| A large resort and now one of the richest towns on the Côte, ST-RAPHAËL became fashionable at the turn of the twentieth century. Its seafront Belle Époque mansions and hotels, flattened by bombardments in World War II, have mostly been rebuilt, while the old town beyond place Carnot on the other side of the railway line has suffered years of neglect. On rue des Templiers a crumbling fortified Romanesque church, the Église St-Pierre, has fragments of the Roman aqueduct that brought water from Fréjus in its courtyard along with a local history and underwater archeology museum (daily: June–Sept 10am–noon & 3–6.30pm; Oct–May 10am–noon & 2–5.30pm; €1.50 for church and museum). The beaches stretch between the old port in the centre and the newer Port Santa Lucia, with opportunities for every kind of watersport. You can also take boat trips to St-Tropez, the Îles d'Hyères and the much closer calanques of the Esterel coast from the gare maritime on the south side of the Vieux Port. When you're tired of sea and sand you can lose whatever money you have left on slot machines or blackjack at the Grand Casino on Square de Gand overlooking the Vieux Port (daily 11am–4am), or there's bowling at the Bowling Raphaëlois on promenade René-Coty, and plenty of snooty discotheques.
Pages in section ‘St-Raphaël’: Practicalities.
Alternate spellings:: France, St-Raphaël, St-Raphaël, St-Raphael
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