In the popular imagination, the French Mediterranean Coast is dominated by the Côte d’Azur and its renowned tourist resorts such as Antibes, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, or, better yet, the Principality of Monaco.
In reality, this is only a small part of the French coastal stretch that separates Spain from Italy. In this short article, we will tell you about Marseille, the most important city in the south of France, and the tourist destinations that can be reached from here on a boat trip.
We are talking about the two southernmost regions of France that share the Mediterranean Sea. Provence dominates the eastern side and borders Savoy to the north and Italy to the east. In contrast, Occitanie occupies the western part of the border with the Pyrenees and Spanish Catalonia.
How to reach Marseille?
Marseille-Provence International Airport, the fifth-largest French airport for passenger traffic, is located about 25 kilometers northwest of the city and is certainly the best way to reach it from abroad.
Alternatively, Marseille is easily accessible from major French cities within a day by high-speed train or motorway.
What attractions are not to be missed in Marseille?
Although Marseille does not boast internationally renowned attractions, the so-called “Naples of France” holds interesting treasures of culture, history, and archaeology.
Today, Marseille’s most important focal point is the old port, a natural inlet where a succession of bars, restaurants, and terraces was born. A center teeming with people, as well as fishing boats and yachts arriving from all over the world. The old port is set between the Saint-Jean fort (an old prison) on the right bank and the Saint-Nicolas fort on the left bank.
Thanks to the pedestrianization project, the port has been fully redeveloped for the use of its inhabitants and embellished by Miroir Ombrière, or the work of art of the architect Norman Foster, consisting of a mirrored stainless steel canopy that allows you to admire unpublished city images
A stone’s throw from the Porto Antico is also the “Major”, as the Marseillais call it: the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore, wanted by Napoleon III between 1852 and 1896 and immediately recognizable thanks to the white and black marble and its imposing 146-meter height.
What will our boat itinerary from Marseille be?
Below is one of the possible itineraries organized by us at Your Boat Holiday; this one in particular lasts 7 days. Let’s start:
Day 1: If Castle
Our first stop is not very far from the port of Marseille. Set sail from the old port; we head offshore for a few miles until we reach the famous fort that stands on an islet in the middle of Marseille Bay. Known worldwide, thanks in part to Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, which set some scenes here, this fortress dates back to 1524 and was built by King Francois I.
Day 2: Cassis
Cassis is a small fishing village of nearly 8,000 inhabitants in Provence that has maintained an authentic atmosphere because it is rarely visited by mass tourism. For those looking for an authentic and evocative corner of the Provençal coast, Cassis and its natural wonders are ideal destinations.
The old port area is perhaps the most evocative part of the town. Here, you can see local fishermen in small, colorful boats. In the alleys around the old quays, there are famous clubs and popular taverns that offer delicious dishes based on fresh fish caught in the day.
The most famous and visited location in Cassis, however, is undoubtedly the spectacular Calanques, a national park along the coast where the sandstone has been sculpted by the force of the tides.
Day 3: Bandol
Bandol is one of the largest and oldest seaside resorts on the Provençal coast, and there are numerous sandy beaches that line its bay, such as Lido Beach to the east, Casino Beach to the south, and Renecros Beach located at the bottom of a cove.
A natural refuge known since ancient times, the Bandol port, with its 1,600 berths, is now one of France’s main tourist ports.
Its main attraction, however, is its fine wines made from about fifty estates awarded with the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) designation in 1941. It is, therefore, possible to follow the “Bandol Wine Route”, stopping and tasting the famous red, rosé, or white Bandol wines.
Day 4: Espiguette (Le-Grau-du-Roi)
Espiguette beach in Grau du Roi is one of the most beautiful dune systems in the north of the Mediterranean basin with dunes that can reach up to 12 meters in height.
It is a tongue of natural sand not affected by any construction and is also distinguished by the quality of the waters that bathe it, really clear and clean.
Holder of the European Blue Flag for more than 20 years, Espiguette Beach is a natural environment rich in flora and fauna protected by various local authorities.
Day 5: Port Leucate
Port-Leucate is located at the foot of the Corbières Maritimes and is one of the largest French marinas in the Mediterranean. It offers a stopover amid wild nature in the Gulf of Lion.
Port-Leucate is a true haven of peace for yachtsmen who want to take a break from their maritime journey, offering many services and assistance 24 hours a day.
However, its highlights are its more than 18 kilometers of fine sandy beaches and turquoise blue water.
Day 6: Collioure
This town is considered the Vermilion coast pearl, so much so that it has become a postcard location immortalized by many painters, complete with a royal castle by the sea, typical boats moored at the port, pebble beaches, and cafes with outdoor tables. An old town with buildings with colorful facades and a very particular bell tower with a pink dome.
The church of Notre-Dame-des-Anges, dating from the seventeenth century, holds real treasures of Baroque art, while the imposing royal castle of Collioure, built between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries, was the summer residence of the Majorca King.
Day 7: Sentier Sous-Marin de Cerbère-Banyuls
We dedicate the last part of the tour to discovering the underwater world, with a day spent swimming near Peyrefitte beach, a sheltered bay where an underwater path lets even less experienced swimmers explore the rocky shallows and discover the beauty of local marine life.
