Saint-Raphaël grew up at the foot of the Estérel, on the Var stretch of the French Riviera, facing the bay overlooked by its basilica Notre-Dame de la Victoire. A former fishing port backing onto Fréjus, the town owes its rise to the resort trade of the late nineteenth century: the railway, the arrival of writers and doctors, and the development of the Valescure district made it a fashionable health resort. Alphonse Karr, Jean-Baptiste Charcot and many English holidaymakers contributed to its reputation.
The municipality runs from the harbour town centre, with its old town, its market and its Santa Lucia marina, to the seaside resorts of the east. Beyond Boulouris and its nine beaches, the coast unfolds towards Le Dramont and its Île d'Or, the bay of Agay sheltered between the headlands, then Anthéor and Le Trayas where the red rocks of the Estérel plunge into the sea. In the hinterland, Valescure lines up its villas and hotels around the golf course, in a wooded setting.
This drawn-out geography shapes a highly contrasted property market. The seafront, from Santa Lucia to Boulouris by way of Les Plaines, and the Estérel resorts concentrate the highest prices, driven by the sea view and the scarcity of properties. The historic centre of Le Vieux Port and the residential districts of the north form an intermediate core of the market, while Les Arènes and the northern hinterland remain the most affordable areas. Demand stays supported by the tourist and residential appeal of the French Riviera.
