An easy route to this scenic outlook
over Calanque de Sugiton
Half-day
This trail offers one of the most rewarding gentle walk that can be set up. And it starts from the easy-to-reach Luminy campus, just outside Marseille.
After reaching the Sugiton pass within 45 minutes, you walk down to a stunning 200-feet high outlook. On your way, you can enjoy, from up high, amazing views of Calanque de Sugiton and of «Le Torpilleur»: this weird rock emerges from the water about 100 feet from the shoreline ; and it gets its name from its shape of torpedo boat!
This out-and-back trail presents even terrain and gentle slope, with an elevation gain of 500 feet.
Walking time : between 2.5 and 3 hours
Rating : easy
Season calendar : year-round (summer: morning only, not allowed on fire risk days)
A stunning view over Calanque de Sormiou,
the most spectacular swift trip from Marseille
Half-day
When you need to break away from the bustling city, you appreciate this guided nature walk above Calanque de Sormiou. You reach there a scenic spot within one hour from downtown Marseille, travel time to trailhead included.
Sormiou is one of the largest calanques¹, these gorgeous steep-walled inlets of the Provence shoreline. This calanque is a natural amphitheater: its white cliffs are the terrace seats, the sea is the stage and the little harbor is the orchestra pit!
Within 30 minutes from a Marseille district, your local guide has led you into the heart of Calanques National Park. And a little further up, from a vantage point, you are thrilled by the dramatic vista! Down there, a cove as large as a fjord stretches: Calanque de Sormiou and its turquoise waters ; with a tiny port and its cabanons (former fishermen’s cottages), towered over by crags and headlands.
¹ calanque : a steep-walled cove of the sea coast
Walking time : 2 hours
Rating : leisurely (rugged terrain)
Season calendar : year-round (summer: morning only, not allowed on fire risk days)
The calanques of Port-Pin & Port-Miou,
hidden gems from the small coastal town of Cassis
Half-day
This picturesque, moderate footpath allows you to quickly get to the two most easterly of all calanques. The hike is an ideal cocktail to discover the peculiarities of Calanques National Park, while enjoying of the beautiful shore: rich in cultural and natural heritage!
With your local guide, you start the hike from the colorful fishing harbor of Cassis. After an hour’s walk, you reach a pebbly beach at Calanque de Port-Pin, an exquisite cove surrounded by pine trees. On your way back, you walk along a marina where 200 sailboats moor, in the longest of all calanques: the Calanque de Port Miou.
As you walk toward Cassis, the towering brown-red bluff of Cap Canaille is facing you. It enhances the bay to the east as much as the calanques white cliffs exalt its beauty to the west.
Walking time : 3 hours
Rating : moderate (rugged terrain)
Season calendar : year-round (summer: morning only, not allowed on fire risk days)
An amazing outlook over Calanque d’En-Vau,
the crown jewel of Marseille’s coves!
Half-day
Walking is the only way to get to the different viewpoints over Calanque d’En-Vau. And you reach your goal after 1.5 hr from the trailhead in Cassis near Calanque de Port-Miou, on a real outdoor adventure! From the clifftop, you need then a fair amount of time to fully relish the striking scenery that takes your breath away: just opposite, the limestone faces, worldwide famous for climbing, tower 350 feet above the sea. And the intensity of the various shades of blues in water looks somewhat unnatural.
Now may be the right time for an interpretation of the geological origins of these calanques by your guide ; and you admire later, en route to Cassis, the beauty of the two other ones: they are called Calanque de Port-Pin and Calanque de Port-Miou. Considering their respective names, only the second one is a harbour today: 200 sailboats bob in this pretty marina. Port-Pin is a cove surrounded by pine trees, as its name suggests, and dedicated to hikers, swimmers and climbers.
