I would have to disagree with the characterisation of the area around Toulon as "ugly." For sure, Toulon itself is not the prettiest of cities but there is plenty to see in the area around it and more generally in the middle bit between the Nice area and the Aix-Marseille area.
In the immediate vicinity of Toulon itself, the presqu'ile de Giens and the Hyeres Islands (especially Port Cros) are rather beautiful, as is the coast line betwen Hyeres and Toulon (particularly between Carqueiranne and Le Pradet) and around St-Mandrier/Six-Fours on the other side of Toulon. The hills north of Toulon also offer spectacular views over the sea and surrounding hills and towns.
If you look slightly north or slightly East, there are nice drives or walks to be had around the Ste-Baume mountain to the North or the Maures range to the East between Bormes or Collobrieres and St-Tropez. The hills around Gassin and Ramatuelle near St Tropez are also rather picturesque although I would personally avoid St Tropez itself during the summer season as the crowds make it unbearable, imo. West of Toulon, the coast between Sanary and la Ciotat is rather flat and uninteresting but the Coast between La Ciotat and Cassis (and beyond that to Marseille) is rather spectacular. Looking further North (North of the A8 motorway) the Gorges du Verdon is also a beautiful area to visit. Towns and cities in the Var department area generally speaking are rarely exciting but, OTOH, the area is full of Provencal villages which are rather more genuine than places like Eze or Les Baux which, although extremely picturesque and definitely worth visiting, are about as authentic these days as Pamela Anderson's cleavage.
Also in the middle bit, the coast road between Cannes and Frejus is also a beautiful drive, although here too it can get rather clogged up during the summer.

That said, for a first time visitor and perhaps especially one which is a bit diffident about their French language skills, it does make sense to start with the most obvious places more used to international tourism at both ends and leave the "middle bit" for a possible repeat visit at some later stage.