Hyères, Coastal commune in Var department, France
Hyères is a commune in the Var department on the French Mediterranean coast, reaching from the shoreline to gentle hills inland. The area includes several beaches, a historic center on a slope, and the offshore Îles d'Or islands in the sea.
Phoenician traders established a trading post here in the fourth century BC, then Greeks built the town of Olbia as an outpost against pirates. During the Middle Ages, Templars settled in the region and constructed fortifications that remain partly visible today.
The town takes its name from the Provençal word Ieras, referring to the ancient salt marshes that once spread across this coastal plain. Visitors today see palm groves lining the avenues, a feature that became so typical of the area that residents added it to the official name.
The old town sits on a hill and requires short climbs through cobbled lanes, while the coastal sections remain flat and easy to reach. The train station and airport connect the area to larger cities along the Côte d'Azur and beyond.
The area farms palm trees on a large scale and ships tens of thousands of them across Europe each year, which earned it the suffix les Palmiers. An annual festival dedicated to fashion and photography has attracted young artists from many countries since the late eighties.
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