What to do In Cassis, Provence, France

We love France and have travelled all over, from Paris to Bordeaux, to Biarritz to the Alps, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been to the French Riviera.  I was first introduced to Cassis, a small town on this stretch of the fr, about 5 years ago by friends of ours who went there a lot. They loved the laid-back vibe of the little harbour town – it’s a bit like St Tropez without all the pretentiousness – and they go back every year now.  You can go to fabulous restaurants and bars but you don’t have to get dressed up if you don’t want to.  The beaches are lovely and the beach bars are great fun.  The water is warm and crystal-clear and the setting is picturesque and the town is overlooked by the beautiful Chateau de Cassis. Everything happens around the main harbour and the area buzzes, day and night.  There are plenty of activities and the town borders a National Park so the coastline is unspoiled and quite wild and rugged.  So read on to find out what to do in Cassis!

How to get to Cassis

Cassis is a coastal town in Southern France in the region of Provence.  The closest large town with an airport is Marseille and many airlines fly in and out.  Once you’ve arrived at the airport,  it’s a taxi ride or a hire car to Cassis which takes about an hour (taxis will cost around £120+) so make sure you factor this into your holiday budget!

You could get a train but it’s a shuttle ride to the train station, then the train, then a bus and the whole journey takes almost 3 hours – it does work out much cheaper though at around £20-30 per person.

Where to stay in Cassis

There are plenty of Hotels to choose from in town but they get booked up so make sure you plan in advance!

Chateau de Cassis – If you want to splurge, then the only place to stay is in the incredible hilltop castle that towers over the port of Cassis.  With incredible views down to the sea, it really is the most magnificent hotel in town.  Otherwise, there are plenty of other hotels or beautiful villas you can rent.

Previously we stayed in a beautiful farmhouse set a little way out of town.  It was perfect for our large group as we had our own space but there was a good 30-minute walk into town (downhill on the way – uphill on the way back!!!)  It was such a lovely quiet setting, in a beautiful vineyard with space for dinners out on the terrace and a pool we could relax in.  This time, we chose to stay in an apartment as we wanted somewhere close to the port with a balcony we could sit out on in the evening while Nellie slept.  It was fairly basic but so central that you could be in the harbour in less than 2 minutes which was ideal.

Where to eat in Cassis

Cassis has so many restaurants to choose from.  They line the entire harbour and all of the backstreets so you are completely spoiled for choice. From traditional French Bistro food to Seafood Platters, to Italian Pizzerias and even Sushi Restaurants there is no limit to what is on offer.

For breakfast, we liked to sit in the Monsieur Brun Brasserie and order fruit, yoghurt, pastries and coffee and watch the harbour come to life.  Many of the restaurants don’t open super early but we found this one was always open for breakfast and gets the sun first thing so it was the perfect place to sit and people watch and spend a slow start to the day.  Alternatively, you could pick up a croissant from the local bakery and take it back to your apartment or sit by the harbour or on the beach!

There are plenty of options for lunch and dinner around the harbour and to be honest, we didn’t have a bad meal at any of them so wherever you choose you will get good food – there’s so many and they’re all competing with each other so they have to be of a high standard!  A top tip is to make sure to order a bottle of the local Rosé.  They make a beautiful blush Provencal Rosé in this area which is just perfect served chilled with seafood/salads and much more.  A few restaurants that stood out to us were:

La Maison – we had lunch here on the first day, by chance as it was the closest restaurant on the harbour to our apartment, and it didn’t disappoint!  Fresh seafood, huge salads and chilled rosé. French Bistro cooking at its finest.

Another favourite spot of ours was Bar De La Marine. This bustling brasserie looks out over the harbour and has the comfiest chairs around – perfect for people-watching with a glass of wine or an aperitif.  We had lunch here and I can highly recommend the Caesar Salad and the Tuna Tartare.

If you’re looking for a wine bar for a pre-dinner drink I can recommend La Maison de Jo et Gaby.  A little bar in a back street, just off the harbour with a great selection of wines and cocktails.  You can sit at big wine barrels in the street and munch on their delicious tapas while enjoying a glass (or two) of local wine!

If you want somewhere a bit fancier for dinner I can highly recommend O Rev Cassis.  They have a small but perfectly formed menu with very interesting flavours.  Organic egg parfait, mushroom velouté, parmesan tile? Griddled octopus, polenta fries, romesco sauce? and if you choose the set menu you can have three courses for under €50 which is incredible value – the food really is spectacular!

Finally, if you’re visiting Cassis, you have to make a booking at Villa Madie.

