Saint-Raphaël, French Riviera, France
Saint-Raphaël, a town bordering Frejus, is located near the Esterel Massif. It is popular seaside resort with fine beaches and nice residential area Boulouris-sur-Mer. Le Dramond and Agay are located on the eastern border of the town and they are a gate to amazing red rocks of the Esterel Massif.
Parking in Saint-Raphaël
The town has a very nice underground parking lot (Parking Bonaparte - P; GPS: 43.422176, 6.765761), located just at the coast. Above the parking lot you will find very nice boulevard (GPS: 43.422076, 6.763726), where you can walk and admire nice views of the sea and the coast (A; GPS: 43.422076, 6.763726). In the farther distance you can see the beaches and marina of Saint-Raphaël (B; GPS: 43.415180, 6.776290). Once we saw here interesting exercises for water bombers. Canadair CL-415 SuperScoopers (amphibious aircrafts) were dropping water - it was really very spectacular. These aircrafts are used by Sécurité Civile (French government civil defence agency).
The walking tour
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Victoire (C; GPS: 43.422637, 6.766999) is located not far from the coast. In the neighboring streets you can find many boutiques and shops. The Promenade Rene Coty is full of cafes and restaurants (D; GPS: 43.421695, 6.768125). In old town you can find interesting archeological museum (E; GPS: 43.425974, 6.769224).
Massif de l'Esterel
When you try to drive D559 local road along the coast in the direction of Cannes, after a few kilometers you will see very interesting views of the Esterel Massif. Massif de l'Esterel is a beautiful Mediterranean mountain range between Saint-Raphaël and Cannes. The rocks are volcanic in origin and are composed primarily of porphyry. As a result, they have a beautiful color in various shades of red. There are also many oak forests in the mountain range.
Let's stop in Le Dramond, and then let's go to the beach and rest there for a longer while admiring the sea and red rocks of Esterel Massif. We can also drive up to the massif and go hiking. There are plenty of hiking trails.
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