Walking time : 3.5 hours
Rating : moderate (rugged terrain)
Season calendar : year-round (summer: morning only, not allowed on fire risk days)
Come & discover autumn’s late bloomers
Half-day
In nature, climate is one of the different components of an ecosystem. This botanical walk offers opportunities to get to know some peculiar species of Mediterranean plants: they can show their flowers or fruits at the end of the year in Calanques National Park. You can see especially the strawberry tree whose little white bells and red berries embellish. During the hike, you can also observe the so-called ‘garrigue’: this is the evergreen shrubby vegetation of the Mediterranean region of Provence. Moreover, the trail gives you the pleasure of admiring Calanque de Sugiton from the clifftop of Falaise des Toits. This bluff towers more than 200 meters above the sea.
November and December are the only months during which you can watch some fruits and flowers such as those ones. The colder season is also the one when you can enjoy the unique Provence light at its best.
Walking time : 3 hours
Rating : leisurely (rugged terrain)
Season calendar : 11/1 – 12/31
The ‘Esprit parc national’ brand has been attributed to this guided walk by the Calanques National Park.
Outlooks over Sormiou, Morgiou & Sugiton
Half-day or Full day
This nature walk takes you to several outstanding viewpoints of the three calanques from the heights overlooking the sea. So, you can explore these gorgeous calanques without long uphill hiking. Moderate walking that provides breathtaking scenery!
You first discover Calanque de Sormiou, the largest one, with fishermen cottages, small harbour and coves. Later, you take in your first vistas of Calanque de Morgiou, while walking on a scenic pathway. And finally, your local guide leads you to the most amazing lookout point. Located just above Morgiou, it offers views of Calanque de Sugiton, as well.
Walking time : 3.5 hours (point-to-point trail) or 4.5 hours (loop trail)
Rating : moderate (rugged terrain)
Season calendar : year-round (summer : morning only, not allowed on fire risk days)
The high biodiversity of the Calanques massif
Half Day or Full Day
This interpretive walk allows you to develop a deeper understanding of the great biodiversity that can be found here. Your hiking guide is knowledgeable about plants and wildlife in the Calanques National Park. He can explain, among other things, the importance of the variety of habitats that exist in the Calanques massif; he shows you some of them, telling you what species of plants and animals live in these different natural homes. The hike is also a delightful experience thanks to its very scenic trail: it offers spectacular views of luminous landscapes in the heart of the Calanques National Park. In particular, you can see right down into Calanque de Sugiton from the clifftop.
Walking time : between 3 and 4.5 hours
Rating : moderate (rugged terrain)
Season calendar : year-round (summer: morning only, not allowed on fire risk days)
Cap Canaille: the highest sea cliff in Europe
Full day
Along this trail, you hike the portion of coastline which is at the eastern end of Calanques National Park. It provides breathtaking views that are located between the small coastal town of Cassis and the harbor of La Ciotat ; and the shoreline is very different from the rest of Calanques National Park.
Starting from the streets of this last town, you soon climb along a scenic trail: it offers views that encompasses the whole of the bay. And after crossing the Route des Crêtes, the panoramic clifftop road, you quickly reach the top. From up there, you overlook the sea from a height of 1,300ft; and you can see to the west, in the distance, the white limestone capes and cliffs of Massif des Calanques. As you walk northwest on the clifftop, the stunning views widen to the little harbor of Cassis; the seaside town and its environs stretch in an attractive setting.
Point-to-point hike.
Walking time : 4.5 hours
Rating : moderate
Season calendar : year-round (not allowed under strong wind and on fire risk days)
Calanque de Sugiton: a gem of a spot !
Full day
Do you want to embark on a thrilling adventure a stone’s throw away from South Marseille? Take this hiking tour to Calanque de Sugiton. Located in the heart of Calanques National Park, this jewel of nature is a two-cove spot towered by crags. A whole day is needed to get the full benefit of the site: when sitting on its little beach or on rocks overlooking its turquoise waters, how hard is to leave this place!
Along this hike, you first see Sugiton in the distance from a lookout atop the cliffs: scenery opens up to the bay and a series of capes. And what a breathtaking view over Calanque de Morgiou, you can enjoy, when looking the other way! You then walk down to the sea and take a closer look at Calanque de Sugiton‘s two little coves.
