DESCRIPTION

Fréjus, its port and arenas, Roman theatre, aqueduct, ancient Roman and medieval ruins... As a town and land of Art and History, Fréjus is one of those places in Provence that you just have to visit. Many festivals punctuate life in this episcopal town. And with 300 days of sun a year, the town delights tourists who come to enjoy the coast and ocean of blue.

HISTORY

Founded in the year 49 B.C. by Julius Cæsar, «Forum Julii» (Julius’ Market) was an important crossroads and above all a preferred destination for trade. As it was on the road to Massilia, in order to make war on the latter, it was swiftly reorganised into a garrison town. To facilitate this, a large dock was built to enable the mooring of warships. Thus was Fréjus Port created. Thanks to agriculture, mining and fishing, the town’s affluence grew. As the second largest diocese in France after Lyons, from the Fourth Century onwards Fréjus assumed an important position in Provence. However, the town was neglected until 990 due to its having suffered wars and the port silting up. At that time, the town, which was in ruins, was purchased by Bishop Riculphe who restored some of its prestige. He started by building Cathédrale Saint-Léonce and fortifying the town to protect against the threat of invasion and other dangers from the sea. However, all this was not enough. With the plague and pirates, Fréjus was destroyed once more before being rebuilt... yet once more. In 1482, when the King of France annexed Provence, Fréjus lost some of its freedom, in particular to Aix. In 1536, a victorious Charles Quint rebaptised the town «Charleville». The religious wars followed. In 1789, the State took Fréjus out of the hands of the diocese.

The town of Fréjus also used to have a large Naval Air Command base, which most notably served as the take-off point for the aviator, Roland Garros. However, the base was decommissioned in 1995 and transferred to Hyères.

ENTERTAINMENT

Fréjus puts on several shows and events over the course of the year. The Nuits Auréliennes is one of the most well-known, in addition to the Nuits du Port-Fréjus. Something you should also see is the Nuit du Gospel and the Fête du Raisin (grape festival).

LEISURE

This Town of Art and History is one of those cities which has an abundant ancient heritage: arenas, a Roman Theatre, a Baptistery, Cathédrale Saint-Léonce, Cloître de la Cathédrale, Villa Aurélienne. Fréjus also has a Archaeological Museum, a Local History Museum and the Naval Infantry Museum. Not forgetting Chapelle Cocteau (chapel) and the Hông Hien’s Buddhist Pagoda.

There are also the following activities: a safari in the Parc Zoologique de Fréjus (Fréjus Zoo). You can pass through by car amongst the animals. For people who love the water, there is Parc Aqualand. And finally, walkers can explore the Barrage de Malpasset (ruins of the broken dam).

LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS

Often associated with Saint-Raphaël, the neighbouring district, Fréjus is located in the East of the department of Var, very close to the Alpes-Maritimes and the towns of Mandelieu, Cannes, Grasse and Nice. To the West, fairly close-by, is Saint-Tropez and a little further on is Toulon.

By air :
Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport is around 45 minutes from Fréjus. Other alternatives are Toulon - Hyères Airport an hour away by car; Cannes - Mandelieu Airport; and Saint-Tropez’s La Mole Airport.

By road :
Take the A8 motorway and exit at «Fréjus – Saint-Raphaël» to go to the town centre.

By train :
The TGV and TER stop at Fréjus railway station.

By sea :
Port Fréjus is linked to the ports of Saint-Aygulf and Saint-Raphaël by a shuttle network. Also departing from Fréjus Port are the «vedettes», a sort of boat, with Cannes and Saint-Tropez as destinations.

See all Hotels in Fréjus.