Private Beaches

The French Riviera has long since been an area reminiscent of glamorous film sets, ports brimming with expensive yachts and rolling beaches. Indeed, there is some truth to these images, even if they are somewhat exaggerated. However, for the most mesmerizing views, clear blue waters and private beaches, you should head to the Calanques near Marseille.

The Calanques, rocky inlets across the south coast of France, are known in the region for their outstanding beauty and unparalleled scenery. For several miles between Marseille and the small town of Cassis, the Massif de Calanques offers over thirty of these isolated and idyllic slices of paradise, which attract plenty of locals throughout the year.

Far from your standard beach near a sleepy suburb, or the famed Promenade des Anglais in Nice, the Calanques make you work for your reward. Their location, away from main roads, and along a mountainous ridge on the coast, means that you are expected to trek for anywhere between half an hour and two hours to reach these private beaches. This could involve some tarmacked road, but more often than not, the trekking routes cut through forests, steep hill sides and some of the most untamed parts of nature in the south of France.

Visiting the Calanque d'en Vau

Indeed, friends of mine have fallen several times, or managed to cut open their feet due to inappropriate footwear. The Calanques are not for someone who likes to simply lay on a beach all die – the effort might prove overwhelming.

Hiking endurance, then, certainly pays off in the case of the Calanques. Over the past months, as the weather has improved (well gone from spring to summer, because winter never fully hits here), my friends and I have taken our time to enjoy and explore some of these great locations.

From the most visited Calanque de Sugiton, with its panoramic viewpoint, its small rocky beaches, and crags used as impromptu dive boards, to the remote Calanque d’en Vau, deep in a gorge, with light only overheard for four or five hours of the day, no two of these natural wonders are the same.

Overlooking the Calanque de Sugiton

Some of the Calanques have been made into make shift ports and harbours, such as the Calanque Port-Pin or Calanque de Morgiou, which means that you are able to appreciate the tiny fishing villages that have formed around the inlets, and also admire some of the gleaming vessels which are the pride of their owners.

From the centre of Marseille, you would have to take the metro to Rond Pont du Prado, and then the appropriate bus (19,21,22,23) and then subsequently hike the challenging terrain for a minimum of thirty minutes or take the train to Cassis, and approach the hike from the far end of the coast.

The only other way to visit these remote regions is by a boat tour, but these will only provide a brief glimpse of the beauty here and there are no stops to enjoy a beach or two.

Despite the difficulty in reaching these beaches, families still come with young children, and even carry babies on their backs. Such is the allure of these frigid, crystal waters, that should you have an afternoon off work or school, you are almost sure to head here as a local.

Calanque de Sormiou 

Stunning scenery, small beaches, exercise and golden memories are guaranteed with the Calanques.