A Sunday afternoon at the end of October, Grace and I had the opportunity to join Dénis and a couple of his friends visiting on a trip to Cassis. To show off the stunning scenery of Provence to us non-locals, he took us on a drive from La Ciotat to Cassis along the Route des Crêtes. Following a 9 mile coastal road with stunning cliff views of the coast of Provence, La Route des Crêtes is part of the National Park of Calanques.
Although we didn’t go into the village of La Ciotat itself, we had a lovely view of it from the road, and a bus goes there from Aix for €2.
Our first main stopping point was at some lovely rock formations recognisable as the cliffs which shelter calanques in their inlets. Sadly, there weren’t any beaches on our side of Cassis and we had to content ourselves with merely looking at the Mediterranean rather than getting in it. Peeping through the rocks were wild thyme plants growing which, combined with the sea air, gave a lovely aroma.
We drove on a little further to the most popular vantage point. This afforded us a gorgeous view over the town of Cassis during golden hour, as well as the ever-enticing azure waters of the sea. Although a sign clearly stated ‘keep away from the edge’ as the cliff is constantly eroding, that didn’t stop anyone from going as close to the edge as possible, let alone the rock climbers. We even spotted one pair eating a packed meal while on the cliff face!
From here we went onwards to Cassis. The village was extremely busy as we happened to arrive at the time the annual Marseille-Cassis race ended, it also being its 40th anniversary. In spite of that, we managed to find parking and headed straight down to the port. Admiring the boats on the water as we watched the sun fade, we strolled along the promenade past the Plage de la Grande Mer to the lighthouse.
Even though Cassis is small, it’s a charming little seaside village with many cafes and bars to sit in and enjoy a drink. Around the area are lots of calanques (coves) to visit, usually accessible either by hiking, or by boat. This makes it a lovely, but slightly more off-track place to come for a visit. While I was lucky enough to be driven by a friend, you can also get the bus to La Ciotat and then hike to Cassis, or get the train in from Marseille.
A plus,
Zoe x
An Aixpat-en-Provence 