The Mimosa Trail – Car Rental Holiday Ideas
Car Rental in France – Holiday Ideas
The Mimosa Trail
For the perfect holiday using car hire in France, take the Mimosa Trail from Bormes-les-Mimosas to Grasse. The tour will enable you to see some of the country’s most beautiful scenery and learn about France’s famous perfume industry.
What is the Mimosa Trail?
The Mimosa Trail is an 80-mile route in the South of France which takes you through picturesque countryside where mimosa trees flourish.
The mimosa tree is a species of acacia which was imported to France by Captain James Cook during the eighteenth century, and the sweet-smelling, yellow blossoms soon became used by the region’s perfumers. The best time of year to see the mimosa trees in bloom is between January and March, although some varieties bloom several times a year.
Start of Mimosa Trail – Bormes-Les-Mimosa
The coastal village of Bormes-Les-Mimosa marks the start of the Mimosa Trail. Park your hire car and stroll through the old part of the village to see its architecture and floral displays.
Highlights include the 16th century Saint Françoise de Paule Chapel, the 13th century castle ruins, the marina and the Fort of Brégancon, which became an Official Residence of the French Presidents in 1968. You can also visit the Parc Gonzalez, which has outstanding displays of Australian plants.
The Mimosa Trail – Le Rayol-Canadel
It will take you about 15 minutes to drive from Bormes-les-Mimosas to Le Rayol-Canadel in your car. Simply follow the D559 coastal road east to get there.
Don’t miss the Domaine du Rayol botanical gardens, just outside of the village, or the monumental Pateck Staircase, which leads from the sea to the Pateck Pagola in the town centre. You can also see the Massif des Maures mountains from the town.
The Mimosa Trail – Sainte Maxime
Sainte Maxime is a picturesque town with a number of attractions, including four beaches. Visit the town’s history museum, La Musee de la Tour Carree, which is located within the 16th century Tour Carree, or take a tour of The Gramophone and Mechanical Instruments Museum. Take a break from your hire car with a stroll along the promenade, or visit the nearby Parques Botanique des Myrtes (botanical gardens).
St. Raphaël
Sainte Raphaël is a pretty town with more than 30 beaches and five harbours. Highlights include the Prehistoric Underwater and Archaeological Museum and the 12th century church. There are also some great coastal paths nearby if you fancy a break from your hire car. It will take you about 35 minutes to get to Sainte Raphaël from Sainte Maxime in your rental car.
Mandelieu la Napoule
It will take you about 30 minutes to get to the seaside village of Mandelieu la Napoule from St. Raphael in your hire car. The main attraction is La Napoule Castle, but you’ll also find some excellent beaches, a golf course and good hiking trails.
Mimosa Trail – Tanneron
Tanneron is about 15 minutes’ drive from Mandelieu la Napoule and is situated in the Tanneron Massif, the largest mimosa forest in France. If you are staying here for a day or two, or you aren’t the one driving, make sure that you sample one of the mimosa cocktails available at one of the village’s bars.
Pégomas
The penultimate stop on the Mimosa Trail is the village of Pégomas. It will take you about 15 minutes to get there in your hire car. You can take a break from driving and explore this charming village.
End of the Mimosa Trail – Grasse
The Mimosa Trail ends in Grasse, the perfume-capital of the world, where the mimosa blossoms are made into luxury fragrances. You can visit a number of perfume factories in the town, including Parfumerie Galimard and the Fragrond Perfumery. You can also take a self-guided tour of the town, which dates back to the Middle Ages.
Car Hire in France – Car Rental
easyCar, the low-cost, online car hire specialist has car rental offices in more than 2,400 locations, including many in France. The company offers some great cheap car hire deals.
Tags: car hire France, mimosa trail
This entry was posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 at 4:18 pm and is filed under Car Hire, English. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
December 10th, 2008 at 12:49 am
AEFPHOTO » Blog Archive » Europe traveling says:[...] the Italian Lakes by Car which may be very interesting and covered by the lot of travelers. The Mimosa trail is the 80 mile road which was covered by the Mimosa tree in France. Finally you can view the full [...]
December 10th, 2008 at 1:02 am
Europe travel « Palindrome says:[...] are being shared in car driving Europe. The details of wonderful driving holiday following the ‘Mimosa trail’ in France would make you realize the real extreme fun of travel. Possibly related posts: [...]
December 10th, 2008 at 5:51 am
Europe Travel | Blogsome says:[...] this travel is affordable for all class of people. Let me tell about the visit to France and the Mimosa Trial in France through car. This is an amazing experience that I have never got before in my life. To [...]
December 12th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Nothing Interesting says:[...] We read this post on a Europe Car Hire blog about an wonderful road trip in France that followed the Mimosa Trail. Nothing Interesting unless you are a perfume fan[...]
December 28th, 2008 at 10:31 am
The best time to make this trip is late May to mid June.. It’s not too hot and the perfume is excellent.
But avoid July – far too busy to be pleasurable.
January 27th, 2009 at 4:38 am
“Nothing Interesting unless you are a perfume fan”
From the pictures and descriptions I’ve seen here, this trail seems to have a lot to offer. can you recommend any car hire, preferable luxury cars. Companies with good reputation.
July 13th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
I think traveling anywhere in France would be absolutly amazing and well worth it. I have always wanted to go to Italy and France, but I am always scared to travel outside the country for fear of getting hurt or something, and that country not wanting to help at all.
January 25th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Provence – Wonderful Weather Delicious Food and Acclaimed Rose Wines | Europe & Beyond says:[...] gardens which draw crowds each year are the Jardin Exotique, Parc Borely, Rocher des Doms and the Mimosa Trail. There are also various natural reserves and parks in the Provence regions. These reserves and [...]