It is a 3 Michelin Star restaurant set in the most beautiful hill-top location, overlooking the sea below.  It is a completely opulent affair that has to be experienced to be believed.  You choose between the 4-course (€160), 6-course (€230) or 8-course (€295) tasting menus and you can include wine pairings or not.  It definitely isn’t a cheap experience but it is worth every penny for a truly exquisite meal.  Spoiler: you actually get more courses than advertised as there are complimentary canapés, petit-fours etc and even a cheese trolley!

Make sure to book in advance as it’s a very popular destination!

I’ve been lucky enough to visit twice now and both times the restaurant exceeded any expectations I had.  You can read all about one of my trips here.

There is also a brasserie on site (Brasserie du Corton) which offers a three-course (€60) so you can get a small taste of the incredible food at a very reasonable price!

Beach Bars

There are a few Bars/Restaurants right on the beaches too.  On Plage de la Mer you have Bada Restaurant and Le Grand Large and on Plage du Bestouan there is Same Same Beach which serves great cocktails and Bar Food (think burgers, toasted sandwiches etc) and Le Bestouan which serves delicious seafood and brasserie-style meals – think seafood linguine or bavette steak and chips.

What to do in Cassis

Beaches – There are two main beaches in Cassis, the Plage de la Grand Mer which is in the centre of town and the Plage du Bestouan which is a short walk outside town.  They are stony beaches, not sandy but they have the most incredible crystal clear water I’ve seen in the Med! Both beaches tend to get very crowded and it can be hard to find a spot to put your towel so make sure you get there early. You can also hire sun loungers from some of the restaurants but these can be pretty pricey at around €50.

A trip to see the Calanques is an absolute must when in Cassis.  Calanque means sheltered inlet and the National Park and coastline around Cassis is dotted with them.  The inlets have steep sides forming a valley with the ocean at the bottom and you can sail into them and take a look around.  They really are quite special to the area and there are so many tours to see them departing from the harbour each day.  Just wander around and decide what time you want to travel and how long for, there will definitely be a tour available to fit your needs!

You can hike the Calanques on foot as well.  The walking trail starts from Cassis and is quite steep in some places so good shoes are a must!

You can also hire a boat from Cassis harbour and visit the Calanques under your own steam or travel anywhere else you’d like.  This is what we did and it didn’t disappoint.  In the past, we’ve hired little boats on Lake Garda and in Céfalu and we love the freedom it provides.  We get to go where we want, when we want, we can take a picnic on board, anchor up and jump off, etc.  It really is such a fun way to spend a morning or an afternoon.  If you choose a boat with a small enough engine, you don’t need any particular kind of licence to be able to drive it (ask for a boat ‘sans permis’ – just some identification and a damage deposit and you’re set to go.  We hired a boat from JCF Boat Rentals for a morning and got this electric boat which was perfect for pootling around the coastline for a few hours.  It was €220 for half a day between the four of us and we had a lovely time.

Watersports – there are canoes, SUPs and pedalos to hire at all of the beaches.  You can even do a Calanque by Kayak tour if you’re up for the adventure.  It gets you closer to the action than a motor boat would be able to and you can even explore the sea caves along the coastline.  There’s also the option to Scuba Dive the Calanques between April and November.

Cassis is famous for its rock climbing and many people travel from all over the world to climb the cliffs which have many climbing routes already set up.  This is strictly controlled due to preserving the local eco-system and climbing is forbidden during the summer months owing to the prevalence of forest fires throughout the region.

It would almost be a crime to take a trip to Cassis and not visit a local vineyard.  Unusually for Provence, where the blush style of rosé generally dominates, Cassis specialises in white wine, which makes up 75% of its production and there are 12 local vineyards to pay a visit to. The Clos Sainte Magdeleine is walkable from town and the Domaine de Bagnol is a very famous one too!  All the vineyards offer tastings but it’s best to book in advance as they often only have specific times and are not available for drop-ins!

Cassis also holds a couple of Wine Festivals every year. There is a one-day wine festival every year in Mid-May called the ‘Cassis fête son vin’ and then a second, more extravagant event in late September ‘Les Vendanges Étoilées‘ (The Starry Grape Harvest). Michelin-starred chefs give cooking demonstrations and tasting opportunities alongside the wine tasting (hence the ‘starry’ part)!

When we travel, we like to spend our evenings having long dinners and trying local wines in bars but there are some other options on the Cassis nightlife scene too!  There is a Casino in town if you’re looking to play some card games or on the slot machines. It’s open every day from 10 am to 3 am and there’s a restaurant and bar in there too so you can while away an entire evening there if you want.

There is also the infamous Big Ben Nightclub.  This is the only nightclub in town!  It began in the 1960s and has become quite an institution.  It starts late and is only open from midnight every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in July and August.

If you want to explore a bit further afield you can always take a Day Trip.  Some great nearby towns that are worth a visit are Day Trip Marseille, Aix en Provence and Toulon – all an hour or so away by car.

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