Spend a Day in the Village of Cassis France
Spend a day in the adorable village of Cassis, France! Located on the coast of the Mediterranean sea, this lovely little French village is perfect for a day trip from Marseilles, or to just spend a weekend exploring. Cassis is known for its pretty beaches, impressive scenery, historical harbor area, and great wine. In 2016, my husband and I went on a day trip to Cassis while on a Mediterranean cruise. We spent just a short day here but enjoyed every minute of it. We wandered, tasted local food, went shopping, hung out at the beach, and tried Classic Moules Frites!
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About Cassis
Dating back to Roman times, this small, fishing village is nestled in a natural bay surrounded by beautiful pine forests, white rock, and of course, French vineyards. The area is known for its gorgeous natural scenery, especially its white limestone and turquoise water, Calanques. A Calanques is a narrow, steep-walled inlet that is developed in limestone, dolomite, or other carbonate strata. The most famous being the Massif des Calanques. Calanques National Park hosts these amazing unspoiled natural areas and makes them available for visitors to explore.
Cassis is also home to the tallest coastal cliff in Europe, Cap Canaille. Standing roughly 394 meters high this amazing cliff overlooks the entire city and offers visitors breathtaking views of the Mediterranean sea and coastline.
The village itself is quaint and charming with a fantastic historic harbor area full of bars and restaurants. Plus, the main city beach is easily accessible from the city center. Wander the little alleyways and squares that are full of little shops and places to take a break.
Booking.com
Getting to Cassis
Located in the south of France, the closest major city to Cassis is the port city of Marseilles – roughly 15 miles away. Travelers can easily take the train from Marseilles, rent a car, or book a tour.
By Train
The train ticket from Marseilles to Cassis will run you about 6 Euros. But its a quick ride and the train will drop you off near the bus stop. From the train station, you can either walk or take the bus to the city center. More info on getting to Cassis via train here.
By Car
Renting a car from any nearby major city is super simple. Many of the main car rental companies have locations in France. My favorite to use is Hertz! I would recommend booking a car well in advance because the automatic cars can be taken quickly. Pro-tip: Make sure to reserve a parking spot in advance so you don’t have to spend a ton of time searching for a spot.
By Tour
We got to Cassis via the tour bus. We booked our tour through our cruise line (to guarantee we would be back to the boat on time) but I normally book with Viator. They offer tons of good options that will give you the full Cassis experience. Check out some of their options below:
Our tour bus was too big to enter the little village so we had the opportunity to take this cute little train down into the village! It was really fun actually. Once we got into town we decided to explore a bit and see what we could see.
Pro-Tip: Before you get to Cassis make sure you have the Cassis Secrets app downloaded on your phone – it’s so helpful!
Where to Stay in Cassis
There are several hotels in Cassis to choose from. Check out some great options below:
Booking.comMust-Pack Items for Visiting Cassis
A day spent in Cassis can be a long one, so make sure you are prepared with some of my favorite items:
- Great walking shoes
- Bathing suit and towel
- Bottle of water, or two
- Euros (many shops only accept cash)
- An efficient backpack to carry everything. Check out the one we carried here. It has tons of pockets, hidden compartments, and a side pocket to put a water bottle.
“QU’A VIST PARIS E NOUN CASSIS A REN VIST.”
“Anyone who has seen Paris, but hasn’t seen Cassis, hasn’t seen anything”
Frédéric Mistral (1830-1914)
Explore
The first thing we did on our day in Cassis was some exploring and wandering. We try to do this in all the tiny villages we visit around the world. While we were wandering along the winding streets, we discovered its true beauty – from the caramel-colored buildings to the beautiful turquoise waters, it was just amazing to see and experience.
We also discovered the lovely Fountain Baragnon (pictured below) and the Municipal Museum of the Mediterranean Popular Arts and Traditions. This cute little museum is so worth a visit. As a former Art Major, I made sure to pay it a visit. 🙂
The city has tons of historic sites and buildings to visit as well. There is something for everyone. Check out more info here.
We also wandered upon an open market where French artists and local farmers display their products. They set up in the Place Baragnon, every Wednesday and Friday so if you are in Cassis on either day make sure to visit. The market has everything from artwork, to fruits, to local honey.
