Between Marseille and Cassis the coast breaks into the Calanques — narrow inlets cut deep into white limestone, each one a sliver of green water held between cliffs. They form a national park, the only one in Europe to take in land, coast and open sea at once, and the only way into most of them is on foot or by boat.
I. The port and the cliffs
Cassis itself is a working fishing port turned gently to pleasure — pastel houses round the harbour, boats on the water, the great red cliff of Cap Canaille, one of the highest sea cliffs in France, rising behind. The white wine of the surrounding terraces is poured cold along the quay, and the morning boats leave from here for the inlets.
“A fjord cut in white stone, filled with water the colour of bottle glass.”
II. Port-Miou to En-Vau
The three best-known calanques lie west of the town: Port-Miou, a long sheltered creek full of moored boats; Port-Pin, with a small pine-backed beach; and En-Vau, the most beautiful and the hardest to reach, a pale gravel strand at the foot of vertical walls. The walk out takes a couple of hours each way over white rock — bring water, and good shoes.
III. Walking the park, and its rules
The Calanques are fragile and fire-prone, and in high summer access on foot is restricted or closed depending on the wind and the risk — the park publishes the day’s map each morning. Go in spring or autumn if you can: cooler walking, clearer water, and the cliffs to yourself. By boat from the port you can see the long line of them in an afternoon.
