A guide to Cassis: the pretty little beach town and gateway to Calanque National Park
Many of the Cassis restaurants are located directly in the harbor.
The small fishing port of Cassis is a lively yet understated beach town in the south of France. It’s only a 40 minute drive east of Marseille and is the gateway to the striking cliffs of Calanque National Park. Along with hiking, swimming and boating, Cassis also offers waterfront dining around the port and a quaint city center. It’s a pretty little place with its own sunny character.
Cassis is popular with the French because of its close proximity to Marseille and to Paris, and because it is not as intense as the Côte d'Azur, making it a good weekend trip for locals. Travel guru extraordinaire Rick Steves has called Cassis “a prettier, poor man's St-Tropez” and that description seems appropriate.
We spent half a day in Cassis while driving through from Marseille to Nice. It was a very easy manageable stop - not hard to park, and easy to get around.
How to Get to Cassis
Driving from Marseille to Cassis was easy. It was a short but excellent scenic drive from Marseille. Directions via GPS are good but everything is also well marked.
We would recommend driving as the way to do it if you are a visitor to France. It works well as part of a larger driving trip in the south of France.
We used Parking Mimosas (Cassis), a very modern multi-level parking deck with lots of spaces that felt very safe and was only a short walk to the city center. We paid €7.70 for 3 ½ hours.
If you would like to read more about driving and renting a car in France, we have a blogpost all about it - Tips for driving while visiting France.
Getting to Cassis via train - If you prefer to travel to Cassis by train, there is a direct TGV from Paris to Marseille-St Charles, and from there you need to transfer from Marseille St Charles to Cassis. The whole journey from Paris takes about 4 hours; or about an hour if coming directly from Marseille.
If coming from Nice, you will also have to make a transfer - traveling from Nice Ville to Toulon, then from Toulon to Cassis. The trip can take 3 hours, depending on your transfer.
As always, we recommend using Trainline for ease of booking train tickets in Europe. It will give you all the information you need on transfers and availability with an easy interface.
The train station at Cassis isn’t that close to the city center, but there is a free bus that takes you into town. Catch the bus marked Marcouline at the station’s exit.
Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we are recommending a product, activity, or hotel, we might be receiving a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.
Exploring the Port of Cassis and City Center
The relaxing port of Cassis features colorful shops and restaurants along a three-sided esplanade that surrounds the activity of the harbor.
The harbor is quite picturesque with dive boats, fishing and sightseeing cruises for experiencing the cliffs and bays of the Calanques up close. The prices and duration of the cruises vary depending on how many bays they visit. They all seemed to be independent operators working in cooperation with each other.
We had been planning on taking one of these cruises, but the weather didn't quite cooperate - it was threatening rain on and off, with high winds offshore and choppy waters, and it just didn’t seem like that would be tons of fun.
So we opted instead for a walk about town, some picture taking and a classic Provence meal of mussels and frites. The sun did come out for us eventually so it turned out to be a nice day.
While the little port is the center of activity, many people come to Cassis to visit the beaches and go hiking in the Calanques. There are lots of pretty accommodations around the town for those looking to spend a few days enjoying these activities. We saw many folks sporting serious hiking shoes and walking poles. (More on the national park below.)
The feel of Cassis is indeed that of a very high end beach town, and we did notice signs that warned that bathing attire was strictly prohibited while walking about town - when you leave the beach you are expected to be respectful to residents and cover up.
Although all of the restaurants are a little bit expensive, it was satifying to sit down in this very congenial environment and treat ourselves to a nice lunch. Seafood is a main feature of the local menus so we each had mussels and shared some frites at Cesar la Suite. We only had soft drinks with our meal, and spent €48.
There are lots of cute shops in the attractive town, which features clean, well-maintained pedestrian streets that connect to cobblestoned lanes adorned with the pastel-colored houses you might expect from the south of France. The charming Four Nations Fountain is apparently a structure of some local pride in the town center, and a happy mallard was having a swim when we arrived. There were plenty of places along the streets to sit and enjoy a gelato as we did, or perhaps a picnic lunch.
I do have to give a shout out to my favorite shop I visited in Cassis - Autrefois Cassis.
