Calanque d’En-Vau

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Location

Cassis
France
43° 12' 7.9416" N, 5° 29' 54.1608" E
FR
General info: 

Calanque En-Vau is perhaps the most beautiful calanque in the French Riviera. This astonishing inlet is 400 meters deep and dominated by large limestone cliffs on both sides.

The emerald blue water and white sands under cliffs make this bay a tropical paradise not far away from civilization. As the sun hits the bay the sea sparkles in an extraordinary colour.

When visiting the calanque, remember to take everything you eat or drink with you, there is nothing there expect the nature.

Getting there: 

There are different kinds of boat tours organized from Cassis to Calanque En-Vau. They often visit also other calanques and on some of the trips you can drop off at the beach, some just take you there to see it from the boat.

Another option is to hike there. The closest place to leave car and hike to the calanque is the parking of La Maison Forestiere de la Gardiole. From there you have to walk around 3000-4000m to reach the calanque. During the dry season the hiking is however prohibited due to risk of forest fires.

Costs: 

If you hike, there are no charges.

If you choose the boat trip, you can see the latest prices in the harbor of Cassis. As an example, a boat tour that visits 8 calanques, no possibility for swimming, lasts 1,5 hours, can be around 21€.

Interesting places nearby

Meribel (1,450m), a firm British favourite, is also known as ‘Little England upon the Alps’.

Right on the Swiss border and serving six traditional villages in the locality, this is a year-round multi-sports resort. There is a snowpark for boarders and night-skiing is possible several evenings per week.

Located four kilometres (two-and-a-half miles) from the village of Mijanès, on the sides of Canrusc mountain between 1500 and 2000 meters high, the winter ski resort of Mijanès - Donezan is a real alternative to the next big resorts.

Great skiing offered by the resort's 50 modern lifts and more than 100 km of slopes, perfectly prepared from December to April, thanks to an advanced snow-making system.

Overlooking the medieval town of Gruyères, the famous mountain named le Moléson is an imposing peak reaching up to 2002m above sea-level.

Under-developed ski area little known outsuide France and close to the Italian border ( 22km/16 miles away over a pass open in Summer). Limited facilities but friendly, relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere and very reasonable prices.