Cassis: Hiking the Massif des Calanques
What are the Calanques?
The Provençal word "calanques" means coves bordered by steep slopes. It is a narrow inlet surrounded by steep rocky promontories made of limestone jutting out into the sea which have been shaped by the wind, sea and rain over the last 120 million years.
To the west of Cassis are Les Calanques de Cassis, a part of the Calanques National Park, a protected and highly regulated area, stretching over 20 km/12.5 mi from Marseille to Cassis, with 26 Calanques of various sizes (25 in Marseille and 1 in Cassis).
The impressive jagged cliffs and the shockingly gorgeous turquoise blue water in these beautiful inland coves are an amazing work of art!
There are 2 ways to experience the Calanques, by sea or by land. There are boat tours leaving the harbor (from Cassis & Marseille) many times a day. There is also some fantastic hiking to be done where you can go up and over and drop down into each of the coves and enjoy the associated beaches.
As you may have guessed, I opted for hiking through the famous 3 of the ones closest to Cassis: Calanque de Port Miou, Calanque de Port Pin, and Calanque d’en Vau.
Calanque de Port Miou (see below) is the closest to Cassis. Accessible on foot from the town center in 30 minutes, it is also possible to come by car and park in the Presqu’île car park.
Port-Miou winds its way inland for almost a kilometer and at the end of the peninsula you will have a magnificent view of the Cap Canaille. It has the strange characteristic of having a small underwater spring whose origin is still not well known. A slight surface current allow the phenomenon to be known, it causes a very cold current of fresh water that mixes with the warmer sea water.
The Port-Miou cove has served as a natural shelter for boats since antiquity and over the centuries has become a cargo port annexed to that of Cassis. Today it houses some 550 boats very tightly fit into a small space.
Calanque de Port Pin owes its name to the Aleppo pines which are very present in the Calanques massif. The trail to get there is clearly marked from Port Miou. The first stretch is fairly easy, despite the hill, and offers amazing views over the coast. It’s not until you get closer to the second calanque that the path becomes rocky, uneven, and in some places quite narrow eventually leading you to a beautiful cove beach. Due to its ease of access, this is one of the more popular of the calanques so of course this means it also has the most crowded of the beaches as well. I hiked through early enough to get to appreciate it without people. Coming back through later in the day, it was a buzz of people.
Calanque d’En-Vau is the most stunning, but also the hardest to reach. It is the most grandiose with its high cliffs and its beautiful pebble beach. This calanque is the most iconic as well as the most photographed, it is emblematic of the massif. It’s easy to see why!
An uphill climb will reward you with breathtaking views over the valley, and the downhill descent brings you to the most beautiful, pebbled beach. Some of the hiking trails I traversed required some bouldering to get in and out. At times I was using both of my hands, I always use both of my feet so that’s not new, yet going down…there were times I was scooting on my butt as well. Not too proud to admit it. Haha.
When summer arrives in Provence, cicadas, or cigales as they are referred to in French, dramatically announce their return, filling the air with their distinctive melody. According to Provençal folklore, the cicada was sent by God to rouse peasants from their afternoon siestas to prevent them from becoming too lazy. The plan backfired, instead of being disturbed by the cicada, the peasants found the sound of their buzzing relaxing, which in turn lulled them to sleep.
There is a Provençal expression: “Il ne fait pas bon de travailler quand la cigale chante,” or “It’s not good to work when the cicada is singing.”
This video is taken when I reached the bottom of the cliffs and was hiking out to the cove of Calanque d’en Vau. I was serenaded by the cicadas the entire way. I love the sounds of nature.
This video demonstrates just how loud the cicadas are…even with the wind, you can hear them clearly.
