Callian is a traditional small village situated in the wooded hills of the Var department, inland from Cannes and the Cote d'Azur and a few kilometres from Montauroux. The village is in a picturesque setting on the side of a hill.
Explore Callian
France This Way review: Callian is a small but attractive village to visit, with a tangled web of narrow streets to explore and a large number of interesting and characterful old houses.
The village is overlooked by a medieval castle that stands above the village, and has the 12th century Chapelle des Penitents just below the village.
No need to follow a precise path during your visit - just keep strolling around, meandering into the little side paths when the fancy takes you to discover the character of the village.
The main church in Callian is the Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, built in the 17th century and containing baroque style ornamentation. There is a small waterfall and nice views across the countryside from the open square next to the church.
As long as you generally keep going uphill you will reach the castle soon enough. The castle is now used as the Town Hall for Callian, and has retained its round towers that were built in the 12th and 13th centuries as well as its walls and courtyard.
Although I spent quite a while strolling around but I'm still not completely sure whether I saw 90% of the village or 10%. Not too important, there will be something new to discover next time I visit...
Just below the main Callian village you can see a lavoir (public washhouse) that appeared to have been recently renovated but still had one remarkable characteristic - someone was actually using it! it's nice to see one in use rather than just being a tourist attraction.
Visit near Callian
A couple of kilometres south of Callian you can visit the small 11th-12th century Chapelle Notre Dame des Roses, while to the south-east the leisure facilities of the Lake of Saint Cassien are popular with visitors
The village falls within the region known as the the 'Pays de Fayence' with several hilltop villages in close proximity which will typically be visited together. These include near neighbour Montauroux, as well as Fayence, Mons, Seillans and Bargemon, and several others...
You can find more travel ideas in the Var guide and the Provence guide.
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Map of Callian and places nearby
Visit near Callian with France This Way reviews
Montauroux
Most visitors will combine a trip to Montauroux with some time at the leisure Lake of Saint-Cassien nearby
Montauroux guide
Tourrettes
The small village of Tourrettes is one of several perched villages in the Pays de Fayence region of Provence
Tourrettes guide
Saint-Cezaire-sur-Siagne
A visit to the small town of Saint-Cezaire-sur-Siagne might be combined with a trip to the nearby caves - Grottes de Saint Cézaire
Saint-Cezaire-sur-Siagne guide
Fayence
Fayence itself is a pleasant, unspoiled small town and well placed to explore the pretty villages of the Pays de Fayence region
Fayence guide
Mons
The elevated position of Mons, at 800 metres altitude, means the views across the Mediterranean stretch an extraordinary distance
Mons guide
Seillans
The village of Seillans is a perched village in the Pays de Fayence region of Provence, now listed among the 'most beautiful villages in France'
Seillans guide... or see ALL recommended places to visit in Var
Address: Callian, Fayence, Draguignan, Provence, 83440, France || GPS coordinates: latitude 43.622132, longitude 6.752993
Plan your visit to Callian, Var
Sightseeing & tourist attractions to visit nearby
- Grottes de Saint-Cezaire: site of natural beauty (6 km)
- Seillans: most beautiful village (9 km)
- Jardin de la Villa Fort de France: remarkable garden (14 km)
- Grasse: secteur sauvegarde (14 km)
- Parc zoologique de Fréjus: zoo or wildlife park (16 km)
- Parc du château de la Napoule: remarkable garden (19 km)
- Cathédrale Saint Léonce (Frejus): religious monument (21 km)
- Gourdon: most beautiful village (21 km)
- Frejus Cathedral cloisters: national monument (21 km)
- Frejus: town of art and history (21 km)
- Eglise de St Raphaël (Saint-Raphael): religious monument (22 km)
- Abbaye de Lerins (Cannes): religious monument (22 km)
The French version of this page is at Callian (Francais)