The Plages du Mourillon, a series of sheltered sandy beaches about two kilometres east of the old port, are where Toulon residents actually swim. They are not Riviera glamour beaches — no celebrity hotels, no DJ sets — but they are clean, sheltered from the Mistral, and backed by pleasant waterfront cafes. In summer they fill up with naval families and local teenagers.
The Mourillon district behind the beaches is one of Toulon's more agreeable neighbourhoods: a former fishing village that still has some of its original character despite the 20th-century apartment buildings. Fort Saint-Louis, a 16th-century fortification rebuilt by Vauban, stands at the western end of the beach strip and is worth a look from the outside.