Cote Bleue Calanques Boat Tour with Swimming Marseille

The Mucem quay and the entrance to the Old Port

Your trip begins on the J4 esplanade beside the Mucem, the museum of Mediterranean civilisations that opened in 2013 in a cube wrapped in a lace-like screen of dark concrete. A footbridge links it to Fort Saint-Jean, the 17th-century stronghold guarding the mouth of the Old Port, and just behind rises the striped Byzantine-style cathedral of La Major. It is the most photogenic starting point in Marseille.

How to get to the Mucem is simple: it is a 15-minute walk from the Old Port along the waterfront, or a short ride on tram line T2 to the République-Dames or Joliette stops. Arrive a little early to enjoy the view from the esplanade, then board the boat for the cruise out past the breakwater and the busy commercial harbour.

L'Estaque, the gateway to the Côte Bleue

Leaving the city behind, the boat follows the shore to L'Estaque, an old fishing village and tile-making quarter on the north-western edge of Marseille. In the late 19th century its light and red roofs drew painters who made it famous across Europe, and the village still keeps its little port, colourful boats and street stalls selling panisses, fried chickpea fingers, and chichis, sugared doughnuts that every local knows.

From the water you see why L'Estaque is called the gateway to the Côte Bleue: right after the village the urban coastline gives way to pine-covered hills and white cliffs dropping into clear water. Your skipper-guide explains how the area changed from an industrial district into a favourite escape for people from Marseille.

Niolon and Méjean, the fishing harbours

Niolon is a tiny village perched above its own calanque, with houses stacked on the rocks and a small harbour at the bottom. It is one of the best-known diving spots on the French Mediterranean, thanks to the clear water and the rich seabed just off the cliffs. Méjean, a little further west, is a narrow inlet lined with cabanons, the simple fishermen's huts painted in pastel colours where families spend summer weekends.

Both harbours are hard to reach by road, which is why a Côte Bleue boat tour is the easiest way to see them. The boat slows down at the entrance of each inlet so you can take photos, and your guide tells you about traditional fishing, the pointu boats and life in these hamlets before the coastal road and railway arrived.

Sea caves and the wild calanques of the Côte Bleue

Between the harbours, the coast is a succession of calanques, narrow inlets cut into white limestone, separated by headlands and sea caves where the water turns electric blue in the sunlight. High above, the coastal railway runs on stone viaducts and through tunnels opened in 1915, one of the most scenic lines in Provence, and you often see a train crossing a bridge over a cove.

Is the Côte Bleue worth visiting if you have already seen the famous calanques south of Marseille? Most guests say yes: it is wilder, far less crowded and greener, with pines growing almost to the waterline. When the sea is calm the skipper takes the boat close to the cave openings so you can look inside.

The swimming and snorkelling stop

The highlight of the morning is the stop in a sheltered turquoise cove, chosen on the day according to wind and sea conditions. The boat anchors, the swimming ladder goes down and you can jump in, float in the clear water or put on the snorkelling mask and fins provided. Underwater you may see seagrass meadows, starfish, sea bream and colourful wrasse among the rocks.

The stop lasts long enough for a proper swim, and those who prefer to stay on board can relax in the shaded area. The best time to visit the calanques for swimming is from June to September, when the sea is warmest; in spring and autumn the water is cooler but the coast is even quieter. A light Provençal snack is served on board when available.