Planning a Trip

Getting There

St-Raphaël sits directly on the rail lines running parallel to the coast between Marseille in the west and the Italian border town of Ventimiglia in the east. Within some 3 hours you can take a fast TGV train from Paris to Marseille. For rail information and schedules, call tel. 36-35, or visit www.voyages-sncf.com. Once at Marseille, it is another 1 3/4 hours by train to St-Raphaël. Trains leave Marseille every hour during the day, costing 23€ ($30) one-way. Trains from Cannes head east to St-Raphaël every 30 minutes during the day (25-min. trip); one-way fare costs 8€ ($10).

The bus station behind the train station provides both local and regional service. Aglobus (tel. 04-94-95-16-71) links directly with Fréjus, charging around 2.25€ ($2.95) each way for buses that run at 30-minute intervals, and around 6.50€ for service from Nice, a 60-minute transit. Sodetrav (tel. 04-94-95-24-82) links St-Raphaël with St-Tropez (trip time: 70-90 min.); fares are around 9€ ($12) each way. Buses from Nice arrive every hour until 1am. Another option for local bus service into nearby hills and hamlets is provided by Beltrame (tel. 04-94-95-95-16).

Between April and October, Les Bateaux Bleus (tel. 04-94-95-17-46) provides waterborne transit -- about a half-dozen boats per day -- between a point near the railway station of St-Raphaël and St-Tropez for around 11€ ($14) each way.

By car from St-Tropez in the west, take D98A northwest to N98, at which point you drive east toward St-Raphaël. From Cannes, head west along N98.

Getting Around

Normally, taxis line up at the bus station; if you can't find one, call tel. 04-94-95-04-25. You can rent bikes and scooters from Patrick Moto, 260 av. du Général-Leclerc (tel. 04-94-53-87-11). Bikes rent for 12€ ($16), with a 130€ ($169) deposit; mountain bikes rent for 17€ ($22), with a 300€ ($390) deposit; and scooters go for 25€ ($33), with a 400€ ($520) deposit. MasterCard and Visa can be used for the deposit.

Visitor Information

The Office de Tourisme faces the train station on rue Waldeck-Rousseau (tel. 04-94-19-52-52; www.saint-raphael.com).

Special Events

The Competition Internationale de Jazz de New Orleans is held during 3 days in early July, when Dixieland-style musicians from around the world congregate to display their talent. Call tel. 04-98-11-89-00, or contact the tourist office, for exact dates and musical venues. In mid-August, the Festival St-Pierre des Pêcheurs is conducted in and around the town center. Honoring the fishers who helped feed the town throughout most of its existence, it features a night of fireworks, a brief medieval-style procession to and from the village church, music, dancing on platforms built beside the port, and a series of jutes (mock naval battles between competing boat teams) where everyone gets soaking wet.