Shellfish and fish

Tamaris Bay

Tamaris, on the savoury side

The town’s renown stems from its past as a luxury health resort, its military fortifications and its contemporary art center, Tamaris stands out in the landscape of Toulon’s Toulon harbor for one final reason: the bay is home to several wooden cabins on stilts, adding a sense of calm and eternity to the maritime atmosphere. Between Les Sablettes and Pointe de l’Aiguillette, in Toulon’s small harbor, these cottages are home to the largest shellfish and aquaculture zone in the southeastern Mediterranean. Here, mussel, oyster and fish farmers follow every stage of their production, bringing you the pleasure of tasting quality products with a subtle flavour on your plate.

5 good reasons to come

See the atypical fishermen’s cottages in the bay
Feel transported to another part of the world
Oysters and mussels with an inimitable taste
Enjoy a seaview dinner at dusk
Talk to passionate producers

The flight of seagulls over the spat adds a touch of poetry to the bay’s charm.

A breath of fresh air in the heart of the harbour

The Baie de Tamaris, nestled between the isthmus of Les Sablettes in La Seyne-sur-Mer and the peninsula of Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, stimulates the imagination with its retro ambience. The calm waters are home to fishermen’s huts on stilts, which give the area its distinctive charm. At sunrise, splendid in all seasons, the golden light of the Bay of Tamaris is alive with the lively hustle and bustle of breeders as they navigate their way from spat to nets in a picture-postcard landscape.

Meet a Tamaris grower

Did you know?

Tamaris red mussels are grown exclusively by three producers. It’s a rare product that’s highly prized in the finest restaurants. Eaten raw, its iodized flavor is reminiscent of sea urchin.

Passionate producers

Although the origins of shellfish farming in Tamaris date back to the late 19th century, it was in the 1960s that production reached its peak (1,400 tonnes compared with around 100 tonnes today). Today, producers mainly grow mussels and, to a lesser extent, oysters and shellfish. Since the 1980s, fish production and breeding have also been developed: bass, sea bream and giltheads grow in the bay, which is open to the open sea.

In fine weather, book a table for dinner directly with the producers. Enjoy the freshest produce, with a view of the farmers’ sheds and mussel beds. The light of the sunset and the enchanting setting of the harbor add a very special flavor to this meal. To taste the shellfish at the producers’, go to the entrance to the Bay of Lazaret, at the allée de la petite Mer.

Shall we eat?

Treat yourself to a Tamaris oyster at a Michelin-starred chef’s table, enjoy a classic mussels and French fries meal with the family, savor oven-roasted sea bream, or sample oysters in the early hours of the morning at producers’ sales outlets: why choose? The shellfish, which benefit from a unique plankton supply thanks to the open sea of Tamaris Bay, have a subtle, atypical taste that’s a must-taste!

Shellfish to be enjoyed in a short circuit, facing the sea

Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, consume in moderation.

How coming ?

Approach by waterbus

Mussel and oyster beds and fish farms are not open to the public. However, when you board the Mistral shuttle service between Les Sablettes and Toulon (line 18M), you’ll be sailing close to fishermen’s huts and nets.