Toulon Harbour

The Roadstead of Toulon

The Roadstead of Toulon is one of the finest natural roadsteads of Europe and shelters the first military port of France. The Toulon audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this vast sheltered body of water, cradle of the national Navy and setting of the town, between sea and mountains.

The first military port of France

Before setting out to discover the roadstead, you must know that the port of Toulon is the first military port of France, and one of the most important of Europe. The roadstead, this vast naturally sheltered body of water, is protected from the winds and the swell by the hills and the peninsulas that surround it, which makes of it one of the finest natural anchorages of the Mediterranean. It is this exceptional situation that determined, from the seventeenth century, the maritime destiny of Toulon: Louis XIV and his minister Colbert developed there a great arsenal, and Vauban fortified the place to make of it the great naval base of the Levant. Since then, the roadstead shelters the arsenal and the French fleet of the Mediterranean, with its warships, its aircraft carriers and its submarines. Beyond its military function, the roadstead offers superb landscapes, between the town, Mount Faron that dominates it, and the sparkling sea. You can discover it during boat trips that run along the coasts and the buildings of the Navy. A natural jewel and heart of the Navy, the Roadstead of Toulon is a must-see stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

Here you contemplate the vast roadstead naturally sheltered by the hills and the peninsulas, one of the finest of the Mediterranean, which shelters the first military port of France: since the seventeenth century, the arsenal developed by Louis XIV and Colbert and fortified by Vauban hosts there the fleet of the Mediterranean, warships and aircraft carriers, in a superb landscape dominated by Mount Faron, which you discover by boat. The Roadstead of Toulon is the heart of the Navy. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot or by boat.

Practical information

The Roadstead of Toulon extends in front of the town, along the port, reachable on foot on the quays. You admire it freely from the seafront; boat trips allow to discover it and to run along the coasts and the buildings of the Navy, according to their own hours, which vary. It is best to check them before coming.

Why is the Roadstead of Toulon important?

Because it shelters the first military port of France and one of the most important of Europe: this vast naturally sheltered body of water, one of the finest anchorages of the Mediterranean, hosts since the seventeenth century the arsenal developed by Louis XIV and Colbert and fortified by Vauban, and the French fleet of the Mediterranean.

Where is the Roadstead of Toulon?

In front of the town of Toulon, along the port, in France.