Fréjus lies on the Mediterranean coast on the Côte d'Azur in the Var department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southern France. It two close neighbours Saint-Raphaël and Var, effectively form one town. The north of the commune forms part of the Estérel Massif mountains.
Frejus combines a medieval city and popular seaside resort. The town attracts many tourists because of its history, cultural and artistic qualities, its well maintained beaches, the sea and sporting facilities. There are numerous places of interest in the area, all are reasonably accessible from Frejus because of its convenient location.
History
Frejus was created by the Romans and its history is very similar to that of Provence. It has been destroyed many times in spite of the presence of the Roman Legion. In 49 B.C., Julius Cesar decided to have the Adrian Way built to link Italy through to Spain. In those days the Phoceans of Marseille had already set up a colony on the site, but it was the Roman emperor who gave Frejus its prosperity. It went on to become one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean. The decay of Rome led to that of the cities of its empire. Between the 7th and the 9th centuries, Muslim invaders repeatedly raided the city. The sea encroached on the land while invasions by the Muslims and pirates left the town in ruin. By the 10th century there was very little left of the colony, mostly rubble. Sea-borne silt clogged up the port and led to the formation of a huge swampy plain, which then separated the village from the sea.
Sightseeing and thing to do
The church of St. Maximinus, begun towards the end of the thirteenth century by Charles II of Sicily and completed by the end of the fifteenth century, a relevant example of pointed architecture in the south of France. The head of St. Mary Magdalen is honoured here, and the crypt contains tombs which date from the first centuries of the Christian Era.
The roman settlement of Forum Julii still has a lot of its ruins and an exceptional archaeological value. There's the Roman Amphitheatre, arcades of the Oree Gate, and remains of the Aqueduct arches.
There is also the Cathedrale
Chapel Jean Cocteau ,
Aurelienne's villa and Aurelien's park.
There are many exhibitions, theatre and classical music events.
Also keeping up with its many traditions and artistic qualities. Frejus organizes throughout the year different fairs, there's the pottery fair and the Bravade, a busy street market.
Port Frejus which has a capacity of 750 berths, is surrounded by beautiful fine sandy beaches.
There's the well talked about annual 'Roc Azur' mountain bike event, which is open to everyone French or otherwise, all ages.
There are plenty of walks to enjoy, the most recommended walk is to see the famous 'Malpasset' dam, which in 1959 burst and partly destroyed the town uprooting everything in its passage, only the ancient monuments withstood the torrential floodwaters. It also caused many deaths. Nowadays right along the length of the dam remains, you can find all sorts of Mediterraen flora: Heather, Pine, Oak and wild Strawberry trees.
For detailed reports on marinas in Frejus see here
Weather for the Yacht Charter Area of Frejus
