BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide
The Cassis calanques by boat: En-Vau, Port-Pin, Port-Miou
Visiting the calanques from Cassis by rental boat: the three legendary inlets, the National Park rules, the best hour and the budget.
By Clément Lacaille, editor of Boat-Comparator · updated
En-Vau and its 100-metre cliffs plunging into lagoon-clear water: the most famous calanque in the Mediterranean is earned on foot (a two-hour hike)… or by boat, twenty minutes from the harbour of Cassis.
The legendary trio
Port-Miou, the closest, shelters a long fjord lined with sailboats; Port-Pin and its pine-fringed beach; then En-Vau, the white limestone cathedral. Pushing on towards Marseille: l'Oule, Devenson, Morgiou and Sormiou for the steepest walls. Half a day covers the trio; a full day reaches Sormiou.
National Park: the rules change everything
The calanques are a National Park: regulated anchoring zones (no anchoring on seagrass, buoys in places), speed limits, and in summer a free booking system can apply to Sugiton on the land side. On the water, July-August crowds mean arriving early: before 10 am, En-Vau is yours; by noon it is a full open anchorage.
Which boat, what budget
A license-free boat is enough in calm seas for Port-Miou and Port-Pin (€100-200 per day); for En-Vau and beyond, a RIB or small motorboat (€200-450) brings the speed and safety margin if the wind rises. Mind the mistral: the Park effectively closes in strong wind, and operators refund or reschedule — check the cancellation policy on the offer.
The local tip
Leave at 8:30 — calanques in morning light on glassy water; return past Cap Canaille, France's highest sea cliff, as the sun gilds it. And compare operators in Cassis AND neighbouring La Ciotat — same waters, often gentler prices.
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