Mons is a mountain village perched on a rocky spur at an altitude of 814 metres. There are two themes to consider when planning a stay: the historic village with its houses, lanes and artworks, and the landscape views from Mons and Mont Lachens. This distinction helps you choose what to focus on: in the village, architectural history and sacred art take centre stage; for the landscape, the viewpoints differ in both location and scale.

Village History and Art

Many of Mons’s centuries-old houses are built mostly of dry stone. Dry-stone construction uses stone walls laid without mortar. The Circuit patrimoine de Mons is a walking tour through the village’s historic streets and lanes. Its features include old walls, portals, arcades, Renaissance windows, squares, washhouses and fountains. Those interested in architectural styles can look at individual façade details as well as other elements of the village streetscape. Arcades are rows of arches supported by piers or columns.

The Maison Monsoise preserves a village house with a vegetable garden, a bugadier, an old fireplace and a stone hearth. In addition to the lanes and the houses’ construction, here the focus is on the preserved features of a single village house. This adds another scale of village history to the walking tour.

An altarpiece is a decorated structure behind an altar. The Church of Notre-Dame de l’Assomption houses six notable Baroque altarpieces, including a high altar dating from 1680. This adds sacred Baroque art to the village’s architectural heritage.

Views from the Village and Mont Lachens

From Mons, views stretch across the hills of the Pays de Fayence, the Esterel Massif and the Bay of Fréjus–Saint-Raphaël. Mont Lachens, known as the “roof of the Var”, is located in Mons and reaches an altitude of 1,715 metres. From the summit, the panorama extends from the Sainte-Baume Massif in the west to the Mercantour Massif in the east and also encompasses the Mediterranean. The view from the village and the summit panorama offer different perspectives on the landscape.

Planning Your Visits

Different arrangements apply to the cultural attractions. Guided tours of Notre-Dame are offered on Saturday afternoons, by prior reservation with the Pays de Fayence Intercommunal Tourist Office. As the schedule may change, confirm the date with the office before your visit. The Maison Monsoise can be visited by appointment with the Mons Tourist Information Office.

When choosing what to focus on, you can distinguish between culture and landscape by scale: the Circuit takes you through the historic streetscape, the Maison Monsoise focuses on a single village house, and Notre-Dame showcases sacred Baroque art. For the landscape, choose between the view from Mons and the summit panorama of Mont Lachens.

Discover more destinations: Ampus, La Garde, Saint-Tropez, Aups, La Verdiere, Tourtour, Toulon, Pierrefeu-Du-Var

For the main travel overview: Var.