Cassis Things to Do

Take a boat tour around the little harbor for a glimpse of cool rock formations and crystal clear views into the Med.

Also, have dinner at one of the many little restaurants lining the harbor; you won't be let down.

There are several beaches in Cassis. The main one near 'downtown' is always full of people (La Grande Mer). It is a true sand beach (the shore is otherwise rocky). No dogs are allowed at this beach. There are showers, WC, volley-ball and restaurants nearby. It is supervised (lifeguards). A bit further on is the 'clothing optional' beach - more topless really - Plage du Bestouan. Also sand and patrolled with a couple of snack bars nearby, but slightly more out of town.

Other less crowded places to sit in the sun do exist! The Plage de l'Arene and Plage du Corton are both rocky beaches which are not supervised with small parking facilities (better to walk). You can bring dogs to these, and find plenty of hidden places to hang out in peace and watch the waves crash.

The Calanque du Port Pin also has a pebble/sand shallow beach (you can hike there from town in about 45 min-1 hour). The Calanque d'En Vau is more remote, and either is a very long hike (1 hour more past Port Pin) or faster - requires a boat ride to get to (you can arrange a round trip in the AM) and is very gorgeous - there is also rock climbing at En Vau.

There are also diving outfits in Cassis which can take you out (we didn't have time to try this) and kayak or canoe rentals (a bit pricey, actually).

June is a bit early for 'warm' feeling water - it was actually a bit too cold for our tastes - we 'waded' more than swam. But plenty of kids and other brave souls did swim (I would say many more people were just out sunbathing, however and would also wade in to cool off, then wade out again). July and August and even into September we are told is better for the water temperatures.

Yes, this is completely touristy and very catered to (boat companies wait in the port and take visitors on tours ever few minutes in high season).

However, the Calanques are a unique formation of rock cliffs (originally formed by glaciers!) on the ocean, which along with the weather, has worn them away into some very odd shapes. They start just outside of Marseilles along the coast, and end just a bit after Cassis.

You can only view them properly from the water, so a boat tour is recommended. After this, explore them further by hiking along the shore or rent a kayak and snorkel.

They offer several tours of the Calanques - 3, 5 and 8 Calanques. We took the 8 Calanque tour (1.5 hours) and paid €15 each. I think the extra €5 was worth it, as some of the more interesting things to see are further away than the short trip which only goes from Cassis to En Vau and back.

Calendal was a humble anchovy fisherman and hero of a work by famous local poet Frederic Mistral. His memory is now honoured by this statue made in Cassis stone.

This is the panorama you can get of the Calanque d'En-Vaut! This is when following the red GR path after the Calanque de Port-Pin.

This Calanque is impressive because it is formed by very cliffs going straight in the water...that is why this calanque is visited by a lot of climbers.

This is the closest calanque to Cassis where you can bath...it is small and narrow but also really irresistible!

Cassis has also a nice beach next to the harbour limited by the high cliff Cap Canaille which is 416 m high. This is the hightest sea-cliff of Europe.