Saint-Raphaël Overview

While St-Tropez limits its streets to the classy and glam, the young and brash St-Raphaël (sehn-rahf-aye-ell; pop. 32,000) welcomes everyone else with open arms. The town’s most appealing area surrounds the beach, where one can find inexpensive food and miles of sand. Midway through the summer, the boardwalk turns into a carnival in the evenings, packed with gaming booths and flirting teenagers. Get your heart racing with a go-cart ride or get your face sticky with some cotton candy, but come to St-Raphaël—a town that rests boldly on the border of tackiness—and be prepared to feel like a kid again.

St-Raphaël is a major stop on the coastal rail line shuttling passengers among the Riviera’s resort towns.

• Trains: Pl. de la Gare. Ticket booths open daily 6:30am-9pm. Info office open daily 6:30am-10pm. To Cannes (25min., every 30min., €6.10), Marseille (2hr., 6 per day, €25), and Nice (1hr., every 30min., €11).
• Buses: Leave from behind the train station. Estérel Cars (☎04 94 53 78 46) serves Fréjus (25min., every hr. 7:30am-6:40pm, €1.40). Sodetrav (☎04 94 95 24 82) goes to St-Tropez (1hr., 10 per day 6:25am-9pm, €9.80). Beltrame (☎04 94 95 95 16) goes to Cannes (1hr., 8 per day, €7.20) via Trayas and to the airport in Nice (1hr., 4 per day, €22). Buses run later July-Aug. but are unreliable year-round.
• Ferries: Les Bateaux de St-Raphaël (☎04 94 95 17 46), at the vieux port. To St-Tropez (1hr.; in summer 5 per day; €13, round-trip €22; July-Aug. W-Th a return ferry from St-Tropez leaves at midnight). Those at the hostel in Fréjus can ask about 10% discounts.
• Taxis: ☎04 94 83 24 24.

Practical Information

• Tourist Office: 99 quai Albert 1 (☎04 94 19 52 52; www.saint-raphael.com), by the port. Books accommodations. Signs throughout town point in the wrong direction toward the old tourist office; head to the port to find the new office. Internet free for 10min. Open July-Aug. daily 9am-7pm; Sept.-June M-Sa 9am-12:30pm and 2-6:30pm.
• Laundromat: Top Pressing, 34 av. du Général Leclerc (☎04 94 82 24 05). Wash €5, dry €2-4. Open M-Tu and Th-F 8am-12:15pm and 1:30-6pm, W and Sa-Su 8am-12:15pm.
• Police: Rue de Châteaudun (☎04 94 95 24 24).
• Internet Access: Cyber Bureau, 123 rue Waldeck Rousseau (☎04 94 95 29 36), in the shopping center beside the train station. Computers and Wi-Fi. €2 per 15min., €6 per hr. Open M-F 8:30am-7pm, Sa 8:30am-1:30pm.
• Post Office: Av. Victor Hugo (☎04 94 19 52 00), behind the station. Open M-F 8am-6:30pm, Sa 8am-noon. Postal Code: 83700.

Accommodations 

Package tourism runs rampant in St-Raphaël, making the independent traveler feel like the only person in the world who has not purchased a scuba excursion to go with the traditional room-and-breakfast combo. While accommodations are not cheap here, they are more convenient than those in Fréjus and far more budget-friendly than those in St-Tropez.

• Hôtel les Pyramides, 77 av. Paul Doumer (☎04 98 11 10 10; www.hotellespyramides.fr). Exit left from the station, make a right onto av. Henri Vadon, and take the 1st left onto av. Paul Doumer. Well-kept, airy rooms, each with A/C, toilet, shower, and TV. Spacious lounge and outdoor patio. Beach 100m away. Breakfast €7. Free Wi-Fi in lobby. Reception 7am-9pm. Reservations required. Open from mid-Mar. to mid-Nov. From mid-June to mid-Sept. singles €35; doubles €50-68; triples €70; quads €80. From mid-Sept. to mid-Nov. and from mid-Mar. to mid-June prices drop. Extra bed €13. AmEx/MC/V.
• Hôtel le Mistral, 80 rue de la Garonne (☎04 94 95 38 82), by the train tracks. Bright rooms and a summery restaurant. Cheapest rooms have a shared hallway toilet; most have showers. Breakfast €5-7. Reception 7am-9pm. Reserve ahead. July-Aug. singles €40-56; doubles €45-65; triples €80; quads €101. Sept. and Apr.-June singles €30-48; doubles €35-58; triples €70; quads €80. MC/V.

Food

It can be hard to come by interesting dining spots in a town where carnival stalls provide the entertainment. The most lively and affordable restaurants are near the vieux port, quai Albert I, while snack and ice-cream stands stretch down cours Jean Bart into Fréjus. The Monoprix supermarket is at 14 bd. Félix Martin, by the train station. (☎04 94 19 82 82. Open M-Sa 8am-7:30pm. AmEx/MC/V.) Morning markets color place Victor Hugo and place de la République. Find fresh fish at the vieux port. (All markets open Tu-Su 7am-12:30pm.)

• La Romana, 155 bd. de la Libération (☎04 94 51 53 36). Delicious thin-crust pizzas (€9.50-12) and meat and seafood plats (€12-24) in a wannabe Italian bistro with Roman columns and bronze statues. Menus €17-24. Open July-Aug. daily noon-2:30pm and 7-11pm; Sept.-June M-Tu 7-11pm, W-Su noon-2:30pm and 7-11pm. MC/V.
• Le Grillardin, 42 rue Thiers (☎04 94 40 46 14). Try the specialty, marmite de pêcheur (€20), a thick soup made from fish, olive oil, and cheese. Grilled meats €13-18. Pizzas €8.50-12. Open July-Sept. M, W, Su 7pm-1am, Tu and Th-Sa noon-2:30pm and 7pm-1am; Oct.-May M-Tu and Th-Su noon-2pm and 7-11pm. MC/V.

Nightlife And Beaches

Thirty kilometers of public sand run along the coast from St-Raphaël west through Fréjus; in summer every inch that isn’t covered with baking bodies is taken up by snack vendors or mini-carnival rides. Avoid the crowds; take a bus to more remote beaches, like the stunning one in Dramont (take bus #8, dir.: Trayas, from the centre-ville ).

• La Réserve, promenade René Coty (☎04 94 95 02 20; www.la-reserve.fr). Choice spot for sunbaked clubbers. Ladies free M-Th. Cover €15; includes 1 drink. Open July-Aug. daily 11:30pm-5am; Sept.-June Th-Sa 11pm-4:30am. AmEx/MC/V.
• Marine & Blanc, 1 promenade des Bains (☎04 94 19 22 45; www.marine-et-blanc.com), across from the casino on plage du Veillat. Beach-level restaurant and lounge. Mixed drinks €10. Open daily 11am-midnight. AmEx/MC/V.