Claviers is a perched village located on the tiny D55 road winding through the pine forests just south of Bargemon.
Nestled in these beautiful forested mountains, both Bargemon and Claviers have outstanding views of the surrounding hills right out to the Mediterranean, and each other, to the benefit of both.
Var (83830)
Population: 597
Altitude: 400 m
Also: | Lost Railways of Provence |
Nearby: | Bargemon 5 km | Callas 4.5 km | Cannes 60 km | Châteaudouble 16 km | Comps-sur-Artuby 27 km | Draguignan 20 km | Fayence 20 km | Figanières 10 km | Frejus 36 km | Grasse 41 km | Nice 83 km | Seillans 14 km | Trinité Chapel 8 km |
The many olive orchards sharing the hills with the pines are so well established that many of the trees seem to be about to cross the road as you pass.
The main part of Claviers is a "typical" medieval village with narrow streets winding their way between the tall, old houses, with several passing through low archways beneath the houses. Yet the village somehow maintains a feeling of light and openess.
The medieval St. Sylvestre church, rebuilt in the 19th century, is topped by the
wrought-iron belfry (campanile de fer forgé) shown in this photo.
History
Name
First record, 1027 Clavier: from the Provencal Claviès.
Gallo-Roman: There are signs of Gallo-Roman occupation just south of Clavier, including walls, a foyer, ceramics and tiles. The ruins of the Castrum de Mels sits up on a nearby hilltop.
Office de Tourisme
Place 18 Juin 1940
Tel : 04 94 47 84 20
Dates
Market: Tue, Sat.
Fête: 6 June; 26 July; 8 Sept.
Transportation Claviers
Bus
- Department 83, Var Buses
- See Beyond's Var Department Bus Schedules for downloading the Var bus-lines map [Plan du Reseau] and bus-line schedules [Horaires] (link for PDF files).
- Schedules for the Var bus lines are on the VarLib Horaires-Ligne page (http://www.varlib.fr/horaires_ligne/?rub_code=6") - type the line number in the Numéro ... ligne box to access the bus schedule PDF link. (Type a couple of digits in the box to get a list of route numbers.)
- Draguignan - Fayence Bus
- Bus line 3201 connects Draguignan, Figanières (Quatre Chemins), Callas (Quatre Chemins), Seillans, and Fayence. You could get a taxi (see below) between Claviers and one of the stops on this bus line. Draguignan also has taxis for this area.
Taxi
- STHV (Société Transports du Haut Var)
- Taxi (artisan)
- Location: RUE DE L ORMEAU; 83830 Claviers
- Tel: 0494 766 872
Sports
Caving
- La Lioure Cave - Aven de La Lioure
- The Aven de la Lioure is located about 1.5 km east of the village.
Hiking
Maps
IGN (1/25,000) #3543 OT "Draguignan"
Didier Richard (1/50,000) #25 "Maures Haut-Pays Varois"
A nice loop hike north from Claviers goes up to the Ste.Anne-de Claviers chapel on the hill overlooking the village. From the chapel you can return, or extend the loop through the forests of Puy and Hubac to visit the oppidum about 1 km to the east. A longer loop will take you northeast to the village of St. Arnoux, and you can return along the northern flank of the hills, passing just below Bargemon alont the Riou river.