Les Calanques, the beaches of French Riviera

Les Calanques, the beaches on the Blue Coast

Hello everyone! Today we're finishing off this chapter on France, with the Les Calanques route, in Cassis.

Let's briefly go back to the moment when I picked my second Erasmus destination. I remember looking for photos of Marseille on Google well, and so many of them were of beaches with crystal clear water, surrounded by nature, untouched earth. It was in that moment I thought: this is my place.

It was after that when I discovered that these beaches weren't in Marseille, but in Cassis, about 30km away. So, as I've already mentioned previously, I realised that my Erasmus year wouldn't be in Marseille but in Aix-en-Provence, about 30km from Marseille. So there wouldn't be any way for me to get to these beaches by catching a train or simply walking as they were quite far from where I'd be staying that semester.

Even so, it didn't matter. I wanted to go so badly. Therefore, one of the first things I did when I arrived at my destination (even before I had my study contract ready and finished, the famous learning agreement) was to do this route full of beaches of dreams.

How do you get to Les Calanques from Aix-en-Provence?

To get to Les Calanques from Aix, the first thing you have to do is catch a bus to Marseille from the main bus station in Aix. I had a card that was valid for the whole Cartreize zone so the ticket only costed 80 cent. When you get to Marseille station, Gare Routiere de Saint-Charles you have to get a train to Cassis. A ticket for there and back costs around €15. This train doesn't drop you in the centre of Cassis, but in the outskirts so you have to get another bus, but it's a really short journey to get to the centre of this coastal city. And it's from there where you'll start your trip.

Les Calanques Nature Park

I was lucky enough to do this trip twice. The first time was with Jessi, my friend and flatmate from my first Erasmus abroad (in September). The second time was with Sandra, Lucia and Pauline, more Erasmus friends and a few life long friends that came to visit me in Aix-en-Provence (in October).

The experience was pretty much the same on both occasions. The trip was long, about 2 hours approximately. Like I already told you, at several points the route is steep, rocky and a climb is necessary.

Going from Cassis, still in the city, the first stop is Bestouan beach, which is small, with crystal clear waters and white rocks you can dive in from to take a dip. After this beach, the pavement becomes a hiking route of earth, grass and rocks. It gets more difficult. Leaving the city, shops and houses behind, you start to enter the nature. As you know, comfortable shoes no matter what, hiking boots perhaps.

Calanque de Port-Miou

The first cove you'll find is called Calanque Port-Miou. It's a very long and narrow cove, where a lot of sailing boats dock. The sea sweeps over the coast in a very pronounced way. Touring all over Port-Miou takes its time, about half an hour approximately (and even more if you take your time taking photos of this marvellous landscape).

Calanque de Port-Pin

The route continues until it reaches a small but precious cove, called Port-Pin, which, of course, is an obligatory stop. It's a beach that hides in between soft and white rocks. You can stop at the initial part of the beach whose floor is riddled with small stones that make walking quite a challenge; or else, you can venture a bit and walk a bit further until you reach a tranquil place, where you can lay your towel on the sand and enjoy the sound of the sea and the colour of the water with no one around you. But don't stay for too long! The best part of the route is still ahead of you!

Calanque D’En Vau

For me, this route is the one that gets better the further you go. The landscapes, views and beaches get better as you progress, in the same way as your tiredness increases with your every step. But there's no time to waste as the best of all of the beaches, the jewel of this nature park: Calanque D’En Vau (the one that appears in all pictures on Google), is located at the very end. As you go further, the trail gets steeper and more dangerous and you start realising that there are people who back down, turn around, go back and do not finish the route. They miss out on the best part. The last cove is the most beautiful of all. If there is something thanks to which it is so special, it's because of the surrounding it cliffs which are extremely high (you can even see people climbing them). But you should arrive here early, if you want to enjoy the crystalline colour of the water. If you take too long, the sun will start setting behind the cliff and the water will no longer seem so sparkling, clear and turquoise. We had to wake up at half past four in the morning to get here on time! (I forgot to mention this tiny detail). But we did go in October and the sun did set earlier after all. If you come here in summer, you can wake up at a less dramatic hour.

At last, we arrived. It's an incredible, protected by cliffs beach whose floor is composed of white big stones, so bear in ming that walking barefoot is not the best option. It hurts a lot. The first time I came here (in September) the water was great, even if the French thought it was chilly. It didn't matter. It was perfect, as there was no one swimming in the sea with me and I could enjoy it as I pleased. In October, when we came back, the water was already colder, but it wasn't as cold as in the Atlantic, so we went for a swim either way. For those used to the water in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea seems to be a broth. All in all, it's a perfect, surrounded by rocks place for a swim, where you can also enjoy the nature and its 'silence'. You feel here a little bit like a mermaid, to be honest.

Alternative ways of arriving to Les Calanques

There is also a simpler way to here. It consists of getting on a boat at the Cassis or the Marsella port. The boats make a stop at the cove's entrance and stay there for a couple of hours, while you can enjoy the landscape. But to be honest, walking seems to me to be a better option. Arriving here sweating and willing to take a dip will give you much more satisfaction than if you arrived by boat. You will appreciate it in a different way. The finish seems much more attractive. When we were here, there were also a lot of kayaks that arrived here following the same sea route. Another interesting option it to arrive here by visiting various coves which have a different landscapes and views.

When the sun rays were no longer reflected in the water, we decided to go back, as we had two hours of journey ahead of us. As far as the route is concerned, is it designated throughout the whole walk and it's impossible to get lost so you won be needing any guide.

After two hour long inversed journey we managed to get back. A bus, a train and a bus all over again. Without a shadow of doubt, it is a trip that you should go for, no matter whether you are going to stay around the French Riviera, if you are going to do your Erasmus in Marsiella or whether you simply decide to come here just to visit this place - it is wort it. It's not as popular as Menorca or Mallorca, and so there is no multitude of tourists that would prevent you from enjoying the view or the serenity of the sea.

To conclude

I can assure you that the blue colour of the sea is the same as the one in the pictures in this post. When I was looking at the pictures on Google, I thought they were all photoshoped to an extreme level with lots of saturation, but I was wrong, this is the actual colour of the water. All in all, if these pictures are not enough to convince you to come to this paradise, I give up.

In my humble opinion, it's worth coming back here every summer. The Les Calanques route is longer than the one we did. It includes an additional part that consists of small coves, which are incredible, such as the Sugiton or the Morgiou cove, amongst others. I have a rule to always leave something out when visiting a place, so that I have a reason to come back. It is true though, that in case of the Les Calanques route, the reasons I have to get on the plane again are too many. It is one of the most special places I have ever been to. This mix of the mountain, white rocks and blue sea is priceless.

And that is my post for today, written with lots of love. I enjoyed a lot sharing this magical place with you, my views and the feelings and emotions that I experienced when visiting this place. And in this way we have wrapped up the oh-so vast topic of France. Thanks one more time to those who read me till the very end.

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