One of Provence’s nature treasures!
Walking time : 4.5 hours
Rating : moderate (rugged terrain)
Season calendar : 1/1 – 6/15 & 9/15 – 12/31
Rochers du Bec de l’Aigle,
a fun hike on puddingstone rocks
Full day
Rochers du Bec de l’Aigle are some of the most spectacular peaks on the coast of Provence. These cliffs rocks, called puddingstones, are not made of the white limestones visible in the famous calanques ; but they are sculpted in an orange brown and shaped by erosion. This hike starts from the town of La Ciotat, known for its beaches, pretty port and yacht refit shipyards.
Mugel Park and Calanque de Figuerolles are worth visiting before following the street up to Notre-Dame de la Garde chapel. Escorted by your local guide, you then enjoy a unique, scenic and exciting seaside traverse: the passing through these puddingstone clifftops is off the beaten trails.
Walking time : 4.5 hours
Rating : challenging (rugged terrain, impressive sections)
Season calendar : 1/1 – 6/15 & 9/15 – 12/31 (not allowed under strong wind conditions)
If you have a fear of heights, you had better choose another hike.
Mont Puget, Candelle & Chemin du Centaure
Full Day
Taking the route around Mont Puget, highest point of Calanques National Park, is rated challenging ; but, you are rewarded with the most stunning outlooks from different places. However, most of the walk itself should be considered moderate.
Your local expert guide can be helpful in the few steep descents on the way. Halfway, the path you follow runs near Grande Candelle: this towering stone-sentinel rises dramatically over the sea; and, from up there, you enjoy impressive scenery over cliffs, ridges, crags, capes and calanques, in all directions. And from the Chemin du Centaure, the clifftop trail running back to the finish, you gaze at the beautiful landscape: the pine-cloaked hills overlooking the university campus and, in the distance, the Frioul Islands amid Marseille’s bay.
Walking time : 4.5 hours
Rating : challenging moderate (rugged terrain and a few steep sections)
Season calendar : 1/1 – 6/15 & 9/15 – 12/31
The Frioul islands:
peaceful beauty just off the coast of Marseille
Full day
After jumping on a boat, you can travel from downtown Marseille to the Frioul archipelago within 20 minutes. Once landed, you explore the two largest islands, genuine and wild. They offer an outstanding heritage, both natural and cultural. And their microclimate makes their flora remarkably specific: many plants that live there exist nowhere else on Earth, except on the stretch of coastline east of Marseille Bay.
During this hike, your local guide also interprets the Frioul Islands‘ human legacy: a cultural heritage that is both military and sanitary. There was indeed a time when Pomègues and Ratonneau were the quarantine islands for France in the Mediterranean.
Walking time : 4 hours (the total duration, boat trips and breaks included, is at least 6 hours)
Rating : leisurely
Season calendar : 1/1 – 6/30 & 9/1 – 12/31
Boat trip tickets are not included.
Calanque d’En-Vau, praised for rare beauty
Full day
Is it worth the effort to hike all the intense trail to Calanque d’En-Vau from Cassis harbor? Definitely yes! The pay off is big. Because En-Vau is acclaimed for its brilliant-turquoise waters, towered over by dramatic white cliffs: a nature paradise for hikers, rock climbers and kayakers! On this walking day in Calanques National Park, you can admire this Provence natural wonder from three very different lookouts: from the clifftop behind the calanque, from its side and from the beach, at the very bottom.
On your way back to Cassis, your local walking guide offers you a chance to discover two other beautiful rocky inlets: Calanque de Port-Pin and Calanque de Port-Miou. In the second one, you marvel at a lovely natural marina where more than 200 sailboats moor.
In the end, you won’t forget the striking images caught during this hike: they will undoubtedly hold a special place among all those seen during your trip to France! Indeed many sceneries all over the world look better in pictures than in real life ; but, these calanques turn out to be even more amazing than they appear on screen or in magazines!
