My husband and I weren’t originally planning on visiting Cassis or hiking the Calanques National Park. But we decided to tack on a quick visit to this charming seaside village as part of our week-long road trip through Provence. It was one of the best decisions we made on our trip! The Calanques National Park in France is….a dream. If you’re thinking of visiting Provence or other parts of the South of France, definitely consider making a pit stop in Cassis. It’s conveniently located within a short 30-45 minute drive from the larger towns of Marseille or Aix-en-Provence, and a day or two is enough to appreciate it’s beauty!
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Cassis
“Qu’a vist Paris, se noun a vist Cassis, pou dire: n’ai rèn vist” (“One who has seen Paris and who has not seen Cassis can say: I saw nothing”). – Nobel-prize winner Federique Writer
Cassis itself is small, with most shops and restaurants concentrated around the main Place Baragnon. We visited on a Friday and found ourselves surrounded by the buzzing local market, where stall owners were selling all sorts of local goods (including lavender soap, almond biscuits, antique jewelry, and wine). We visited the stalls and various shops, sampled some calissons (a marzipan and almond based candy, a specialty of the area), resisted the urge to gorge on gelato, and I spent way too long picking out the ‘perfect postcard’.
From there, we took a stroll along the old fishing port (Vieux Port), admiring the line of stylish restaurants and cafes offering fresh fish and steaming bowls of seafood bouillabaisse (a local specialty). What I loved most about Cassis was the vibe – it offered the same glamorous charm as other towns along the French Riviera (a.k.a. St. Tropez), but felt much more intimate and authentic.
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We visited the Plage de Bestouan, a medium-sized sandy beach that seemed to be very popular with locals. Even though the walk to the beach was short (15-minutes), it was uphill and felt absolutely brutal in the pounding heat of the summer (apparently, the mild weather of London and Seattle have made us weak!). But we made it! And we subsequently rewarded ourselves with a late lunch and a refreshing glass of chilled wine at Same Same Cafe (a cafe situated right on the beach). Relaxing in the shade, while enjoying the coastal views of the French Riviera, we were living in pure bliss.
Calanques National Park
We decided that one day wasn’t enough, and so, decided to make our way back to Cassis the next morning (from our base in Aix-en-Provence) to hike through the best and biggest attraction of the area….the Calanques National Park. This time, we were lucky enough to be joined by some of our close friends (Andrey and Hilary) from Boston, who happened to be visiting from the States. I’m not sure that an intense few hours of hiking was exactly what they had in mind when they booked their vacation to Southern France, but they were good sports about it.
So what is a ‘calanques’ anyway? I had never heard of it. Apparently, a calanques is bay of water seemingly carved out of a dramatic limestone cliff. There are three that make up the main Calanques hike along the Mediterranean Coast – Calanque de Port Miou, Calanque de Port Pin and Calanque d’En-Vau. Port Miou is the start of the hike (only a short 30-minute walk from the town center) and is accessible by car – we went early (around 8:30am) and were able to secure a parking spot in the main parking lot for $8.
Kevin and I were a bit nervous, as we had researched the hike the night before, and there were several websites warning that the hike would be closed off in July and August due to risk of forest fires. To be honest, I’m STILL not 100% sure if we were supposed to be on the hike given that we visited in the middle of July…there’s still a part of me that feels confused on how we were able to do the hike, and quite rebellious because of it! Note – if you’re planning on visiting the Calanques in July or August….you’ve been warned.
The route from Port Miou to Port Pin made up the first half of the hike, and was relatively easy to complete. While at Port Pin, we enjoyed a small break on the beach, admiring the crystal clear waters and the rocky cliffs around us. You know that very specific ‘teal-green’ color crayon that comes in the typical Crayola box set? That’s the exact color of the water in the Calanques. It’s absolutely beautiful.
