Marseille & Cassis, france
Attractions Guide
Introduction
Marseille is the second largest city in France and is located along the country's southern coast on the Mediterranean Sea. The city is located west of Cote d'Azur and the French Riviera in the Provence region.
Old Port of Marseille
Among the city's main attractions is the Old Port of Marseille, an extremely scenic waterfront area with many restaurants and historic buildings. At the entrance to the Old Port is the impressive Fort Saint-Jean, from which you can take enjoy amazing panoramic views overlooking the harbor and coastline.
Fort Saint-Jean is connected by bridge to the city's most prominent museum, the Mucem Musee des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Mediterranee (MuCEM, or Museum of European & Mediterranean Civilizations). This seaside museum hosts a great collection of important artifacts, as well as changing temporary exhibits.
Churches & Basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde
Just north of the harbor and museum is the city's main church, the Marseille Cathedral (or Cathedrale La Major), a brilliant and elaborate Byzantine-style church which towers above the city. This cathedral is beautiful both inside and out, and is among the largest churches in France
To the south of the Old Port is the castle-like Abbey Saint-Victor, a 13th century abbey with a striking exterior. From the abbey you can enjoy views overlooking the Old Port and the fortifications surrounding it.
Basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde
Further south of the Old Port atop a hill is Marseille's most popular attraction, the Byzantine-style Basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde. This landmark basilica is topped with a giant golden statue of the Virgin Mary and hosts remarkable interiors. The basilica is located atop Marseille's highest point and offers incredible far-reaching views over the city and coastline.
Chateau d'If & Parc Longchamp
From Marseille's Old Port you can take a very short boat ride to the Chateau d'If, a 16th century fortified castle atop a tiny island. The castle was later converted into a prison, which served as the primary setting for the famous fictional Count of Monte Cristo novel. This castle prison now serves as a museum that you can explore and hosts fantastic views looking back at Marseille.
Parc Longchamp
One more popular attraction to consider seeing in the city is the Parc Longchamp, which features an elegant colonnade structure built in the 19th century, with extravagant fountains in front of it. This monumental structure is known as the Palais Longchamp, which also hosts the city's fine arts and natural history museums.
Calanques National Park
Along the coastline between Marseille and the town of Cassis is Calanques National Park, which is known for its many stunning calanques. Calanques are long narrow bays surrounded by steep cliffs. Most of Cassis's calanques feature beautiful beaches and vibrant blue-green waters, surrounded by breathtaking scenery.
The best and most convenient way to see all of the most popular calanques of Cassis is via boat tour from the Old Port of Marseille. Various boat tours are available offering a range of options to include some of all of the calanques, and even visits to the Chateau d'If prison island. Other popular calanque boat tours depart from the port in Cassis.
The most scenic calanques of the national park can all be seen without a tour, however they all require hikes to reach.
Reaching Calanque Trailheads by Bus
Many of the trailheads for the calanques are easily reached by bus from Marseille, including the Calanques de Sormiou, Morgiou, & Sugiton (along the western coastline of Cassis).
In order to reach the calanques along the western coastline of Cassis including the Claanque de Port Miou, Port Pin, and the gorgeous Calanque d'En Vau, you'll need to take the train to the Cassis Train Station, which is unfortunately located a bit far away from the coast. To reach the trailhead for the eastern calanques (at Calanque de Port-Miou) you'll need to walk or take a taxi/Uber 2.9 miles (4.7 km) one-way from the Cassis Train Station.
Reaching Calanque Trailheads by Car
In the busier summer season the roads leading directly to the calanques are closed, and even in the cooler seasons many of the roads are only open to local residents.
Calanques de Sormiou & Morgiou
The closest major calanque to Marseille is the wider Calanque de Sormiou, which features clear waters and small beaches. The trail to reach this calanque is about 2.2 miles (3.5 km) round-trip, starting from the Parking Calanque de Morgiou parking lot (near the Les Baumettes Bus Station).
From the Calanque de Sormiou you can take a steep hike heading eastwards along the Crete de Morgiou crest in order to enjoy amazing views over the neighboring Calanque de Morgiou. This viewpoint is approximately 2.6 miles (4.2 km) round-trip from the Calanque de Sormiou, with the option of adding an extra 1.6 miles (2.6 km) round-trip to reach the Calanque de Morgiou by hiking down the crest and along the cliffs.
Calanque de Sugiton
Further east along the coast is the Calanque de Sugiton, which is one of the most popular calanques in the national park. This extremely scenic calanque can be reached via a round-trip hike of about 4 miles (6.4 km), starting from the parking area near the end of Avenue de Luminy (near the Luminy Pn des Calanques Bus Station).
You'll definitely want to further explore the cliffs of this calanque and add a short detour of about 1 mile (1.6 km) round-trip to reach the Belvedere du Sugiton, a breathtaking viewpoint overlooking the neighboring Calanque de Morgiou as well as the stunning rugged coastline.
Calanques d'En Vau, Port Miou, & Port Pin
Perhaps the most gorgeous calanque within the national park is the Calanque d'En Vau, which is surrounded by tall jagged cliffs and features a large beach. The best hiking route to reach this calanque is via a scenic coastal walk, starting from the Parking Calanque parking lot at the Calanque Port-Miou.
This route is about 5 miles (8 km) round-trip and passes by the park's other two major calanques along the way. The route begins by circling around the extremely long and narrow Calanque de Port-Miou, which is lined with docked boats, before heading to the smaller but stunning Calanque de Port Pin, which hosts a small beach. The best views over this calanque can be enjoyed from the southwestern cliffs.
From the Calanque de Port Pin you'll continue around to the park's most scenic calanque, the Calanque d'En Vau, with the opportunity of adding on an additional 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to see the striking southeastern viewpoint overlooking the calanque.
Once at the beach of Calanque d'En Vau there's even the possibility of renting a kayak and further exploring the calanque. Be sure to also hike up above the calanque for breathtaking views, which you can enjoy from either the northwestern and northeastern sides of the cliffs.
Calanques de Port Miou & Port Pin Only
Note that it's approximately 3.6 miles (5.8 km) round-trip if you wish to only see the Calanque de Port-Miou and Calanque de Port Pin, as well as the viewpoint above Port Pin.
Google Maps Attraction Lists
Save Marseille & Cassis Attraction Lists to your Google Maps Account:
1. Click Link above while logged into Google account on your device.2. Click Follow, and the attraction pins will be saved in your Google Maps.