I’m a sucker for a good jam (full confession - jam just might be its own food group in my life!) So when I saw jars of the fruity “spread of the gods” in the window of the shop next door to the Amorino where we had just gotten some yummy chocolate gelato, I just had to go in.
Oh my goodness, this store is a little bit of heaven! I quickly realized it is not just a jam shop - it’s full of artisan delights. Their main thing is handmade cookies (or biscuits) for sale out of open bins so you could mix and match. I was offered a sample and went for the lavender flavor - coz Provence, after all - but there were endless possibilities and I must say, that lavender cookie was delightful! They also sell oils, deli items like mustards, tapenades and relishes, local wines, handmade candies, “savory crunchies” and much, much more.
But back to jamming on jam - or “confiture” in French.
There were so many confiture choices! Since we were in Cassis, I decided to buy the Cassis Fruit Confiture. If you are unfamiliar with the term, cassis fruit is black currant. It’s just the name of the fruit and not related to the town, but I still thought I was being clever.
It’s rather tart and tangy and oh so delicious, very popular all over Europe and excellent on a sweet butter biscuit! My jar of jam tagged along with us through the rest of our trip, all through Provence back to Marseille and onto Paris again. It was always a welcome little snack in our room when coming in from sightseeing - just had to remember to pick up biscuits. :)
Ah, this is why I came to France! (cue dreamy accordian music)
Did you know? - During World War II, when fruits rich in vitamin C, such as oranges, became difficult to obtain in the United Kingdom, the British Government encouraged the cultivation of blackcurrant plants, which are native to central and northern Europe. Blackcurrant berries are a rich source of vitamin C and are easy to grow in the UK climate. From 1942 onwards, the crop became so successful in the country that blackcurrant syrup was distributed free of charge to children under the age of two as a healthful elixir. This may have given rise to the lasting popularity of blackcurrant as a flavoring in Britain.
Well, all I know is that it makes a nice jam! And there’s your World War II lesson for today, kids! Now back to Cassis!
There is also a Cassis Market, that comes to town on Wednesdays and Fridays. The market spreads from the center of town down some side streets and into a park, so it’s pretty comprehensive. It features the usual delights of Provence; beautiful produce, baked goods, artisan eats, crafts and flowers.
Random Fun Fact: Cassis was a filming location in The French Connection. the 1971 American action thriller film that won a slew of Academy Awards that year.
Visiting Calanque National Park
One of the main reasons tourists and locals alike come to Cassis is to see the breathtaking Calanque cliffs and to hike in the national park.
A “calanque” is a unique kind of geological formation made of limestone - big rocky coves that form steep and narrow inlets mostly found around the Mediterranean sea. Between the towering rock cliffs, sheltered bays form picturesque beaches where visitors sunbathe and enjoy water sports.
The Calanques between Marseille and Cassis are considered a natural wonder and a must-see while in the area, and they make up Calanque National Park.
The Calanque National Park is a highly regulated and protected area, due to its delicate ecosystem. Some Calanques are more accessible than others, and for a full rundown of the details, it's best to check the Marseille Tourism Website.
A boat ride around the Calanques, as discussed in the section above, is a great way to see them up close. But if you want to go onto these secluded beaches, some are only accessible through the National Park.
The most popular beach in Cassis is Plage de la Grande Mer, located at the center of town in view of Cap Canaille, the highest sea cliff in France. Cap Canaille features a steep hike to the summit that’s not for the faint of heart, but the reward is stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea, Cassis harbor and the Calanques.
If you want to hike the cliffs, you should consider it a serious hike and wear appropriate shoes and not just go skipping off in your flip-flops or pretty Instagram sandals.
You can access the national park trail from the beach; it’s about a 20 minute walk to the start of the trail. The hike gets steeper and more rigorous as you go into the cliffs, so make sure you bring water and perhaps a snack and a walking stick.
There are no toilets, food or rest stops inside the national park, and signage is limited.
The Calanques are one of the most unique and interesting sights in Europe, and a trip to Cassis even for a day doesn’t disappoint. To read about what else we enjoyed in Marseille and the surrounding area, go to post on What to do in Marseille: visiting the vibrant port city
This post was researched and written by Debbie of the Empty Nest Explorers. You can learn more about the Empty Nest Explorers here
Some well-reviewed Cassis area tours:
Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we are recommending a product, activity, or hotel, we might be receiving a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.
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