This is one of those “off the beaten path” day trips that became one of the most memorable. We were staying in an apartment in Aix-en-Provence and knew that we wanted to day trip to the coast so we research and came up with going to Cassis, it was close and why not. Cassis is an adorable fishing port on the Mediterranean coast of Southern France. It offers fabulous wineries, adorable pastel colored buildings with colorful wooden shutters and an abundance of sidewalk cafes, shops, hikes and so much more. We felt the vibe the minute we arrived so two hours into our day trip we booked a hotel for the following night. Yes, we are spontaneous like that and knew we would have to drive back to Aix-en-Provence to pack an overnight bag with bathing suits, hiking shoes and something cute to wear for dinner in the port and a wine tour the following day. We did not care, we needed to spend more time in Cassis for all that it offers and we are so glad we did.
Getting to Cassis from Aix-en-Provence was roughly a 45 minute ride – 49.3km. To us it was well worth the drive back and forth. We used google maps “best route” to navigate. I recommend downloading your google maps prior to the travel so you don’t lose it due to not have internet connection.
In this blog I am going to cover some information about Cassis along with some suggestions on hiking trails, foods to eat and some scenic drives around the area. They are all pretty stunning. Remember, this is our crazy spontaneous way to move around and we are offering mere suggestions if you want to take a side trip there as well. We all travel differently so use any of this information how you wish.
A few highlights and natural beauty spots.
The Calanques – Dramatic and fjord-like limestone inlets with turquoise water and hiking trails that get you to the stunning and rewarding inlets. You can also view the inlets from a boat tour if you are not into hiking. They are offered all over the port and I recommend visiting the Tourist office to get the best recommendation. The hikes through the Parc National des Calanques can be very challenging and also rewarding. I will get into that later. It is suggested that the best times to visit are this area, especially for hikes is spring & autumn to avoid summer fire closures. The summer heat can take a tole on your body so if you hike, bring plenty of water.
Cap Canaille & Corniche des Crêtes – Cliffs towering at 394 m they are Europe’s highest seaside bluff, with a winding scenic route from Cassis to La Ciotat that offers breathtaking viewpoints. If you have a car I suggest the drive. Photos do not do it justice so just take it all in. It is about a 15km/9mile stretch of road and offers plenty of lookout points. The road is wide and easy. Just be careful as you will share the road with camper vans & bikes.
Beaches – They are pebbly beach shores so bring lite shoes to walk in if you have sensitive feet. Places like Plage de la Grande Mer, Bestouan, Corton, and Arène are perfect for sunbathing and swimming. The water was so refreshing. Dip in, swimming in the mediterranean is wonderful and floating is so much easier due to the higher density.
Wines and Cuisine
Markets & Local Flavors – We were there on a Wednesday and there was a provençal market selling fresh produce, bread, cheese, lavender items and soap from the neighboring Marseille, it makes for a great gift to bring back to someone. We grabbed some fresh fruit for our hike and glad we did.
Cassis AOC Wines – the region produces boutique rosés and predominantly white wines from Marsanne, Clairette, & Ugni Blanc. There are around a dozen vineyards like Clos Sainte Magdeleine and Domaine du Bagnol offering tastings. We did a wine tour/tasting at Domaine du Pagnol and thoroughly enjoyed both the rosés and the white wines. Yes, of course we purchased a few bottles to take with us back to Aix-en-Provence. We love supporting local places we visit.
Local Fare – We dined on provencal mussels au gratin and sea bass at a waterfront restaurant. After dinner and a nice stroll we enjoyed some of the famed gelato from Amorino. The popular flavor was the regional lavender flavorings but I am not a fan of lavender in my foods. There were plenty of selections. There are so many great little restaurants so just walk around, read menus, look at the food coming out, and if it bustling with locals…. it has to be a good one.
Visit the tourist offices.
I repeat this statement. I am a fan of visiting the local tourist office upon entering a town. We get the scoop on what is happening in town, grab local maps, get the details on the local tour companies, restaurants and wineries. This office provided great detail on everything especially the national park, scenic drives, a petit train that toured the town, and so much more. If you dig a bit into the conversation with a smile, they are more than happy to share some of the local secrets. We were delighted to learn so much and even some secrets on how to quickly get to the start of the hiking trails to Calanque d’En-vau. This was valuable info and certainly beat a lot of extra walking. Remember being friendly and kind as gets you a long way. There are a lot of guided tours with bikes, hikes, and so much more so dig in and get as much info as you need to make your experience as memorable as ours was.
Hiking
This was a big highlight of our trip to Cassis. Hiking is a passion of ours so we knew we wanted to conquer the trails to the hidden inlets. We had heard and would agree that the best time to get started is early in the morning. The sun beats down on the limestone and it heats up fast. Glad we brought a lot of water, as suggested by the tourist office it was much appreciated. Yes, it is heavy to carry but I promise, you will be glad you did. We hiked the long trail all the way to Calanque d’En-vau. I added a screen shot photo of our trail through All Trails below. The trail offers a lot of scrambling up and down rocks and it can be strenuous so it is highly recommended to wear good hiking shoes and bring water shoes in your backpack. The trails were crowded but that helped in not getting lost, LOL. No, really, there are great trail markers and you can also download the all trails map. There are several stunning photo opportunities and you can also pit stop in Calanque de Port Pin for a dip in the water there. We did that on our way back and it was not as crowded as En-vau.
We booked round trip tickets on the petit train and took the petit train from the port. We jumped off when the opportunity presented itself to get a quick start on the trail, only because we saw some others do it but I bet it is not recommended. Purchase a round trip ticket and remember the train schedule because catching the last one from Port Miou Peninsula was KEY to keeping us from walking all the way back to the port of Cassis. After a long day of hiking it was so nice to take the train back into the port.
Sidenotes and more information about this particular trip.
We did this trip through France for my 50th birthday celebration. We rented a car in Paris and drove from Paris to the champagne region – Reims to Épernay, then to Annecy, and then to Aix-en-Provence. Now you know we carried on for a day trip to this beautiful find, Cassis. It was a great drive and included three night stays in each place. We enjoyed both regions of champagne, rented a boat to enjoy Lake Annecy, and found some delicious foods along the way. We love to chase locations where the Tour d’France passed through and since we had the car, we took a drive from Annecy to Col Des Aravis. We observed a lot of cyclists on the roads so be careful as you drive.
We decided to drop the car rental off in Aix-en-Provence and take the train back to Paris where we stayed another few days. We can never get enough of that incredible city. Maybe next time we will find our way to Lyon since we did not stop there on this trip. I understand the food scene there is wonderful. We have been blessed to have traveled all over France on several other trips and I hope to get those itineraries blogged as well. There are so many great places to visit, not just Paris. Stay tuned on those.
Photos
Here are a few photos from our drive I will write more blogs and share more photos. I know my family appreciates this.
