A day on foot in the calanques

Preparations and access The Beginning...

One morning, bathed in the sunshine of Provence

a detailed map of the site,
our hiking boots,
something to eat,
two litres of water and
and our best hats (a cap for me and a hat for my sweetheart)

we set off to discover this exceptional natural landscape: Les Calanques!

Accessible on foot from the centre of Cassis (about 35 minutes), the start of the hike in the Parc national des Calanques is on the GR 98 from Port Miou.

As we approach the starting point, the light bursts through the pine trees and offers a sparkling reflection of the sea!

The setting is idyllic and majestic! A real treat!

At the entrance to the national park is the calanque of Port Miou, a real paradise for sailboat enthusiasts. This harbour is home to over 500 of them! Each one more beautiful than the next, from ‘pirate’ to ‘modern’, there’s something for everyone!

Discover the calanques

The Port-Miou cove

We stopped for a moment to take a few photos and drink a little water; it was really hot and we were right to protect our heads… We set off again, armed with our IGN map (it’s a good thing I took it, as the signposting was a little unclear), and followed the red and white colours of the GR98…

The coastal path opens onto a majestic panorama, the garrigue offers a bewitching and intoxicating spectacle: a veritable paradise of scents! Between the pines, the flowers, the iodised and perfumed smells, in the calanques, you go up and down, breathing in your lungs!..!

The Calanque of Port-Pin

After a 40-minute walk along the stony paths between the Aleppo pines, we were rewarded with the calanque of Port Pin right before our eyes! It’s a real postcard! It forms a cove with a beach and the sea offers crystal-clear turquoise reflections!

We settle down with our feet in the water, and I feel like I’m in the Caribbean islands, but we’re in France, very close to Cassis! Enjoying a small snack, we’re glad we brought a little bag to collect all our rubbish! It seems inconceivable to us that such a jewel of nature should be wasted!

The En-Vau cove

We set off again, curious to discover the prestigious Calanque d’En Vau!

We’ve heard so much about it. The photos on Instagram really made us dream…

The path is difficult, rocky and sometimes slippery, and the hike is no picnic – it’s a real sport! From Port Miou, it took us an hour and a half to reach the impressive and magnificent calanque!

Our efforts were amply rewarded…

We arrive at the very top of the belvedere and there … the calanque is undressed before our eyes, a real beauty! The colours are fantastic! All shades of blue, from royal to green, the sea reflects like precious stones!

However, to reach the beach at En Vau, the descent is vertiginous and difficult to access. There are a few passages where you have to use your hands to get over rocky ledges. The end of the descent is on a fairly steep and slippery scree slope… This section has to be climbed again, but unlike the outward journey, it’s easier on the way back.

Our afternoon went wonderfully well, nestling in the heart of the massif in an exceptional natural setting. On the way back, we took care to collect all our papers and set off again. It took us about two hours to reach the centre of the little village of Cassis, where we could relax on a terrace around the harbour or in a small restaurant.

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Calanques Experience