Saint-Raphaël is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

Immediately to the west of Saint-Raphaël lies another, older, town called Fréjus, and together they form an urban agglomeration known as Fréjus Saint-Raphaël. The Var lies in the region called Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, often abbreviated to PACA.

In the second half of the nineteenth century the township came under the influence of mayor Felix Martin and writer Alphonse Karr, and owing to their efforts and its beneficial climate the commune developed on a seaside resort popular with artists, sportsmen and politicians.

It is the headquarters of the Fréjus Saint-Raphaël canton, which is the economic and cultural center of eastern Var and lies in the arrondisement of Draguignan. Its inhabitants are called Raphaëlois in French generally, or Rafelencs in Provençal Occitan.

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Saint-Raphael is one of the quietest resorts on the French Riviera. Clean, well maintained, with a small harbor and beaches on both sides of the harbor.
Behind the harbor is a colorful old town to explore, which has a daily fruit and vegetable market.
Another imposing 19th-century building in central Saint-Raphael is the Byzantine-style basilica.
To the south of the harbor there is a large public garden area where photographic exhibitions are sometimes held which also contains a large children's play area.
Like the Romans, there are also traces of prehistoric and ancient Greek occupation in the area. Visit the Archeology Museum.

PLACES TO VISIT NEAR SAINT RAPHAEL
Deep sea diving and coastal walking are among the most popular activities in and near Saint-Raphael. The surrounding coastline (over 30 km of coastline is found here) and the Massif de l'Esterel together represent a protected and carefully maintained environment.
The beaches and rocky part of the coast are characterized by red rock, as found in the Massif de l'Esterel and the best view, following the east coast road to Theoule-sur-Mer.
Saint Raphael is also on the popular garden route called Route des Mimosas.

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There are several culinary specialties in St Raphael. The most famous meals are cooked with olive oil, such as Aioli (with fish, potatoes and vegetables), Anchoiade (with anchovy), Pan-Bagnat (sandwich), Pissaladiere (pie), Socca (round biscuit), Tapenade. (chopped olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil). There are also some seafood specialties with fresh fish, shellfish. You can enjoy cheese (Brousse de la Vesuvie) and dumplings (Barbajouans, Ganses…) as well. Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur is especially known for its wine. To taste different flavors of French Pastis, you can mix it with mint syrup (a “perroquet”), grenadine syrup (a “tomato”) and Orgeat syrup (a “mauresque”).

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St. Raphael is located on the Cote d'Azur and enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, humid winters. The Mistral wind occurs, although sometimes the town is sheltered from this by the Massif des Maures and the Esterel. It is perhaps more exposed to the Levant (strong, easterly, wet) or the Sirocco (very strong, southerly, hot) air flows, but fortunately these occur rarely. The wind speed record was established on 30 January 1986, with gusts of 140 km (87 mi) per hour.

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