Fancy going off the well trodden South of France track yet enjoy a destination that offers all and more than any of the chic well known Cote d’Azur holiday hot spots?
You need to make a little more effort to get to Sanary Sur Mer. There are no package holidays to it. We fly to Marseille, travel by shuttle bus from the airport to St Charles train station, take the local train to Ollioulles, then taxi or local bus ( infrequent) into Sanary. Fortunately we have made good friends and they pick us up at the station. A feature of this town is how friendly the locals are to visitors.
What to do when you get there?
This was a major centre for Germans (mainly Jews) escaping from the pre war horrors of Nazi Germany. Famous English literati stayed here too.There is a memorial to them outside the Tourist Information office and you can visit the homes they stayed in and the cafes they frequented. La Marine on the harbour side is still full of character and history.
There is a beautiful memorial to the 22,000 Polish army officers and men killed by Stalin during the Second World War.
The old village s still preserved and the streets washed every morning. Cafes, restaurants and small independent shops abound. No chains her, not a Starbucks, Costa, McDonalds, KFC anywher to be seen. Small independent bakeries with baguettes and Pain au Raisin to die for.
People watch at the Sport Bar, wander along the front, visit L’Eglise de la Pitie ( 15th century) on a hill above the town, wander along to the beach at Port Issol.
There is a daily open air market at which you can buy all your produce and a huge weekly market on Wednesdays which was voted the best outdoor market in France in 2018.
During summer there is a nightly craft market and free street entertainment.
Need I go on?
A little pice of heaven on earth.