After our short break at Port Pin, we made our way to the grand finale, the Calanque d’En-Vau. The Calanque d’En-Vau offers the most dramatic scenery on the hike, and there are several ways to enjoy it: (1) by making your way to the secluded beach at the base of the Calanque, or (2) by making your way along the coastline to see the views of the Calanque from above.
We ended up doing both (although, I’ll admit this was mainly due to our baffling inability to follow the marked trails….we somehow ended up at the bottom beach when our intention had been to make it to the higher viewpoint). If you have the time, I’d suggest doing both as well, as the two routes offer very different experiences and views.
Getting to the beach at Calanque d’En-Vau was no Sunday stroll. The way down was steep and involved climbing over several slippery limestone rocks. But the effort was worth it. The beach at Calanque d’En-Vau was beautiful – surrounded by giant jagged limestone cliffs and rock ledges perfect for jumping into the water. If we had more time, it would’ve been a great way to spend a lazy afternoon, sunbathing and enjoying a leisurely picnic.
But although the beach was lovely, the views of the Calanque d’En-Vau from the top were my favorite. The aqua (or as I like to call it, Crayola ‘teal green’) color of the water. The steep drop of the cliffs. The jagged coastline dotted with pine trees. Pictures don’t do this place justice. Words can’t really describe how beautiful the views are. The Calanques hike might be my one of my favorite hikes of all time.
TIP: The terrain in the Calanques is quite rugged, so wear proper tennis shoes or hiking boots! Expect a total hiking time of 3-4 hours (more if you plan on sunbathing or taking a swim).
Aix-en-Provence
The hike took us the better part of the morning, and we were properly sweaty and parched from the scorching heat by the end of it. A short drive and cold shower later, we were ‘refreshed’ and ready to spend the rest of our day exploring Aix-en-Provence. Naturally our first stop in Aix-en-Provence was a hearty late brunch of pancakes, milkshakes, and hot dogs (yep, you read that right!) at Maison Nosh.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the leafy boulevards and bustling streets of Aix-en-Provence. We hunted down macarons (of course), bought a bottle of wine, and enjoyed these sweet treats in the company of the grand Fontaine de la Rotonde.
No trip to France would be complete without cheese (and of course, we hadn’t consumed enough calories so far with the hot dogs, milkshakes, pancake, and wine….), so the four of us decided to end our day with a celebration dinner of cheese and charcuterie at La Fromagerie Du Passage. And boy, we were not disappointed.
Now, La Fromagerie Du Passage may look like your typical French deli from the outside. But it’s not! It has a lovely hidden rooftop terrace on the upper floors, overlooking the streets of Aix-en-Provence.
Our dinner literally featured a giant wooden board with 25 hefty, generous chunks of cheese. It was amazing! We made a game of it (naturally) and sampled each cheese separately, giving each a score of 1-10 (10 being the best). The winner? A nice, mild and buttery goat cheese.
The party seated next to us at the restaurant (a local French couple) were so impressed with our cheese-consuming abilities, and our willingness to taste even the moldiest of cheeses (I’m talking about those 3 particularly spotty blue cheese chunks above) that they congratulated us for being such ‘risk takers’ as Americans. We all had a good laugh about that.
By the time we finished our marathon of a cheese plate, the restaurant was starting to close down for the night. As we were walking out of the restaurant (we were the last party to finish), our waiter unexpectedly chased us down. We were a bit confused at first, and thought we might have forgotten something…but to our surprise, he just wanted to offer us a free drink at the bar. Our free drink turned out to be a green digestif, which I learned was an alcoholic beverage distilled with herbs and spices meant to aid digestion. It was refreshing and minty, and exactly what we needed after such a heavy meal. And I couldn’t believe that our waiter stayed after closing time to treat us! Talk about amazing service.
If you happen to be in Aix-en-Provence anytime soon, you HAVE to have dinner at La Fromagerie du Passage. It was one of the most memorable dinners we’ve ever had, and the perfect way to end the perfect day in the South of France.
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Have questions about Cassis, Aix-en-Provence, or the Calanques National Park? Leave me a comment below!
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