Rent a Car in Toulon

Central Toulon — the working naval port (still an active French Navy base), the old town's market streets, and the Mont Faron cable car up to its viewpoint and memorial — is compact and walkable. A car adds little inside the city itself. The reason to hire a car in Toulon is what lies along the coast in both directions: the Presqu'île de Giens is about 25 minutes south-east, and from there boats leave for Porquerolles and the other Îles d'Hyères — the islands themselves are boat-only, but you need a car to reach the ferry point in good time. Bandol's coastal vineyards are roughly 20 minutes west, and Sanary-sur-Mer's fishing port is about 15 minutes further along the same road.

Further west, Cassis and La Ciotat are 30-40 minutes away and make an easy half-day combined with Bandol. None of these connect well by bus if you want to see more than one in a day, so most visitors who rent a car in Toulon do it for the Giens peninsula, the vineyards and the coast road west — not for getting around central Toulon.