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About La Garde-Freinet
- La Garde-Freinet has two distinctive halves. The older
part of town is around the 16th-century St.Clament church,
with an 18th-century campanile. This part of town has the
narrow little streets, sometimes carved through solid rock.
The "newer" part of town has wider streets and 19th-century
houses.
- The town is quiet from October to April, then in May the
tourist traffic begins building up for the summer. The
surrounding hills of the Massif des Maures, stretching out
30 km to the southwest and 20 km to the northeast, are
forested with oak and cork oak. The area near the town has
chestnut groves (chataigneraies), and chestnut jam (confiture
marron) and chestnut honey (miel chataignier) are among the
local products you can get at the Confiturerie des Gambades
shop in town.
- A 12th century Saracen Fort above the
village can be walked.
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Transportation
Bus
Two buses a day (except Sunday and holidays) connect La
Garde-Freinet with Grimaud. At Grimaud, you change for the
St Tropez, St Raphael, Toulon bus. Toulon and FrÃjus are on
the mail rail line, that connects Beyond with Lyon and Paris
to the north and Monaco and Italy to the east.
Departure for Grimaud: 7h30 and 13h30 (contact the Office de
Tourisme for the most current schedule).
Hiking
Maps:
IGN (1/25,000) #3545 OT "St. Tropez, Ste. Maxime, Massif des
Maures"
Michelin "green (1/100,000) #114 "French Riviera - Var"
Didier Richard (1/50,000) #25 "Maures Haut-Pays Varois"
The GR 9 (Grande Randonnée) passes through La Garde-Freinet.
• To the east, the GR9 begins by following roads (D75,
etc.) out across the Maures. About 8 km out, the GR 9 joins
the GR51 Balcony of the Cote d'Azur ; here you can go south
on the GR51 to Grimaud and Cogolin or southeast on the
GR9/GR51 to Port Grimaud.
• Leaving town to the south, the GR9 turns west and goes
through the forested Maures, south of Les Mayons to the
famous mountain-top site of Notre-Dame des Anges, south of
Gonfaron. Further west the GR9 goes to Pignans and Carnoules,
and branching trails, including the GR90, explore the
southwestern part of the Maures.
Dining
There are a lot of good restaurants in La Garde-Freinet,
many of them with outdoor terraces. The most centrally
located ones are along the Place Vieille [Photo-11] and just
around the corner at the Place du Marché. We had lunch at
Le Kiosque on the Place du Marché; an excellent, low-cost
meal prepared by the new cook-owner who had taken over at
the beginning of that week. La Garde-Freinet
Nestled in the heart of the Maures Mountains, this old
provencal village has successfully preserved its authentic
character. You get there by picturesque roads, winding
through a wild and wonderfully natural landscape, forests
with various species of trees and typically Mediterranean
cultivated grounds. Its sentry position at the top of the
pass gained it the name of « guard » whence the name of La
Garde-Freinet and that of the villagers: the Fraxinois,
commonly called Gardois from the provençal word
“Gardiòuâ€. La Garde-Freinet overlooks the only passage
between the Argens valley to the bay of St Tropez. It offers
an exceptional panoramic view of the Pre-Alps, the
Mediterranean sea and of the wooded landscapes of the
Maures. Thanks to the ten years’ campaign of
archaeological digging, the vestiges of a medieval fortified
village (end of the 12th century) have been discovered.
La Garde-Freinet offers hiking, biking, horse riding,
beaches in St Tropez, Tennis, Wine visits, 11 great
restaurants in Town, Great local shops, two galleries, two
local buchers, great local market with fresh vegetables,
fish, meat, clothes and art - twice a week.
This forest town is situated in the center of the Massif des
Maures. In an exceptional site the city is reached by
picturesque roads winding through forests of cork oaks and
chestnut groves. La Garde Freinet is the gateway to the Gulf
of Saint-Tropez. Fortified since 11th c., the village has
preserved its character with its field stone houses, the old
fashioned street names, and the village square surrounded by
restaurants. There are also many little hamlets outside:
Mourre, Cour, and Val d'Aubert to name a few. From the top
of the old Fort Freinet (450m.), which towers over the
Mediterranean basin, one can enjoy the panoramic view of the
hills of Miremar, the plains of St. Clement, and the valley
of Argens all the way to the Alps. Le Garde Freinet is well
known for its chestnuts and its chestnut cream. One should
also see the art galeries belonging to the village artists.
Many artists and writers have fallen under the charm of La
Garde Freinet and have made it their home.
Nestled in the heart of the Maures Mountains, this old
provensal village has successfully preserved its authentic
character. You get there by picturesque roads, winding
through a wild and wonderfully natural landscape, forests
with various species of trees and typically Mediterranean
cultivated grounds. Its sentry position at the top of the
pass gained it the name of La Garde-Freinet and that of the villagers: the Fraxinois,
commonly called Gardois from the provensal word. A bit of history and the origins of the
village: Leaving the perched site of the Fort Freinet where
several habitations seem to have gathered at the end of the
12th century, the people now descend and settle
progressively on the gentler slopes of the pass of La
Garde-Freinet from the end of the 13th century. This
phenomenon is well known in Provence ; we
no longer find a mention of the castle of La
Garde-Freinet but of the new small town of La
Garde-Freinet which grows from the quarter of St Joseph
and carries on the first phase of growth up to the present
Place du March. In the 19th century, the village knew a
new rapid progress; a quick, important, growth that went
with the boom of the cork industry. In 1872, the registers
mark nearly 660 cork workers out of a population of 2687
inhabitants (1000 more than today!). As a sign of La Garde-Freinet's golden age, the new quarters of Les Aires and the Place Neuve are added to the winding
alleys of the old village to give it the appearance it still
has today. High above the present village, the Fort Freinet
overlooks the only passage between the Argens valley to the
bay of St Tropez. It offers an exceptional panoramic view of
the Pre-Alps, the Mediterranean sea and of the wooded
landscapes of the Maures. Thanks to the ten year
campaign of archaeological digging, the vestiges of a
medieval fortified village (end of the 12th century) have
been discovered. To get there, the path in some places forms
stairs. It goes along the cliff up to the village-gates
where one can see the remains of about thirty dwelling
places hewn out of the schist. Tiered up on distinct levels
on the slopes of the rock spur they are protected by an 8 or
10-meter deep moat. The conditions of the destruction of the
Fort Freinet are well known, but its origin, the questioning
of Saraceen occupation or the function of some houses are a
matter of debates about a site which has not told all its
secrets yet.
Saint-Tropez Area
Saint Tropez, a beautiful and famed destination on the
French Rivera, is surrounded by endless white sandy beaches
and a sunny climate. Saint Tropez is known as a playground
for the rich and Hollywood elite. More modest travelers come
to work on their tan, or unload money on expensive drinks in
any of the abundant and stylish nightclubs. Celebrity
watching is also popular. On the whole, Saint Tropez is hip,
upscale, and expensive, but never-the-less, a fun city to
kick back in.
Usually France vacations include some time on the beach, and
Saint Tropez offers miles of sand. The Plage de Tahiti, 2.5
miles southeast of town, is the best in the area. If
swimwear is making you feel restricted, head east to La
Moutte, a naturiste beach, and shed your cloths. Many of the
beaches near Saint Tropez are nudist beaches.
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