Walking time : 4.5 hours
Rating : challenging (rugged terrain, scrambling)
Season calendar : 1/1 – 6/15 & 9/15 – 12/31
Ascents & descents from Morgiou to Sugiton
Full Day
This gorgeous hike connects you with the natural beauty of the Calanques! If the trail you follow is unrivalled for its seascapes, it is strenuous, with two challenging upwards passages of scrambling.
Your guide first leads you to the tiny harbor of Morgiou and its one hundred or so cabanons: these cute cottages used to be fishermen cabins. Then, leaving Morgiou, you relish, on your way up, the beautiful views of the wide entrance to the calanque. You cannot help but take a last glance back to the little port bobbing with sailboats; and soon, the far-off brown-red cliffs of Cap Canaille become visible ahead, in the distance.
A little closer to the cape named Cap Sugiton, gigantic cliffs appear, just a few hundreds meters away. The small, pretty Calanque de Sugiton and its turquoise waters then come into view. That bursts upon the senses with very little warning ! This tiny cove is sheltered by very high crags, such as Grande Candelle, whose top reaches 454 meters!
Walking time : 5 hours
Rating : challenging (rugged terrain and scrambling)
Season calendar : 1/1 – 6/15 & 9/15 – 12/31
In the heart of the Calanques
Full Day
This large-scale hike favours the discovery of Calanques National Park‘s remarkable biodiversity and gorgeous landscapes. Your local guide will be pleased to show them to you.
Starting from a trailhead on the Carpiagne plateau, 10 miles from Marseille, this gorgeous route runs through varied terrain ; and it leads you across highlands down to the sea. You reach the small, rocky beach of Calanque d’En-Vau, at the bottom of impressive cliffs. Later, you walk along the overhanging Devenson trail, more than 1,000 feet above the sea: you can enjoy outstanding views over En-Vau and four lesser-known calanques. As you walk further west, an emblematic craggy summit of the limestone massif becomes more and more imposing and beautiful: the Grande Candelle.
Walking time : 6 hours
Rating : medium-difficult (2,500 feet elevation gain, rock scrambles)
Season calendar : 1/1 – 6/15 & 9/15 – 12/31
The ‘Esprit parc national’ brand has been attributed to this guided walk by the Calanques National Park.
Crossing the Calanques
and plunging into their wild beauty
Full Day
This one-day guided hike is unrivaled for its amazing sceneries: a long traverse, from the campus south of Marseille to the tiny fishing town of Cassis. Through Calanques National Park, you walk 12 miles over stony paths. During this adventure, you enjoy countless jaw-dropping views, from 3 successive levels: the shoreline, the clifftop, and, on the cliff side in between, the balcony trail. With your local guide, you have the chance to explore Provence’s 5 most spectacular calanques: Sormiou, Morgiou, Sugiton, En-Vau, Port-Pin and Port-Miou within 7 hrs. Nothing more needs saying.
This scrambling hike requires intermediate-advanced hiking fitness.
Point-to-point hike.
Walking time : 6.5 hours
Rating : difficult (steep ascents/descents, rock scrambles)
Season calendar : 1/1 – 6/15 & 9/15 – 12/31
The Côte Bleue, such a beautiful coastland !
Half-day
The twenty miles of steep shore stretching west of Marseille is called Côte Bleue (Blue Coast): it is named after the color of the sea. And it is a preserved marine area called the Parc Régional Marin de la Côte Bleue. It is also the land where the Chaine de l’Estaque, a range of barren limestone hills, meets the Mediterranean. Even if this massif is not elevated, its numerous escarpments and arid appearance give the landscape its unique features: the shoreline is especially gorgeous with beautiful coves, that are called calanques too. The trail along the coast, is called the Sentier du Douanier (coast guard footpath) ; it was built to allow the watching of potential invaders or smugglers. It offers today to walkers numerous panoramic views of the sea, with the large city of Marseille in the background.
Walking time : 3 hours
Rating : challenging (stony and craggy terrain)
Season calendar : year-round (summer: morning only, not allowed on fire risk days)