We will be traveling from Nice to Le Lavandou by public transportation. When I enter Nice and Le Lavandou on the SNFC site, I get information about Nice to Toulon. I assume that the train stops in Le Lavandou, but I can't see where to confirm that. I am also wondering about buses in the region - if that makes as much or more sense than the train.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
There is no rail service to Le Lavandou. Your problem is that French bus services are run within departements (counties, but bigger), and Le Lavandou is in a different departement to Nice, the Var departement. The Var bus website is at http://www.varlib.fr (French only) and it looks as if you need to get a bus from Toulon (1 1/4 hours) or Hyeres (35 minutes). Hyeres is faster but the trains from Nice are a bit less frequent, I believe. Buses from Hyeres to Le Lavandou at present (probably different in summer) are route 7801 or 8814 and leave a stop in Hyeres at 0850 (daily, 7801), 1030 (Sunday, 7801), 1110 (not Sun or Mon, 7801) and 1255 (not Sun, 8814). Looking at Google maps the main bus stop in Hyeres is in rue du Soldat Bellon which appears to be a bit of a walk from the railway station at the edge of the town centre.
Posted by
OP
Edmonton, AB, Canada
37 posts
Thank you. Re: the buses. Given that it appears that a train/bus connection involves some backtracking as well as connections that may not be that convenient, I'm wondering if it wouldn't just be easier to take a bus from Nice to Le Lavandou. However, with the information that buses are regional and that we are looking at moving from one region to another, that may be complicated also. Do you know if buses travel between regions? Thank you for the information about websites - I will try to figure something out - my French is not wonderful but I have a little.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
For information on how to get to Le Lavandou, see this page on the official tourist information site.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
I'm pretty sure from what I saw on line that there is no direct bus between Nice and Le Lavandou. Is this for a day trip, or are you going to Le Lavandou to stay?
Posted by
OP
Edmonton, AB, Canada
37 posts
We will be staying in Le Lavandou for 3 nights. It seemed like a good place to be for a few days - places where we could walk and just enjoy the sea side. It was only after the fact that I thought I should check transportation. It sounds like a train to Toulon or Hyeres and a bus back makes the most sense. Thanks for your input - helps a lot.
Posted by
Ottawa
1446 posts
Dorothy, when in Le Lavandou, arrange for a taxi to take you up the hill to Bormes-les-Mimosas. I think that there is also bus service between the two. It is one of the loveliest French villages and not even on the RS radar! Great for photos, as it is one of the top-rated Villages Fleuris of France.
Posted by
OP
Edmonton, AB, Canada
37 posts
Thank you for the tip, Diane. We will certainly do that. I did not know about the Villages Fleuris system before - useful thing to know when making plans!
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Turns out I was wrong - I thought there were direct trains from Nice to Hyeres that didn't run via Toulon, but to get to Hyeres you'll need to change at Toulon and the changes aren't that well timed. So you're probably best to get the bus from Toulon. It'll still be quite a long trip though - might be worth looking into cab fares for the journey, especially if there are two or more of you.