Heading south to the coast from Provence brought us to Cassis, a small fishing boat town along the Mediterranean. We spent little time in the town of Cassis, which was very pretty though a little overpriced and tourist heavy. But it didn’t matter, as our purpose was to use the town as our base for a hike into the neighboring Calanques National Park.

There are numerous hikes throughout the park, but we chose one of the most scenic ones. The hike itself isn’t long nor overly strenuous. It can be done in a couple of hours, unless you want to continue all the way to Marseille.

The only part that was slightly more challenging was when we came upon the views of this pretty little hidden beach, and knew we wanted to get down there.

We clung onto some tree branches and scrambled down a steep rocky path until we hit solid ground. As we turned the corner, this beautiful beach with its crystal blue waters came into view. Only a couple others were there to enjoy the quiet of the beach with us, and we immediately regretted leaving our swimsuits behind…

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

The three calanque hike begins in Port Miou. There is ample free parking nearby on Avenue Notre Dame, from there it is only a short walk to the beginning of the hike. Follow the wayfinders painted on the rocks along the route to “Calanque d’En-Vau”. The hike itself took approximately 3h round trip with a 30min stop at the final calanque. It is 6km in length with a 300m climb and descent.

For the best views take a quick detour when you hit the top of the ridge between the second and third calanque. There is a trail going to the left that is marked in blue that goes along the ridge and provides dramatic views of the entire area.