Calanques Boat Tour with Swimming and Snorkelling Marseille

The Calanques National Park

The Calanques are a string of steep, narrow inlets cut into pale limestone between Marseille and Cassis. The area is a national park, and from the water you see it as it really is: sheer white walls, pine-covered ridges and small coves where the sea turns from deep blue to bright turquoise. A Calanques boat tour from Marseille is the easiest way to see several of them in a single afternoon, because many of the best coves have no road access at all.

Visitors often ask whether the Calanques are worth visiting by boat rather than on foot. The boat gives you the full sweep of the cliffs, saves hours of hiking in the heat and lets you swim where you like. Which calanques you see depends on the wind and the sea on the day, and your skipper chooses the route that is safest and most beautiful.

Swimming and snorkelling in the coves

The heart of the tour is the swim stops. The skipper anchors in a sheltered cove, and you can jump in for a swim or put on a mask and snorkel over rocks and sea-grass beds, where small fish gather close to the cliffs. Snorkelling gear is supplied, and wetsuits are available if the water is still cool, which makes the early and late season far more comfortable. Calanques snorkelling is best when the sea is calm and the water clear.

Bring a swimsuit and a towel, and wear sunscreen that suits the sea. You do not need to be an expert swimmer to enjoy the boat, because you can also stay on deck and watch the cliffs from the water. The best time to visit the Calanques for swimming is from late spring to early autumn, although the sea is coldest at the start of the season.

Leaving from the Vieux-Port or Pointe Rouge

The default option leaves from the Vieux-Port, the old harbour at the centre of Marseille. As the boat clears the harbour you see the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde on its hill, the forts at the harbour mouth and the long city coastline, before the open sea and the first cliffs appear. It is an excellent way to see Marseille from the water, and the Vieux-Port is easy to reach on foot, by metro or by tram from most of the city.

The other option departs from the Pointe Rouge marina on the southern side of Marseille. It is closer to the coves, which means a shorter run to the first swim stop and a little more time at anchor. How to get to Pointe Rouge depends on where you are staying: it is reached by bus from the Prado area and by road. Your booking confirmation shows the exact boarding point for the option you choose.

Cap Canaille and the coast towards Cassis

The Calanques National Park stretches east as far as Cassis, a harbour town below Cap Canaille, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. Depending on conditions on the day, the cruise follows this dramatic coastline, with rock walls rising straight from the sea and the hills behind covered in scrub and pine. Sormiou, Morgiou, Sugiton and En-Vau are the best known of the inlets on this coast.

A day trip to the Calanques from Marseille normally takes the whole afternoon, so plan on a relaxed schedule around the four-and-a-half-hour departure. Spring and early autumn are quieter and cooler, while summer is the busiest season. Landing in the park is limited to protect it, and a boat tour is among the best ways to see it without adding to the pressure on the trails.