Cassis

Cassis sits in a bay between two extremes: west are the calanques, narrow limestone inlets with green water, and east rises Cap Canaille at three hundred and ninety-four metres, the highest sea cliff in mainland France, with a corniche road along its top. The port is a working one, with fishing boats among the pleasure craft and a small fleet running trips into the calanques. The town gives its name to a dry white wine grown on terraces behind it, made mostly from Marsanne and Clairette, which is not to be confused with creme de cassis, the blackcurrant liqueur from Burgundy.

History

The site was first occupied between 600 and 500 BC by the Ligures, who built a fortified settlement on the top of the Baou Redon and lived by fishing, hunting and farming. In Roman times Cassis was a small village on the sea route, centred on the Arena and Corton beaches and living from fishing and trade with North Africa and the Middle East; its oldest recorded name, Tutelae Charsitanae, dates from the first century. Invasions between the 5th and 10th centuries drove its people into a fortified castrum, which became the property of the lords of Les Baux in 1223, and in the 15th century, after passing to the counts of Provence, the town was given by René of Anjou to the bishops of Marseille, who held it until the Revolution of 1789. Its Provençal motto, attributed to Frédéric Mistral, says that whoever has seen Paris but not Cassis has seen nothing (Wikipedia, Cassis).

Highlights

• Cap Canaille - the highest sea cliff in mainland France above the town.
• The calanque boats - trips into the limestone inlets from the port.
• The white wine terraces - Cassis vineyards on the slopes behind.
• The port front - fishing boats and cafes around the harbour.

When to go

May to June and September to October; July and August bring severe crowding and parking problems. Calanques access on foot is restricted or closed on high fire-risk days in summer.

Before you go

Parking in season is genuinely difficult and expensive, and the town discourages cars. Boat trips do not always land in the calanques. Summer fire closures can cancel walking plans at a day's notice.

Nearby

The Calanques national park lies west; La Ciotat is east.

Key facts