The Calanques from Marseille

Are the Calanques located close to Marseille?

Very close: most of them are inside the city limits. Callelongue is at the southern end of Marseille's coast road, and Sugiton is a short bus ride from the city centre.

The national park, created in 2012, covers the coast from Marseille to La Ciotat. Sormiou, Morgiou and Sugiton are inside the city of Marseille, while Port-Miou, Port-Pin and En-Vau are on the Cassis side. The university campus at Luminy sits right on the park's edge.

By sea, the Frioul islands are about 4 km off the Vieux-Port, a 20 to 30-minute crossing. The calanques proper begin past Les Goudes, at the southern tip of the city.

How can I take a boat trip to the Calanques from Marseille?

Book a half-day or full-day trip that leaves from the Vieux-Port, the Mucem quay or Pointe Rouge. Most stop for a swim.

Departure points, as the listings give them:

Marseille Tourisme notes that some full-day trips run all the way to Cassis, past En-Vau, Port-Pin and Port-Miou, and a few go ashore there.

A small-group boat from Marseille along the park's coast, with a swim in a calanque. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

★ 4.7 · 3 to 4.5 hours · from $89

Explore the iconic calanques boat tour → Tour details

Vieux-Port or Pointe Rouge: which departure is better?

Pointe Rouge if you want more time in the calanques; the Vieux-Port if you want the Château d'If and the Frioul islands on the way out.

From the Vieux-Port, a boat spends its first half hour or so passing the city, the Château d'If and the Frioul islands. That is a pleasant ride and part of the trip. Pointe Rouge is closer to the calanques (the public sea shuttle between the two takes about 35 minutes), so a trip of the same length gives you more time in the coves.

Pointe Rouge is a bus ride from the centre (line 19 along the coast road) or a sea shuttle ride from the Vieux-Port in season. Arrive 15 minutes early. The picnic catamaran's listing says latecomers aren't refunded.

What is the RTM sea shuttle to Pointe Rouge and Les Goudes?

A public boat, not a tour: Vieux-Port to Pointe Rouge in about 35 minutes for €5, hourly from 25 April to 27 September 2026, and on to Les Goudes in high summer.

The 2026 timetable: the Pointe Rouge line ran hourly from 25 April to 27 September, with late boats until 22:00 from the Vieux-Port from 27 June to 30 August. The extension to Les Goudes, about 15 minutes more, ran from 30 May to 30 August. A single leg costs €5, the whole way to Les Goudes €8. Tickets are sold on board only, and the RTM 24h and 72h passes and the CityPass aren't valid.

It doesn't go into the calanques. It gets you to the swim-trip marina at Pointe Rouge, and to Les Goudes for the walk to Callelongue. For the Frioul islands, the Frioul-If Express runs from the Vieux-Port all year.

How do I get to the Calanques from Marseille by bus?

Line B1 to Luminy for Sugiton, 19 then 20 for Callelongue, and 22 or 23 for Sormiou and Morgiou, then walk.

Lines and stops from the park's access page:

The Luminy stop is not bus 21, whatever older blogs say, though Marseille Tourisme also lists a 21J. On hot days, start early: the walk back up is the hard part. Trail times and difficulty are in hike or boat.

Can you drive to the Calanques from Marseille?

Outside summer, yes, if you find parking. In 2026 the roads to Sormiou, Morgiou and Callelongue closed to cars from 7:00 to 19:00 every day from 12 June to 30 August.

The park's 2026 calendar also closed them on 5 to 7 June and, for Sormiou and Morgiou only, on September weekends. There were spring weekend dates too. The park's advice is to take buses 20, 22 and 23 instead.

The road to La Gardiole, above En-Vau, is closed all year. Parking near every trailhead fills early. On red fire-risk days, from June to September, land access to the massif is banned anyway; the boats still run. Details in the park rules.

Which Marseille boat trip should you book?

The iconic boat tour for a half day with a swim; the catamaran for paddleboards; the schooner for a slow full day; the picnic catamaran for Riou and Sugiton.

• Half a day, first visit: the iconic calanques boat tour, 3 to 4.5 hours with a swim stop.
• Paddle and jump: the catamaran and paddleboard tour. No food included.
• A whole day: the 1949 schooner, 10:00 to 17:00, two swims and lunch.
• Long swims and lunch: the picnic catamaran to Riou and Sugiton, max 24 aboard.
• An evening: the sunset schooner. It goes to the Frioul islands, not the mainland calanques.

For calanques east of Morgiou, a trip from Cassis is shorter; see boats from Cassis.

What is the best beach in Marseille?

Pointe Rouge for sand and shelter, the Prado beaches for space, the Catalans for a swim near the centre. For a calanque beach, Sormiou.

From Marseille Tourisme: Pointe Rouge is the city's largest sandy beach, sheltered from the wind, with showers and a first-aid post (bus 19). The Prado beaches run for about 3.5 km and have the most space. The Catalans is a sandy beach a short walk from the Vieux-Port and very busy. Malmousque has deep water off the rocks and no sand.

None of these is a calanque. If you want a beach between cliffs, Sormiou is the only one supervised in summer. Or take a boat and swim off the back of it: see swimming in the calanques.

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