The calanques of Port-Pin and Port-Miou
from the picturesque town of Cassis
Rich in cultural and natural heritage, this picturesque and moderate footpath allows you to quickly get to the two eastern calanques. The hike is an ideal cocktail to discover the peculiarities of Calanques National Park, while getting fond of the beauty of Provence seascapes. With your local guide, you start the hike east of Marseille from the colorful fishing port of Cassis, famous for the high towering cliffs of Cap Canaille. And you reach the pebbly beach at Calanque de Port-Pin, an exquisite cove surrounded by pine trees. On your way back, you walk along the marina where 200 sailboats moor in the Calanque de Port Miou, the longest of all.
Walking time : 3 hours
Rating : leisurely (stony ground)
Discovering Sormiou and Morgiou
This leisurely hike will allow you to get some beautiful views over the two largest inlets that are called calanques on the Provence coast : Sormiou and Morgiou, amphitheaters of limestone hills and cliffs, with the sea as orchestra and, each one, a little port as stage. Starting from a southern district of Marseille, you find yourself after 45 minutes walking, in the heart of Calanques National Park, staring down to the turquoise blue of Calanque de Sormiou‘s waters, 250 meters below, and gazing at the red roofs of its ‘cabanons’, these little fishermen’s cottages.
Walking time : 4 hours
Rating : leisurely (stony ground)
Walking in the footsteps of Cézanne
Nature landmark of the countryside around Aix en Provence, with its white limestone cliffs, 10 kilometers in length, and a drop over 1,500 feet (470 meters) on its south-facing side, Mont Sainte Victoire has not ceased to inspire artists, before and after Paul Cézanne. This painter is probably the one who has the most intensely immortalized the rocky mount. Trying to capture the ever changing contours, he painted more than 80 pictures of the mountain. Along this backcountry trail, with your local guide, you too will have the opportunity to admire the different views of Mont Sainte Victoire, like the famous painter used to.
Walking time : 3 hours
Rating : leisurely (rugged terrain)
Season calendar : year-round (summer : 8am – 11am only, not allowed on fire risk days)
Crossing the Calanques,
an immersion into their wild beauty
This day hike is unrivaled for its land- and seascapes. It is quite a long traverse, from the university campus in Marseille to the charming port town of Cassis : through a protected natural area, Calanques National Park, you walk 12 miles over stony paths. During this trip, you enjoy countless breathtaking views, from at least 3 marked levels : the shoreline, the top of the bluffs, and, at midway up, the balcony trail. Within 7 hours, you have the chance to gaze at all the most spectacular Provence’s calanques: Sormiou, Morgiou, Sugiton, En-Vau, Port-Pin and Port-Miou. Nothing more needs saying.
This scrambling/hiking trip requires intermediate-advanced hiking fitness.
Walking time : 6.5 hours
Rating : difficult (steep ascents/descents, rock scrambles)
Around St Jean Cap Ferrat
Very quickly accessible from the city of Nice and starting from the town of Beaulieu sur Mer, this coastal walking path around St Jean Cap Ferrat peninsula is a short and pleasant getaway from the agitation of the French Riviera resorts. Walking all the way as closely as possible to the sea, you will marvell at the contrasts between the blues of the sea and sky, the whites of the rocks and the greens of the Aleppo pines and garrigue shrubs.
If you start from the town of Beaulieu sur Mer accessible by train (10 minutes away from downtown Nice) rather than from St Jean Cap Ferrat marina, your will walk one more hour.
Walking time : 3.5 hours
Rating : leisurely
Along the Brague river near Antibes
Come and enjoy the peaceful Brague Valley that will distract you from the hectic pace of the Côte d’Azur city life for a few hours. It is a very beautiful walk along the river through woods filled with hazel, ash, alder and willow trees. The river offers scenic waterfalls along the way. Trees, small cascades, stone bridges, all this fairy-tale scenery, make you feel like you walk in an enchanted forest.
From the hilltop village of Biot to the picturesque one of Valbonne, you pleasantly walk back up the shallow Brague river, mostly in the shade of various deciduous trees.
Walking time : 3.5 hours
Rating : leisurely
Point-to-point hike.
The Estérel red rocks near Cannes
Ten kilometers from the Promenade de la Croisette, you can start a hike to take on the Pic de l’Ours (1,627ft), one of the peaks of the Estérel. This is a volcanic range characterized by gorgeous red rock formations that are covered by oaks and pines whose dark colors sharply contrast with. From the heights, you will enjoy a beautiful panorama over the colorful hills all around and, in the distance, over the Golfe de La Napoule and the city of Cannes, to the east, and the Golfe de Fréjus, to the west.
Walking time : 4.5 hours
Rating : moderate
Vence, St Jeannet and the Baous
After a first stunning view from the Baou des Blancs above the town of Vence and overlooking the Baie des Anges, Cap d’Antibes peninsula and Golfe Juan, you will forget for a few hours the glamourous Riviera, hiking through a land once used for agriculture and today devoted to winter pasture : the Plan des Noves. You will then walk down into the Gorge de la Cagne, cross the river and proceed above the valley floor before climbing to the plateau towards the Baou de St Jeannet.
Walking time : 7 hours
Rating : challenging (2,800 feet elevation gain)