Hyères, known as Hyères les Palmiers, is the largest commune in the Var by area and the oldest climatic resort on the Cote d'Azur. Its history goes back to Antiquity, with the Greek trading post of Olbia and then the medieval town clinging to the Castéou hill, overlooked by the ruins of its castle. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the mildness of its climate made it a winter resort favoured by the European aristocracy, who had villas and grand hotels built there and planted the palm trees that give the town its nickname.
The commune stretches over some thirty kilometres, from the Maures hills in the north to the Îles d'Or in the south. The medieval old town, with its pedestrian streets, its fortified gates and the Saint-Paul collegiate church, overlooks the shopping centre of the Avenue Gambetta. To the south open the Port Saint-Pierre, the vast coastline of beaches and the double Giens peninsula, linked to the mainland by a rare double tombolo that encloses the Pesquiers salt marshes. Offshore, the islands of Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Le Levant form the Îles d'Or archipelago.
This spread-out geography shapes a highly contrasting property market. The Centre-ville, around the old town and the station, and the eastern areas such as Olbia remain the most affordable. The coast, from L'Ayguade to La Capte and the Giens peninsula, along with the residential hills of Costebelle, concentrate the highest prices, driven by the proximity of the sea and the views. Demand stays supported by tourism, the climate and the appeal of the Toulon area.
