Cassis

Cassis is a city in Provence in southern France. Celebrated for its cliffs and calanques, it is also known for the Cassis wines (white, but also rosé) produced in the region.

Understand
"Qu'a vist Paris, se noun a vist Cassis, pou dire: n'ai rèn vist" ("One who has seen Paris and who has not seen Cassis can say: I saw nothing") — these words, spoken by Nobel-prize winning writer Federique Mistral in the local Provençal language, reflect the great attraction that Cassis exerts on all those who go there.

The little fishing port, tucked between two exceptional natural sites (the celebrated Calanques and the majestic Cap Canaille) offers a concentrated version of Provence and the Mediterranean. The magic begins to work on the little road that leads to the village, winding between vineyards and pine trees. Walk along charming back roads lined with the brightly coloured homes of fishermen. Cassis will be forever remembered by those who see its port, boats and welcoming terraces for the first time.



By bus
There are some bus services to La Ciotat and Marseille.

By plane
The Marseille-Provence Airport is 55 km from Cassis.

By car
Some of the roads around Cassis have many sharp bends.

By foot
You can walk pretty much everywhere, it is a very small town.

By bus

 * Marcouline bus service connects the train station with the town centre (approx. every hour, single €0.80)
 * Navette (shuttle) to the (Jul-Aug)
 * Shuttle service to the free

By taxi
Les Taxis Cassidains: are happy to take tourists on a route which exhibits the charms of the region: a visit to the Calanques, the village of Castellet, the vineyards of Cassis. For all enquiries phone: 04 42 01 78 96

Do


The beaches (remember your swimming costume). These can get very busy in the summer months though.

By far the biggest attraction in Cassis is the Calanques. They are very steep walled inlets and bays along the coast between Marseille and Cassis. You can visit them by boat, or you can hike from bay to bay.



Buy
There are plenty of souvenirs available, ranging from the tacky to the upmarket. Some of them can be quite expensive so do shop around.

Eat
The sea provides a variety of flavours: sardines, tuna, redfish, bass, cuttlefish, sea bream, conger, grey mullet, eel, red mullet, mussels, sea urchins, and squid. The earth provides vegetables coloured by the sun and cut when ripe, honey, herbs, olives....

The seafront is lined with seafood restaurants but they tend to have higher prices than the restaurants away from the waterfront.

Just like Marseille, Cassis is a good place to try bouillabaisse. It's an entire dining experience rather than just a dish. It starts with a thick fish soup and croutons covered in a special sauce, then is followed by a variety of fish and more of the soup. You usually need to book a day ahead because they need to get the right fish in for the meal.

Connect
As of July 2023, Cassis and its approach roads have 5G from all French carriers.

Go next

 * Aix-en-Provence - Open to the world, it is a city of human dimension where the preserved heritage and the city of tomorrow blend perfectly.
 * La Ciotat - another end of the route des Crêtes along the Cap Canaille. A town associated with Lumière Brothers and their first films.