Sanary-sur-mer
Sanary-sur-Mer is a very pretty village based around a fishing harbour of pastel buildings and palm trees, with a medieval old town behind. There is a an excellent daily food market where you can stock up on picnic items and every morning the fishing boats come into harbour and sell their catch at stands right on the quayside.
Sanary has many restaurants and shops, and on the harbour front there are several cafes for watching the world go by. With the old traditional sail-driven fishing boats lining the harbour, this is also a wonderfully photogenic part of the coast.
Sanary is little known but a little treasure, especially outside of July and August. In the pre-war years, it became an unlikely literary hotspot, being home to Aldous Huxley, Bertolt Brecht and Thomas Mann, among others, sheltering from events back home, revelling in the colours and clear light of Sanary.
Sanary-sur-Mer is also noted for diving and snorkelling, you can arrange trips and rent gear in town, as well as dolphin trips, or a visit to the calanques.
The beaches of Sanary stretch out to the east and west of town, mostly sandy, some pebbly. Between Sanary-sur-Mer and Bandol is La Voile Dorée, a good beach restaurant with sunloungers and parasols on the sand, a great way to spend a sunny day.
