Cassis: France’s Best Kept Secret Vacation Spot

When people say they’re traveling to southern France and want suggestions on where to go, Cassis is my first recommendation. I lived in a neighboring city along the Mediterranean Sea for 14 months and loved the opportunity to explore Cassis. There are many activities for all types of travelers – a romantic getaway, hiking adventures, relaxing in town or laying on the beach.

During our most recent trip to France with two of our kids, Cassis was our favorite portion of the trip. There was no itinerary of museums we had to visit. It was a low-key visit to such a beautiful area. We felt like a local instead of a tourist. We enjoyed some delicious foods – which I’ll outline below – and some even more breath-taking scenery.

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Here are eight things you can do in Cassis to create memories and capture photos that will make everyone back home jealous.

Getting to Cassis on the Mediterranean Coast

Trains are the best way to navigate Europe. They’re inexpensive and pretty easy to navigate. Cassis is just east of Marseille, so that’s probably the best city to use as a starting point for your train to Cassis. The regional train, known as the RER, departed Marseille St. Charles Gare (train station) roughly every 30 minutes. It only took about 15-20 minutes to get to the train station in Cassis.

Once you disembark from the train, head to the train station entrance. From there, you’ll find three options to get into town.

1. Take the bus. The cost of the bus is pretty minimal (a dollar or so per person). The schedule is posted, and as long as it’s running on time, you can easily make your way into the city.
2. Grab a taxi. If you want your own schedule, and are willing to pay quite a bit more than the bus fare, you can take a taxi into town.
3. Walk. We likely would’ve walked into town if we hadn’t been carrying our luggage for the trip on our backs. We love our eBags, but when they’re packed full of everything we need for the trip, a nearly two-mile walk didn’t sound appealing. But it’s your call.

Hike the Calanques Near Cassis

My favorite part of Cassis are the Calanques. They are tall, white, limestone cliffs, towering above the blue colors of the Mediterranean Sea. Be sure and carry a camera with you for this part of your visit so you can capture the iconic shots of the area.

Access the Calanques west and south of town. You’ll start by walking along the city streets, following the signs to Calanque de Port Miou. That’s where the hiking trail starts to the other two calanques of Cassis. You can use your phone as a map to ensure you don’t get lost on the way, or grab a map in town so you can best navigate the walking route.

From the Calanque de Port Miou, follow the trail to the Calanque de Port Pin. That’s where we explored during our most recent trip. We had intended to make it out to the most iconic calanque, Calanque d’en Vau, but the bus scheduled messed up our plans. Port Pin is a small beach, but it was perfect for enjoying a quick snack and taking in the beauty of the area.

Calanque d’en Vau is about a 2 mile hike from the start of the hiking trail. Plan on about an hour each way. It’s still on my bucket list to actually hike to this spot and enjoy a day at the beach, because every time I am in the area, poor scheduled timing keeps me from reaching it. Guess I’ll just need to go back.

Relax on the Pebbled Beaches of the Mediterranean Sea

Beaches are synonymous with sand. But not along the Mediterranean Sea. The pebbled beaches are more typical, and the multiple beaches in Cassis fit that mold.

I’ve stayed at two different hotels in Cassis. Hotel de la Plage offered a great view of the sea and easy access to the beach across the street. Plage de la Grand Mer is closer to the city center and is likely one of the busier beaches of Cassis.

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If you’ve never experienced beaches in France, just note that sometimes swimsuit tops are optional. But relaxing on the beach is fun, and getting into the water can help cool you down on a hot summer day. After some time of the beach, you can either head back to your hotel or decide to explore a little more of downtown Cassis.

Explore the Port of Cassis

The Port of Cassis is a beautiful place for a stroll. You’ve got the colorful buildings and restaurants, alongside rows of small boats. There’s a small gelato stand right by the port and it was a refreshing treat. It’s the same place you can grab a steak-frites, which I talk about below. There’s definitely that small-town village feel in Cassis.

Along the port you’ll find an outcropping of rocks with a little lighthouse at the end (see photo at the end of this post). It’s worth walking to and exploring the rocks along side the walkway, too.

If you want to take a boat tour of the calanques and coast around Cassis, there are several tour boats ready to take you. Find the one that works for your schedule. The tours vary in length, depending on how many calanques you want to see. The longer the tour, the more expensive they are. We opted to not take the boat tour because our plan was to hike the calanques. But if your kids aren’t into hiking, then maybe the boat tour would be the best way to capture the beauty of the calanques.

