You just walk, walk, and once arrive to the beginning of wonderland! Beautiful wiew, you forget the daily routin, the distance of the bus station and other problems. The wind is blowing, sun is shining and you feel :This is one of the best moment of my life! Unforgottable
Grab yourself a pair of hiking shoes and make it to the Calanques. The views are gorgeous, and swimming in its turquoise waters is the perfect reward. You are not going to be alone, though.
Le Parc National des Calanques is an area of outstandingly beautiful limestone cliffs and inlets on the Mediterranean coast. Its principal feature is rugged limestone outcropings. There are also some areas of mainly coniferous forest with patches of broadleaf trees. It is possible to take a brief boat tour around some parts of Les Calanques- many boat trips start and finish in the Old Port of Marseille. However, there is no substitute for walking. The walking paths are well maintained and sign posted, but plan to have a guide book or map to get more from your walk. Wear strong sneakers, or even better, hiking boots. Sunglasses, sun block, and appropriate clothing are recommended at all times of year. This is a protected area and there are no restaurants or cafes, so bring food and water for longer hikes.Almost all of the walking routes in the Calanques are accessible by public transport from Marseille and its exurbs. This is France's tenth national park, established in 2012.During the warm months, you can walk right down to sea and swim in any of the numerous little coves. However, during periods of elevated heat and aridity, the Park might possibly be closed, except during the early morning hours, because of fire risk.There are many guide books to the hiking paths of the Calanques. The walks listed in any decent book should be graded according to difficulty, duration and elevation. We use a very small book of 28 routes, 'Les Calanques à Pied'. If you are interested in more extensive walking, the IGN (National Geographic Institute) map 'Les Calanques de Marseille à Cassis' scale 1:15,000 ( 1 cm = 150 M) is excellent. One walk which is particularly interesting and beautiful is the 'Petit Prince' walk near Cassis. It is named after the 'Petit Prince' from the children's book by the author and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. You can look out from a viewpoint on this route to the area where Saint-Exupéry's military spotter plane crashed into the Mediterranean in July 1944. His identity bracelet and the remains of his plane were not discovered for another fifty years.This park is physically outstanding as well as historically fascinating: make time to visit it.
Les Calanques are a magical place. Anybody who visits Marseille needs to visit Les Calanques. We went there by foot and when you're at the top of the hills, you have a feeling of being at the top of the world. The pictures are not 20% as beautiful as it is in real life. My boyfriend and I brought a lunch in our backpacks and ate by the sea and then went for a swim. Such a wonderful life experience, I can't wait to go back!
The Vieux Port was a clanque developed by the Phonecians and luckily there is a large National Park on the eastern otskirts of Marseille that preserves the wild coast and the smaller calanques formed here. The park is easily accessible by public transport and has excellent paths. Easy walking (for the most part) and spectacular scenery.
You can enjoy in the Calanques beautiful sightseeing of a mixed rocks and see. In fact the calanques are kind of Fjords very steep and abrupt rocks, when you finish your descend you can enjoy a swim in the Mediteranean see.I have travelled a lot in my life and I have never enjoyed such a beatiful place.
Whether you start out in Marseille or Cassis, it is definitely worth hopping on a boat for a tour of the beautiful calanques. The water is stunningly blue and the cliffs springing right out of the sea provide many great opportunities for picnicking, swimming, and hiking.
Wonderfull nature! We had a boat-trip from Cassis, a small town at 25 km from Marseille. Lovely town!
Great boat trip on beautiful day. Buy ticket in advance but get there early to get decent upstairs seat on the boat.
We have parked the car and walked to hidden bays to take a swim and been lucky enough to go out on a friends boat, so by far the best way to see the Calanques is from the water.Either way take plenty of water, sunscreen and a picnic lunch as there are very few amenities.