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The urban beaches—Capitole, République, and Sablettes—draped at the foot of Fréjus are backed by a commercial sprawl of brasseries, beach-gear shops, and realtors (for sun-struck visitors who dream of buying an apartment on the waterfront). The beaches outside the city, however, are public and wide open, with deep sandy stretches toward St-Aygulf. The calanques just south are particularly wild and pretty, with only tiny sand surfaces. During high season, les plages are cleaned daily, and lifeguards are on duty.
The Arènes (often called the Amphithéâtre) can seat up to 5,000 and is still used for concerts and other events. Back down on the coast, a big French naval base occupies the spot where ancient Roman galleys once set out to defeat Cleopatra and Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium.
This eccentric chapel was the last designed by Jean Cocteau as part of an artists' colony that never came to be. It's an octagon built around a glass atrium and is embellished with stained glass and frescoes depicting the mythology of the first Crusades. Above the front door, note the tongue-in-cheek painting of the apostles—it features the faces of Coco Chanel, Jean Marais, and poet Max Jacob.
Fréjus is graced with one of the most impressive religious monuments in Provence. The Groupe Épiscopal is made up of an early Gothic cathedral, a 5th-century Roman-style baptistery, and an early Gothic cloister, its gallery painted in sepia and earth tones with a phantasmagoric assortment of animals and biblical characters. Off the entrance and gift shop is a small museum of finds from Roman Fréjus, including a complete mosaic and a sculpture of a two-headed Hermès.
This family-friendly haven with a 2 km (1¼-mile) sandy beach is in the 333-acre Base Nature François Léotard and is backed by nature reserve lands rather than by a main road, though there is parking nearby. In addition to picnic, play, and fitness areas there are accessible pathways (including those good for cycling), showers, and restrooms equipped for those with disabilities. Areas for swimming and those reserved for watersports are sign posted. Amenities: lifeguards (in summer); parking (fee in summer); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing.
This picturesque sandy beach is divided into four distinct zones. The family-friendly area, closest to the St-Aygulf parking lot, features three small bays sheltered by dams. The naturist zone lies close to the heart of the protected Villepey Ponds natural area. For pet owners, the dog-friendly section is toward the Argens River. At the Fréjus end, swimming is prohibited in the dedicated kitesurfing zone. Amenities: parking (fee in summer); toilets; showers; water sports. Best for: swimming; nudists; windsurfing.
Northeast of Old Town and near the Porte de Rome is the Roman theater (circa 1st century). Its remaining rows of arches are mostly intact, and much of its stage, including the orchestra and substructures, are still visible at its center. Today, the site is known as the Théâtre Philippe Léotard (he was born in Fréjus), and it hosts Les Nuits Auréliennes every July.
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