Bormes-les-Mimosas

Bormes-les-Mimosas is a scenic, small town in the French Riviera.

Understand
The town is protected under French preservation laws to retain most of it's medieval charm. Bormes is known for it's omnipresent flowers, the castle ruin and the church residing on top of the mountain on which the city also resides.

It is virtually merged with its neighbour — the town of Le Lavandou.

Nearby are many great (albeit densely populated during August) beaches, the Îles d'Hyères (aka Îles d'Or) islands and the famous Port-Cros national park. Port Cros is said to be one of the great places to dive in the Mediterranean.



Get in
The nearest airports are in Nice, Toulon and Marseilles.

There is no railroad near the town, but you can catch a connecting bus from Toulon (#7801, #8814) or even Saint-Raphaël (change at St. Tropez or Cogolin).

NB: The intercity buses are prone to be quite late, esp. in season, so make sure you've got plenty of time for making connecting changes.

By bus
There are a few services in a day at a Varlib minibus line #8816 which connects the Bormes centre ( – up the steep hill) with an intercity bus stop, then it's La Faviere district near the Port de Bormes and then with Le Lavandou ( – another intercity bus stop).

Do

 * Nice trekking routes around and up the mountain
 * Plethora of small but nice beaches, larger ones if you travel to nearby Saint-Tropez
 * Wine castles
 * Nearby natural caves
 * Hiking, try and find the tunnels inside the mountain

Eat

 * At the local pancake house or one of the city's street restaurants

Drink

 * There are some very nice cafés in town where you can enjoy a terrasse breezer with a good view of the Mediterranean sea.

Sleep
Sleep at the Grand Hotel, or at one of the privately rented apartments or houses in the town.

Go next

 * Îles d'Hyères
 * Saint-Tropez
 * Toulon