coming. We really appreciate them. Stay tuned there will be manh more ports and adventures await on this incredible journey.