We also stumbled upon a couple of local shops that were fantastic. My favorite was Autrefois Terroir! They have tons of yummy chocolates, candies and goodies to check out.
Hit the Beach
After we wandered around for a bit, we made our way down to the beach! We visited the main beach in Cassis, Plage de la Grande Mer. The beach was easy to walk to from town (about 5 minutes) and has bars and restaurants right on the sand. Several of which offer service right on the beach – drinks, and food! You can also find nice bathrooms right next to the beach. If you don’t want to drag beach stuff with you for the day, they have lounge chairs available for rent.
Pro-Tip: For anyone not comfortable with nudity, this beach might not be your cup of tea. France has many nude and semi-nude beaches and this happens to be one of them.
Other great beaches in Cassis can be found along the Calanques or creeks located on the outskirts of town. You will need a car to access these, or hire a taxi/driver to take you.
Watch the Boats
After the beach, we walked over to the harbor to watch the boats. There are boats of every kind to look at, traditional fishing boats, luxury pleasure boats, and my favorite, Gondolas! Yup, that’s right Gondolas. Not just in Venice, folks. We were super surprised to see these boats here on the southern coast of France. There were a ton of them to look at, each with traditional artwork and unique painting. While we were there a few Gondolas were having a Jousting competition! Tons of people were watching and cheering – the energy was really upbeat and fun. We found out later that Marine or Water Jousting is a popular sport in the area.
You can also take a boat tour that will take you to some of the most beautiful Calanques near Cassis. Book Here or visit the Kiosks near the Cassis harbor to book same day tours.
Pro Tip: pick a seat on the right-hand side of the boat to get the best views.
Eat and Drink
While we were near the beach we had a drink at Le Grand Large. The staff was super friendly and the view of the beach was great! They also offer service on the beach, if you don’t want to move from the warm sand.
There are tons of restaurants, bars, and pastry shops along the harbor. All have amazing views and great people-watching, you really can’t go wrong. We had Classic Moules Frites at Poissonnerie Laurent. While there, we ended up chatting with this friendly family from Jordan. The patriarch of the family was so kind and helped us order because we didn’t speak French very well and our server knew little English.
While exploring the town, I was determined to expose my hubby to some classic french food, because he had never been to France before. We stopped by a great little creperie, Le Bounty, for some chocolate crepes. And we visited Boulangerie Lion for some Croissants!
Visit a winery
Cassis is also a great place to go wine tasting! This area of France is known particularly for its white and rosé wines. Check out a few of them below:
There are 12 wine estates near Cassis so you could easily make a day of wine tasting. 🙂
There are also several wine festivals that take place in Cassis. In May, check out the Cassis Fête Son Vin Wine Festival, and in September, the Les Vendanges Étoilées (Starry Grape Harvest).
Check out some of my other international travel experiences HERE!
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About the Author
Hi my name is Sara and I am the creator of WanderMoore! 🙂 I started WanderMoore in early 2020 after leaving a full-time job in the Communications/Marketing field to stay home and raise my kiddos, Mila and Liam. I wanted something fun to work on in my free time and WanderMoore has become one of my biggest passions! Thank you for reading my post! I can't wait to share more of my travel adventures with you 🙂
Wow – this sounds like my dream trip! Thank you for sharing and so detailed with the Pro-Trips, especially to rent your parking spot in advance! Genuis! I cannot wait to look into your recommendations, especially the wineries, festivals, restaurants, beaches & more!!!!
Je suis amoureux! Cheers!
Ok,I didn’t know this place existed. I think the Mediterranean is the first place I want to travel to
I’d never even heard of Cassis until I read this blog post. It looks like such a wonderful place. So pretty and so much to do! Think we might need to take a trip here x
What a charming little town! I would love to spend more time exploring smaller cities in France, they’re always so stunning. Thanks for sharing these great tips!
i absolutely love moules and frites! making me want to visit cassis right now
Awe, this is well written and it makes me miss travelling so much! It’s still my dream to visit France! 🙂
Oh wow, so many great options of things to do. I loved the different beach options! The streets to wander down also look so cute.
Wow! This little town sounds delightful! It has so many things that I appreciate in a town. The scenery is just gorgeous and the food and beach sound amazing. I have never been to the South of France but it is on my short bucket list. I pinned your recs for when I go. Thanks