Bormes-les-Mimosas
Bormes-les-Mimosas is a small pretty 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 together 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.
- 🌍 Office de Tourisme au vieux Village, 1 Place Gambetta (uphill at the centre of the old village), ☎ +33 4 94 01 38 38, e-mail: mail@bormeslesmimosas.com. October to March: Monday - Saturday 9h-12h30, 14h-17h30; April and May: Monday - Saturday 9h-12h30, 14h30-18h, Sunday & holidays 9h30-12h30, 14h30-18h; June and September: Monday - Saturday 9h30-12h30, 14h30-18h30, Sunday 10h-12h30, 15h-18h30; July and August: Monday - Saturday 9h30-12h30, 14h30-19h, Sunday & holidays 10h-12h30, 15h-19h.
- 🌍 Office de Tourisme a la Favière (La Favière district, near the Port de Bormes), ☎ +33 4 94 64 82 57, e-mail: lafaviere@bormeslesmimosas.com. April and May: Monday - Saturday 9h-12h30, 14h30-18h, Sunday & holidays 10h-12h30, 14h30-18h; June and September: Monday - Saturday 9h30-12h30, 14h30-18h30, Sunday 10h-12h30, 15h-18h30; July and August: Monday - Saturday 9h30-12h30, 15h-19h; Sunday 10h-12h30, 15h-19h.
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.
Get around
By bus
There are a few services in a day at a Varlib minibus line #8816 which connects the Bormes centre (🌍 Le Village – up the steep hill) with an intercity bus stop (🌍 Le Pin), then it's La Faviere district near the Port de Bormes (🌍 Centre Nautique) and then with Le Lavandou (🌍 Gare Routière – another intercity bus stop).
See
- 🌍 Eglise Saint Trophyme.
- 🌍 Château des Seigneurs de Fos. Ruins of the castle. A nice view from the top of the hill.
- 🌍 Chapelle Saint François de Paule.
- 🌍 Chapelle Notre Dame de Constance (trail GR90 or circuits 2 and 7 near the castle, 40 minute walk). 324m above sea level, it is quite popular route among hikers.
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- 🌍 Fort de Brégançon (Cabasson district), ☎ +33 4 94 01 38 38, e-mail: mail@bormeslesmimosas.com. Middle of May – end September: 09:00 – 19:45 (last entry at 17:45). A summer residence of the President of France, which is now can be visited with a prior reservation. €10 (free for up to 25 year olds, but they must be included into a reservation as well).
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
Buy
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.
- 🌍 Le Grand Hôtel, 167, route du baguier, ☎ +33 4 94 71 23 72. 41 Rooms; Built in 1903 on a hillside overlooking the medieval village of Bormes-les-Mimosas.