Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For dinner, head to
Les Charavins
( 04 94 95 03 76; 36 rue Charabois; mains
€18-26; dinner Thu-Tue, lunch Thu, Fri, Mon & Tue)
. This jolly wine-bar-cum-res-
taurant serves traditional French fare such as frogs' legs, onion soup and steak with
Béarnaise sauce. The atmosphere is relaxed and, as you'll have guessed from the hundreds
of bottles lining the walls, wine gets pride of place on the menu. Interestingly, it's BYO on
Tuesday, although with such connoisseurs in the room, you'll have to be confident with
your choice!
There are regular trains from St-Raphaël to Nice (€11.20, 1¼ hours, half-hourly),
Cannes (€6.70, 30 minutes, half-hourly), Les Arcs Draguignan (€5.40, 15 minutes,
hourly) and Marseille (€24, 1½ hours, hourly). Bus 4 goes to Fréjus old town (€1.10) from
St Raphaël bus station.
Fréjus
POP 52,953
Settled by Massiliots (Greek colonists from Marseille) and colonised by Julius Caesar
around 49 BC as Forum Julii, Fréjus is a quiet place. The appealing old town is a maze of
pastel buildings, shady plazas and winding alleys, climaxing with extraordinary medieval
paintings in an episcopal complex wedged between a trio of market squares.
Sights
All sights in Fréjus are open 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday
November to March, and to 6.30pm April to October.
Le Groupe Épiscopal
(58 rue de Fleury; adult/child €5/free)
Fréjus' star sight is the Groupe Épiscopal, built on
the foundations of a Roman temple. At the heart of the complex is an 11th- and 12th-cen-
tury
cathedral
, one of the first Gothic buildings in the region, and a
cloister
featuring rare
14th- and 15th-century painted wooden ceiling panels depicting angels, devils, hunters,
acrobats and monsters in vivid comic-book fashion.
The meaning and origin of these sci-fi like creatures is unknown. Only 500 of the ori-
ginal 1200 frames survive. If you can, bring binoculars for a better view or rent a pair at
the ticket desk for €1.
CATHEDRAL