Enjoy some Delicious French Foods

My all-time favorite food is probably a seafood pizza. You won’t find those in the states. I’ve had one in Paris, but it wasn’t all that great. But a seafood pizza in southern France… Oh yeah!! All along the port of Cassis you’ll find places to eat. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Le Perroquet, located a short walk from the port across the parc where you’ll see people playing boules. They had delicious pizzas and seafood. We enjoy calamari and a seafood pizza. Although my wife – who doesn’t like seafood – went with a classic cheese pizza.

One of the other treats you can enjoy is a steak-frites. I had looked all over Marseille and wasn’t able to find them, so when we spotted them at a corner café in Cassis, we had to grab one. A steak-frites is a sliced baguette with hamburger patties inside it and fries placed on top. Granted, it’s quite the load of carbohydrates, and they’re large enough to where you can share. We each got our own and I don’t think any of us finished it.

If you’re thinking of grabbing a crepe for breakfast – because us Americans think crepes are breakfast – don’t get your hopes up. Many of the restaurants aren’t open super early, so we had a tough time trying to find something for breakfast before our hike out to the calanques.

Shop the Markets at Place Boragnon

If you’re in Cassis during the summer, you’ll likely be able to catch the farmers market spread through downtown Cassis. It’s probably not the type of market you would go to for souvenirs of your trip. Most of the vendors are selling clothing, handbags, shoes and even underwear. But as we got further into the market area, we found all the fresh fruits, foods and more.

My kids had never tried a fig. I remember plucking some off trees years ago when I lived in this area and enjoying them while walking the countryside. We grabbed a few and later tasted them down by the beach. My kids didn’t really like them. But at least they tried them.

We were able to sample some homemade dips and sauces from vendors who were eager to share their crafts. I’m so glad we were able to explore the market before we headed out of town to our next stop. The farmers market is another way you can feel more like a local and less like a tourist.

The main farmers market is usually held twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, but you’ll want to check the Cassis website before you arrive so you can double check timing. There are other markets that occur at different times of year, including a flower market in April and a Christmas market in December.

Play Petanque (boules) in the Park

Do you know what Petanque is? It’s also known as Boules or Bocce Ball. I was first introduced to this game when I lived in France 20 years ago. We enjoyed going to the city park to watch a group of old men toss the heavy metal balls down the court, vying for points.

In Cassis, you’ll likely find a group of old men playing the game in Square Gilbert Savon. In fact, while we were eating our seafood pizza, we watched the groups father in the square to play or watch the games during the lunch break. It’s fun to watch them play, but if possible, see if you can invite them to give you a few pointers. Or better yet, buy your own set, give it a whirl in France, then bring it home with you as a souvenir. NOTE: The metal balls are heavy, so you’ll need to figure out the best way to transport it home on the airplane.

We did find a small travel-sized version of Boules that we brought home so we could play the game in our living room. So keep an eye out for a set of “mini boules” so you can do the same thing.

Drive or Hike up to Cap Canaille

Cap Canaille offers you some of the most breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea and the Port of Cassis. It’s touted as the highest seaside cliff in France and the fourth highest in Europe.

We haven’t ventured up to the top of Cap Canaille, but you can see it in the background of our photo above.

The road to the top is narrow and windy, so you’ll want to be careful. You can hike up, but it’s a rough hike for the unfit.

If you plan to take photos – or even a selfie – note that there is nothing to protect you from the edge of the cliff. So don’t lose sight of the ground as you’re looking through your viewfinder or camera phone and fall over the edge.

Explore the Museums

There are two main museums in Cassis, but you may find others included in little shops.

Le Four Banal is in the heart of the city and houses a stone oven from the 17th century. It was used by members of the community to bake bread. But beyond the oven, the museum houses other traditional artifacts from Cassis’ history. There is no admission fee, but the museum is only open on certain days. Find the museum’s hours online.

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Known as Le Musee, this museum is near Place Boragnon. It features archeological artifacts, art and traditional clothes and items from the Provence area around Cassis. There is a small admission fee (roughly $4), but for more information, visit the museum’s website.

Summary

Cassis is the type of city that would be great to visit for weeks or months on end. The tranquil lifestyle, outdoor opportunities, markets, beaches and more make Cassis a great escape for a relaxing and romantic vacation.

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