Old Town
The last vestiges of Toulon’s medieval and Renaissance past can be seen in this once-decrepit maze of narrow streets, alleyways, and squares that lies just behind the port. A targeted urban renewal plan has largely restored this storied quartier around the bustling Rue des Arts district, home to dozens of small galleries, cafés, boutiques, vintage shops, and bars. It also features murals and sculptures, like the trompe l’oeil painting on the Rue Chevalier Paul depicting the saucy ladies of the night who inhabited the famous red light district—still referred to by locals as Chicago—that catered to the sailors who once flocked here.
