Cassis
Before I lived in the area, Cassis was somewhere that I always liked to come and spend a day. The goal in the past was to rent a boat and go out to Les Calanques. As we don’t have a captain’s license in France, our only choice was to rent the tiny little boats, with the tiniest little engine which would bring us to the beautiful coves. The journey is about 20-30 minutes going full throttle. Once there, we’d anchor the boat, break out the picnic and spend the next few hours swimming to our hearts content. The water here is as blue as blue can be and it is just a natural wonder.
Now that I live in Aix-en-Provence, I tend to go here when I need a dose of the beach and a nice lunch by the sea. Cassis is such a quaint French town and what I like about it is that when you make your way down through the town, you pass one cute shop after another. There is everything here that one loves about Provence. There is always a nice breeze and the Main Street is in the shade. Once at the bottom of the street, you have a choice to head straight dowwn towards the beach or turn right along the harbor to enjoy a drink or a nice meal at one of the many restaurants that line the port. Most recently, my friend and I decided that we’d walk all the way until the end and decide what looked the best. There was so much choice and I remember eating at a few of them in the past. I think think the most attractive is Bar de la Marine, where there are many colorful lounge like chairs where you could spend the day basking in the sun. We made it to the end and chose to eat at one of the restaurant which was right on the edge of the port. it looked very simple and it was in such a nice spot. We sat on a lovely terrace and enjoyed some of the best food that you can find in France. There was just about everything on the menu. We enjoyed a very leisurely lunch and spent a couple of hours catching up.
Of course, once we’d finished eating, we headed straight for the beach. We spent the rest of the day swimming in the sea. My friend, who was visiting from England, couldn’t believe her luck and we had so much fun enjoying the beautiful day in the South of France.
As the sun was setting, we decided that it was time to say goodbye to Cassis but as we wandered back, we were lucky to come across a group of men who were busily playing “pétanque” in the local Boule Club just beyond the beach. We stopped and watched for awhile. They looked proud to see that they had admirers.
It got late and we made our way back but. not before we treated ourselves to an Italian ice cream which had been calling us to please visit since we arrived earlier that day. We sat with our ice creams and had one last glance at the beautiful harbor of Cassis before we made our way back to Aix-en-Provence.
Cassis is one of my favorite stops in the area. Until next time.
Cassis is a nice day trip from Aix-en-Provence. The town, itself, is very cute and there is lots of nice shopping here. Also, the harbor is lined with restaurants where you can soak up the sun and enjoy drinks and some nice local French cuisine. I love coming here and do as often as I can. There are many beaches in Cassis but the easiest is La Plage de la Grande Mer, which is right at the foot of the harbor. If you’d like to take a walk, there are many other options. Start out early and spend the day.
Cassis is also where you want to go if you’re looking for a boat trip to Les Callanques. From here, you can hire a small boat or captain and you can spend the day visiting Les Callanques. This is definitely worthwhile and is one of the most beautiful things to do in the area.
If you are driving, there is a car park on top of the hill. You will see signs for public parking. I suggest to just go there and don’t waste time trying to find something closer. It is always busy close to the harbor and the walk from the car park is not very far. There is also a shuttle bus which is only 1.60 roundtrip and parking is free. This is a great solution if you’re here during peak season. As I am here year round, I have tried a few times to take a chance to find parking closer to the harbor, but now realize that it is a waste of time. Also, getting lost in the small back roads of Cassis feels like a maze so be careful not to get stuck inside.