Camping Lou Pantaï

For beach days and active stuff on the waves, Le Pradet is an easy option, with golden sands, safe swimming and plenty of watersports outlets. For something quieter and wilder, head half an hour to the Plage des Salins, with views out to the Hyères islands and a flamingo-filled salt marsh behind. The islands of Porquerolles and Port-Cros are a must-do, easily reached by ferry from Toulon (20 minutes’ drive): both quiet and wild with almost Caribbean-looking bays and winding paths all over. For more wilderness exploring, it’s 50 minutes to Cassis at the edge of the Calanques National Park. You can hire electric boosted mountain bikes to explore the steeper bits or boats to navigate the marine sections of this fab area, where rocky uplands plunge down to deserted coves and eagles circle overhead. Magic World at Hyères (15 minutes) delights visitors of all ages with rollercoasters, fairground rides, amusements and spectaculars and the slides and chutes, flumes and pools of Aqualand Saint-Cyr make a good spot for cooling off, half an hour away. Another good option on hot days is the mining museum at Cap Garonne (10 minutes): top off subterranean strolls with clifftop walks round the cape, finishing on the beach at Bau Rouge.