While staying in La Ciotat, I got some great tips to explore a couple of hilltop villages located just a short distance away, north of Bandol. Getting around in this particular region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur on the highway and back roads is such a breeze in comparison to the more eastern area of the Var near St.Tropez, where you can pretty much count on being stuck in traffic during the high season.

Because of this, I could easily travel around by car between the seaside and countryside, depending on my état d’esprit du jour. There were two villages on my radar to check out on that day –Le Castellet and La Cadière d’Azur. I oohed and aahed the whole day long – it was a stunning, sunny, & sensorial day in the Var. The cloud formations were especially cool.

Below are some photos I snapped of the landscape along the way. Click on the individual images to enlarge.

My first stop was at Le Castellet – An impressively large and charming village. It’s also very popular with tourists, loads of them I might add. It’s a good place to go for lunch or an afternoon gelati. The views from the village stretch out all the way to the sea and beyond.

My next stop was La Cadière D’Azur which was oozing with charm – not tourists. I arrived just in time for L’heure de l’apéro, and was lucky enough to find a table at La Petit Cave to enjoy a Vin-de-Bandol before the reservation showed up. La Petit Cave is located right in the center of the village, where the street is lined with quaint boutiques and several restaurants, under an all-embracing umbrella of plane trees. On this particular evening there was a live jazz trio playing Jazz manouche just some meters away from my table – the ambience was fantastic.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my photos as much as I’ve enjoyed looking at them again – I cannot wait to go back!

 

All photos were taken by June Liechti-Adamson