Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
En-Vau, Port-Pin & Port-Miou
Continuing east along the stone-sculptured coast brings you to
Calanque d'En-Vau
, with
emerald waters encased by cliffs and a pebbly beach. Its entrance is guarded by the
Doigt
de Dieu
(God's Finger), a giant rock pinnacle. A
steep
three-hour marked trail leads from
the car park (closed July to mid-September) on the Col de la Gardiole to En-Vau. The slip-
pery and sheer descents into En-Vau are for the truly hardcore only. Approaching from the
east, it is a solid 1½-hour walk on the GR98 from
Calanque de Port-Miou
, immediately
west of Cassis. En route you pass the neighbouring
Calanque de Port-Pin
, a 30-minute
walk from Port-Miou. Cassis' tourist office (
Click here
) distributes free maps of the
walking trails.
INLETS
Cassis
POP 7867
Nestled at the foot of a dramatic rocky outcrop crowned by a 14th-century château (now a
hotel open only to guests), this little fishing port is all charm, hence the enormous crowds
that pile into its
Vieux Port
, play on its shingle beaches, visit its terraced vineyards and
sip fabled white Cassis wine.
The town's name comes from the Roman
Carsicis Portus,
meaning 'crowned port', so
christened for the rock
Couronne de Charlemagne
(Crown of Charlemagne), which is
visible from far out at sea.
Activities
OUTDOORS
Exploring Les Calanques
Boats
( 04 42 01 90 83;
www.cassis-calanques.com
; sq Gilbert Savon)
travel to Les
Calanques year-round from Quai St-Pierre; buy tickets at the portside kiosk. A 45-minute
trip to three
calanques
(Port-Miou, Port-Pin and En-Vau) costs €15/9 per adult/child; a
65-minute trip covering these plus Oule and Devenson is €18/12. No credit cards.
The tourist office (
Click here
)
has information on rock climbing, deep-sea diving, sea
kayaking and walking (including a one-hour trail to Port-Pin).
Wine Tasting
WINERIES
