Goélette Alliance · Marseille
Goélette Alliance takes you out on a wooden two-masted schooner built in 1949, from the Mucem in Marseille to the Riou islands and back, with two swim stops and lunch on deck. Choose it if you want the whole day at sea and a slower pace than a motorboat.
The Alliance is a traditional wooden schooner built in 1949, and this is her day trip. You meet by the Mucem at 10:00 for juice and coffee, cross the harbour and head out past the Château d'If, the Frioul islands, Les Goudes and the island of Maïre. The first stop is an anchorage in a sheltered cove for a swim, with masks, snorkels and fins on board.
Lunch follows at anchor: an aperitif, one glass of rosé and a cold vegetarian buffet. In the afternoon the crew sails through the Riou archipelago, the bare white islands off the national park coast, and stops for a second, longer swim (the listing gives about 1.5 hours). You're back at the Mucem around 17:00.
Be clear on what this is. It is a day for sailing and swimming around the islands, not a tour of the famous mainland coves: you won't go as far as En-Vau, and no boat may land there anyway. The listing mentions hotel pickup, which a harbour sailing day rarely includes, so assume you make your own way to the Mucem. The meeting point can also vary by option (the City Hall pier, gate PH2, is the other one), so check your voucher. For the evening version of the same boat, see the sunset schooner.
Meet at the corner of the Mucem just after the footbridge from Fort Saint-Jean. Juice and coffee on board.
Past the Château d'If, the Frioul islands and Les Goudes towards Maïre.
Anchor in a sheltered cove: swim, then the aperitif, rosé and cold buffet.
Sails up through the islands, if the wind allows.
A longer stop to snorkel or lie on the deck.
Sail back into Marseille in the late afternoon light.
★★★★★Fabulous day on the boat, gorgeous and unforgettable sights.
★★★★★An amazing experience! The crew were fantastic and very hospitable.
★★★★★Brilliant trip! Boat beautiful and the Captain and two hands were very friendly.
★★★★★A wonderful day on the sea with fun snorkelling and tanning on the deck.
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No. The listing's route covers the Château d'If, Frioul, Les Goudes, Maïre and the Riou archipelago, the western end of the national park. For the eastern coves, look at the Bandol cruise or our guide to the best calanques.
Yes: an aperitif, one glass of Provence rosé and a cold vegetarian buffet, served at anchor after the first swim.
A full day, 10:00 to 17:00, with two swim stops. The first is about an hour including lunch, the second about an hour and a half.
At 1 Esplanade J4, the corner of the Mucem just after the footbridge from Fort Saint-Jean. The listing says the meeting point can vary by option, so check your voucher.
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A whole day under sail on a 1949 wooden schooner, two swim stops, a buffet lunch and a glass of rosé.
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