Cassis is a pretty fishing port located east of Marseille. No connection with the liquor of cassis (blackcurrant) which is made in other regions in France, but there are 12 wineries in Cassis producing wonderful white wines thanks to its microclimate. Dry but fruity, usually mineral, sometimes iodic, the wine from Cassis pairs very well with the fish and Provençal food you can eat in one of the many restaurants on the port. They are surrounded by the bright colors of the façades and the ‘pointus’, local boats moored on the quay. It’s from one of the docks that you can start a boat ride along the calanques. These long and narrow coves of blue translucent water are so beautiful that a National Park is protecting them.
And don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a dizzying view over the town and the coast from the Cape Canaille. This place is known as the highest sea cliff in France! As the name suggests the three main calanques are situated to the west of this charming seaside town. Here the turquoise waters, pine trees and white limestone cliffs come together to provide you with the quintessential Mediterranean experience.
A short boat trip provides a privileged vantage point of the rocky coastline, which over millennia has been sculpted by streams and the Mediterranean Sea. The Calanque de Port-Miou which in Occitan means, "best port" is suitably named. Thanks to its length and relative shelter from the open sea it is a bustling marina in the summer months. Waving in the gentle sea breeze are the Aleppo pines which populate the slopes around the Calanque de Port Pin and its pebbled beach. The Calanque d'en Vau with its impressively high cliffs is the most spectacular of the three and quite possibly one of the most beautiful calanques in the region.
