One of the most predictable routes to get fantastic views of the beautiful French coastline is to walk along The Sentier des Douaniers. The path was created 100s of years ago to allow the coast to be monitored and prevent smuggling. The path runs along the Mediterranean coast by Toulon. Here The Sentier des Douaniers is referred to as the sentier du littoral, a less adventurous name.
Not for everyone
The path is no longer a wild track for the most part and has been made safer and more accessible. Around Toulon work is still in progress and part of The Sentier des Douaniers is currently closed (May 2022) for work. You should also be aware that it runs along the very edge of sea, close to cliffs at some stages. If you take the route you will have to walk along beaches, along the cliffs and may get wet feet.
My walk
I took the bus 6 from the centre of Toulon, direction La Terre Promise. Bus is the best way to get around Toulon and I recommend the 10 trip pass which I installed on my phone. All the information is on the Reseau Mistral website (opens in a new tab). Time was limited so I got off at Magaud to start my walk back to Toulon from the Anse de Magaud. Anse is the French for a small deep bay.
From the bus stop I took the chemin de la mer. It is a single track road down to the east end of the anse. Although I didn’t, there is a restaurant on the beach here should you wish to start with lunch.
Fabulous rock formations
I was surrounded by the sea and rugged rocks along the walk. I keep my eyes open for interesting shots and different perspectives. Here are a couple of the photos and one that I think captures the tranquility of my day.
From the anse I walked around the pebble beach to the fishing village of Cap Brun.
Cap Brun
Walk up through the village and car parks to the promontory. Here you have splendid views of the Anse de Magaud that I have just walked along and to the west the Anse de Méjean, with Toulon in the distance.
At Cap Brun the Sentier des Douaniers offers spectacular views.
Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Cap-Falcon
On Cap Brun there is the Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Cap-Falcon which is not open to the public. There is an impressive statue of the Virgin Mary which was installed in 1975. The statue itself dates from the second world war.
Work in Progress
Unfortunately the work on The Sentier des Douaniers is still in progress from here tio Toulon. So I had to walk up to the road via the chemin de la Batterie Basse. I walked to town but you could take the 23 bus to town (it is only 4 stops). This takes you to Mourillon, and its beaches. There is also the Tour Royale, which is closed at the moment, and its park. There are public toilets here too.
Back to town
Because of the presence in Toulon of the large naval base its not possible to follw the coast to town so head back to the Av. des Tirailleurs Sénégalais and had back to the Mayol Stadium.
As a little treat I used my mistral travel pass to take the boat across the bay to Sablettes. The pass is valid on both the bus and boat services. There was no other reason than I wanted to take é boat trip. I then took the 8 bus back from the other side of the bay to see the town.
How to purchase
Some of these photos are available for purchase on my Adobe Stock store. Or from the menu above, or even buy your art directly below.
Other pages that may interest you
There are many pages with photos of the sea and landscapes for example
- The landscape album, or
- My walk around ile grande in Brittany
Please, take a look and tell your friends about my work and sites.