Calanque d’En-Vau

Calanque d’En-Vau is one of the many fjord-like inlets along the coastline between Cassis and Marseilles. It’s hard to believe that this wild, untamed nature is right outside a major city, but once there, the hustle and bustle of Marseilles might as well be on the other side of the world. The calanques are a Mediterranean paradise, where the sea has carved its way and created shining white cliffs towering thousands of feet above the azure water. The landscape looks stony and brittle, but all over one can see it come to live. There are gnarled pine trees, dark blue pistachio, wild asparagus and juniper, as well as rare birds nesting high up in the limestone cliffs. 
Of course, getting to Calanque d’En-Vau involves hiking along the adventurous hiking trails that follow the coastline to the hidden bays. It is one of the more difficult inlets to get to and requires hiking down the extremely steep inclines. Unsurprisingly, Calanque d’En-Vau is very popular with rock climbers and on a nice day, you can see a huge number of them braving the cliffs. At the bottom, a pretty pebble beach rewards visitors for the effort. 

Practical Info

There are regular sailing trips from Cassis as well as Marseilles that take visitors to the calanques with the alternative being a hike through the rocky landscape. You can either hike all the way from Cassis, the closest city to Calanque d’En-Vau, which takes roughly two hours, or take the car to the de la Fontasse car park and walk the remaining 3 kilometers.