The Calanques de Marseille or Massif des Calanques is a beautiful national park and mountain range starting at the southern edge of Marseille.
Virtually the entire park lies directly within the administrative boundary of Marseille and is therefore the only urban national park in France. In reality, however, you will be completely outside the city surrounded by beautiful nature and breathtaking views.
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So-called "calanques" in local Provençal French (or even Corsican) refer to narrow rocky promontories jutting far out into the sea, creating beautiful bays.
The Calanques mountains are made of light limestone and are covered with sparse scrub or Mediterranean pine trees.
What to see in Calanques?
The national park is so interesting and so vast that it probably deserves its own guide.
Head to Calanques mainly for hiking, but in some coves you can even swim in the sea on very small beaches.
The best viewpoints
Head to the upper reaches of the mountains for breathtaking views.
- Belvédère de Sugiton (location on map) - 3 km from the nearest bus stop in Marseille
- Belvédère d'En-Vau (location on the map) - 4 km from the nearest bus stop in Cassis
- Col du Brès (location on the map) - 2 km from the nearest bus stop in Marseille
Best beaches and coves
Always take into account that the beaches in the Calanques National Park are very small and will be crowded in the summer season.
There are usually no tourist facilities and all the beaches are pebble beaches. The walking path to the beaches is often very steep downhill and uphill on the way back.
- Calanque d'En-vau (location on map) - 4 km from the nearest bus stop in Cassis
- Calanque de Sormiou (location on map) - there is a small village with restaurants by the beach, 2 km from the nearest bus stop in Marseille
Map of hiking trails
Calanques has the highest density of marked hiking trails of any national park in France.
The trails lead literally everywhere and take you to the highest parts of the mountains as well as to the surface of the sea in beautiful coves.
For official maps of hiking trails, visit the national park's website at calanques-parcnational.fr/map.
The clearest website and app with marked trails is definitely the en.mapy.cz.
How to get to Calanques?
The national park is about 40 minutes by public transport from the centre of Marseille.
There are several roads leading into the national park, but traffic is prohibited to the general public and you can leave your car in the car parks on the national park boundaries.
By bus
There are several bus routes to the borders of the national park.
We have plotted the nearest bus stops to the walking routes on this map: en.mapy.cz/calanques.
The bus stop "Luminy PN des Calanques" is the bus stop with the most frequent connection, from where it is the closest on foot to the famous Belvédère de Sugiton viewpoint or to Morigou Bay. To reach this stop, use the following lines:
- B1 - from Castellane and Rond-Point du Prado metro stations. We recommend getting on at the Castellane terminus.
- Frequency - 5 to 8 minutes
- Operating hours - 4:30 to 0:30
- 21JET - from Rond-Point du Prado metro station
- Frequency - 20 to 30 minutes
- Hours of operation - 7:15 am to 6:15 pm
- 24 - from Sainte-Marguerite Dromel metro station
- Frequency - 8 to 12 minutes
- Hours of operation - 4:30 to 21:00
The "Mandrague de Montredon" stop on the west coast of Calanques is also a popular starting point.
- 19 - from Castellane and Rond-Point du Prado metro stations. We recommend getting on already at the Castellane terminus
- Frequency - 8 minutes
- Hours of operation - 5:15 to 0:30
- 20 - not from the centre, but small minibuses connect here with line 19 and continue along the narrow road towards Les Goudes and Callelongue
- Frequency - 15 to 30 minutes
- Operating hours - 6:30 to 22:30
The stop "Les Baumettes" is closest to the bay of Calanque de Sormiou.
- 22 - from Rond-Point du Prado metro station
- Frequency - 20 to 30 minutes
- Hours of operation - 5:30 to 21:15
By boat
Along the entire Calanques coastline, many cruise boats operate from the centre of Marseille (Vieux Port) or from the quayside in the south of the city (Pointe Rouge).
Cruises usually last half a day and have several stops for swimming in the most famous coves, and prices are around 33 eur per cruise.
The most well-known company organizing cruises is calanques-if.com/tariffs-reservation.
A public transport boat also sails to the Les Goudes area from Pointe Rouge, where it connects with a larger ferry bound for Vieux Port.
Both lines sail once an hour and ticket prices are as follows:
- Vieux Port - Les Goudes: 8 eur
- Pointe Rouge - Les Goudes: 5 eur
There is no 24-hour or 72-hour ticket on these boats. You can buy your ticket on board the boat from the attendant and you can also pay by card.
For exact times, visit the website: rtm.fr/lanavette.
Accommodation
The nearest accommodation around the Calanques Park are in the urban districts of southern Marseille.
Most small private guesthouses can be found in the small fishing village of Les Goudes.
Prices and availability of accommodation - Les Goudes
You'll also find great-value apartments in the quiet Sormiou neighbourhood, close to several hiking trails. For example, we would recommend these:
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