Visiting Cassis and the Calanques

The first time I went to Cassis was in 1989 and we stayed at a youth hostel located on the plateau between Cassis and Marseille. Our days were spent hiking down to the long narrow bodies of water, calanques, to cool off from the hot provencal sun. I have returned to this beautiful seaside area several times since,visiting  the town as well as the calanques.  Cassis is a small seaside resort village located to the east of Marseille.  

http://en.plages.tv/seaside-resorts/cassis-13260

When my mother was here in November we visited the village in the evening and we were rewarded with one of the most beautiful sunsets ever!  The colors were so brilliant and it seemed like everything was dipped in pink.  It was a balmy evening and so many people were out sitting on the beach enjoying the warm weather.  We had dinner at Le Perroquet, a bistro overlooking the downtown and port, and then strolled along the quai before driving back to Sainte-Tulle. 









 

Fast forward to January 2016, we decide to go back to Cassis but this time we plan to walk to some of the calanques.   Calanques are like "fiords", long narrow inlets surrounded by cliffs. We started off at Port-Miou the closest calanque to the village of Cassis.  This almost one mile calanque, filled with boats of all sizes, is used as marina. Because it offers the best shelter from the sea, people have been using this port since Roman times.  

 

Port-Miou is a marina for all sorts of boats. This almost mile-long calanque was once a limestone quarry. 

On the left: Heading back to the car - great view of Port-Miou


Below: Evidence of limestone quarry










 

http://www.calanques13.com/carte-calanques.html

Our goal was to go to Port-Pin.  Everybody had the same goal!  It was such a beautiful day to hike.  The sky was blue, there was a small breeze and it was not too hot!  We chose not to pack a lunch but many people came prepared for a seaside picnic.  First we walked down to the beach at Port-Pin and Sophia waded on the pebble beach.  The area was crowded so we didn't stay too long.   We walked back up to the ridge trail and decided to go out to the peninsula between Port-Miou and Port-Pin.  This was the best decision ever! What beautiful views! 

View of Port-Pin beach from the ridge trail

Port-Pin from the beach

Fortunately, everyone did NOT have the same idea and we made our way out to the very end of the peninsula.  On the way we noticed ruins where guns were mounted during WWII and we enjoyed the spectacular view!

Looking back into Port-Miou from the peninsula.

 View of the entrances to Port-Pin and En-Vau

View of Cap Canaille from the point of the peninsula.

When we returned to the car we were famished and we decided to take a ride into the port of Cassis.  We decided against going to the crowded cafés and restaurants and instead we ordered sandwiches at a snack bar in a street near the port.  Raphael had a merguez sausage sandwich and I had a turkey cutlet sandwich.  I'm not sure if the food was delicious because we were so hungry or because we spent so much time out in the fresh air and sunshine!

We finished off the afternoon at the village beach.  Sophia loves to get her feet wet even though the water was a bit chilly.  Sunday afternoons in France are a time for families to get out and enjoy the weather and so many people were taking advantage of the sun and warm air.

I am so glad that we decided to go to Cassis when the weather was cool.  In the summer, the trails would be too hot to imagine and the place would be swarming with beach-goers and vacationers.  Our winter trip to Cassis was a perfect example of a Sunday afternoon!