Calanques are the jagged remains of ancient river mouths, stretching for 20 kilometers along the Mediterranean coast from Marseille to Cassis. The park covers land, sea, islands, and suburban areas. Cassis and the two most beautiful coves, Port Pin and En Vau, are just a 30-minute drive from Marseille. Climbing the Roches Blanches cliffs also has hidden bonuses—the stones “exfoliate” the skin, making it soft and tender.
Before we start, I recommend my post about hotels in the south of France. Plan your perfect vacation using my recommendations!
Summer Vacations. 16 Beautiful Hotels in the south of France!
In this article I will share with you the hotels from “My Top”. There are both castle hotels and more modern estates, one of which, for example, is where the most influential stars stay during the Cannes Film Festival! And if you think it’s impossible to get in, it’s not, it’s real! These hotels deserve your attention! For convenience – hotels are divided into 2 categories. Provence and Cote d’Azur. Enjoy watching).
I won’t go into all the complexities of the journey to the beautiful coves of Port Pin and En Vau, but I’ll say that it’s no easy feat. It takes about 40 minutes to walk to Port Pin from the nearest parking lot in Port-Miou (Cassis). To get to En Vau, it’s about two hours, although if you’re a sports enthusiast and don’t stop for rest and photos, you can manage it much faster. But there’s a lot of information about this online; I just want to show you the beautiful coves and breathtaking views.
The coves are truly incredibly beautiful. At the end of August and beginning of September, there are fewer people, which is definitely a plus. But the main thing is, if you want to see the stunning water color, you should go before noon. By the time you reach the second, farther cove, En Vau, after 2:00 PM, the sun hides behind the cliffs, and you won’t see that turquoise water anymore. Also, in August, there can be jellyfish here. But that’s unpredictable anywhere; the sea is the sea.
It’s a Port PIn.
This is it from above, on the way to En Vau. You’ll see this view if you take the “difficult” and longer trail. But it’s worth it! By the way, I was wearing a dress, and surprisingly, it didn’t hinder me at all, and I had much less chance of getting sunburned (my backpack covered my back). I had sportswear in my backpack, but it wasn’t needed.
The Calanques are a favorite spot for rock climbing. And I’m just thrilled by these fluffy mountains; they look so soft, but of course, it’s just an illusion. Falling here can still hurt a lot!
Here is the En Vau Cove. As you can tell, we didn’t make it there before two o’clock, so we couldn’t fully enjoy it, but it’s still beautiful here nonetheless.
Next time, we’ll head to the coves by boat or yacht, which you can easily rent around here.
We’ve been here several times, and only once did we hike to En Vau. The journey is challenging and hot. Make sure to take plenty of water, food, comfortable sports shoes, and a map that doesn’t rely on the internet!
