Giens Peninsula

The vibe

The Giens peninsula, in Hyères, offers a coastal trail that runs along wild coves, with sea views at every turn of the path. The full loop ("sentier du littoral + route des crêtes") is about 10.5 km for 3h to 3h30 of walking and +322 m total elevation gain; shorter variants exist, such as Darboussières ↔ Madrague (~7 km), handy if you're after a quicker outing with your dog.

What to know before you go

The level is easy to moderate: good shoes are recommended for the rocky, sometimes slippery sections, and it's best avoided in strong wind or rain (some sections overlook the cliff). An important update on dogs: the official "Sentier du littoral" topoguide published by the Toulon Provence Méditerranée (TPM) metropolitan authority — which manages this trail, and is directly linked from Hyères town hall's own website — states plainly in its shared rules: "dogs are banned on the sentier du littoral and in Port-Cros national park." That ban officially covers the Giens peninsula loop, just as it does the other TPM member towns (Six-Fours, La Seyne, Toulon...). In practice, several online accounts mention dogs seen on a leash on this trail without it being systematically enforced — but the written rule is a ban, not a leash recommendation. If you want to walk your dog in the area, head instead to the Mérou dog beach in Hyères, where there is no such ambiguity. Shade varies a lot by section: more generous on the pine-wood side of La Madrague and Les Darboussières, almost absent on the rockier, more exposed western corniche. No water point is reported along the route.

Nearby

Hyères and its beaches are nearby, a good option to end the day with a swim, notably the Mérou dog beach. On site, a groomer and the Camping Méditerranée round out a stay in the area nicely.