Swimming in the Calanques
Inlets and small beaches in the cliffs between Marseille and La Ciotat, from the village of Les Goudes on Marseille's southern tip to the Mugel below the Bec de l'Aigle. En-Vau, Port-Pin and Sugiton are reached only on foot, cars are kept off the Sormiou and Morgiou roads on set summer dates, and from June to September the prefecture opens or closes the massif day by day according to fire risk. The sea is still about 19 °C in October.
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Every spot in the Calanques
Typical water temperature in November.
Andrew Wilson, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SACalanque d'En-Vau
Calanque, Cassis · No boat landings; massif closed on red fire-risk days, June to September
En-Vau is a narrow inlet between sheer limestone walls with a small pebble beach at its head, and boats have not been allowed to land here since the 2000s.
17°NovFree
Tobi 87, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SACalanque de Figuerolles
Calanque, La Ciotat · Dogs not allowed on the beach. Non-smoking beach.
Figuerolles is a small pebble cove west of La Ciotat's centre, walled by puddingstone cliffs and overlooked by the Rocher du Capucin, also called Tête de Chien.
17°NovFree
Eugénie Peigné, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SACalanque de Morgiou
Calanque, Marseille · Road closed to cars on set summer dates; massif closed on red fire-risk days, June to September
Morgiou is a steep-sided calanque with a working fishing port and about thirty occupied cabanons.
17°NovFreeCalanque de Port-Miou
Calanque, Cassis · No beach; not lifeguarded; pontoons closed to the public; boats moor on both shores; the hills close on red fire-risk days
Port-Miou is a 1,400 m inlet between steep limestone cliffs, the only calanque in the commune of Cassis and the closest one to the town.
17°NovFree
M.Strīķis, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SACalanque de Port-Pin
Calanque, Cassis · Massif closed on red fire-risk days, June to September
Port-Pin is a deep cove in the Cassis calanques, between Port-Miou and En-Vau, with a small sand beach and Aleppo pines leaning over it.
17°NovFree
Jeanne Menjoulet from Paris, France, Wikimedia Commons · CC BYCalanque de Sormiou
Calanque, Marseille · Road closed to cars on set summer dates; massif closed on red fire-risk days, June to September
Sormiou is a wide calanque with a sand beach below a hamlet of cabanons that still have no running water or electricity.
17°NovFree
ydecaseneuve, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SACalanque de Sugiton
Calanque, Marseille · Free booking needed on peak summer dates; massif closed on red fire-risk days, June to September
Sugiton is two small coves under steep cliffs, each with a tiny beach, reached on foot from the Luminy campus past a lookout at 245 m.
17°NovFreeCalanque du Mugel
Calanque, La Ciotat · Dogs not allowed; the hills close on red fire-risk days, June to September
The Calanque du Mugel has two pebble beaches, Grand Mugel and Petit Mugel, below the Bec de l'Aigle headland at La Ciotat.
17°NovFreeLes Goudes (Plage de la Maronaise)
Beach, Marseille · Not lifeguarded; the hills close on red fire-risk days, June to September
La Maronaise is one of two small beaches at Les Goudes, a village district of Marseille on the city's southern tip inside the Calanques National Park.
17°NovFree
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Questions about the Calanques
Can you swim in the Calanques in October?
Yes. The sea in the Calanques is typically about 19 °C in October and 17 °C in November, after 21 °C in September. The swimming season runs from June to October.
Do you need permission to visit the Calanques in summer?
On red fire-risk days nobody may go in. From 1 June to 30 September the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture opens or closes the massif day by day, green for access and red for a ban, and publishes the map for the next day around 18:00. Sugiton also needs a free booking on peak summer dates; bookings open three days ahead and close the evening before.
Can you drive to Sormiou and Morgiou?
Not on the set summer dates when the Ville de Marseille closes both roads to cars through the day. RTM bus 22 runs to the Les Baumettes terminus, about an hour on foot from Morgiou, and bus 23 to La Cayolle, about 45 minutes from Sormiou over the Col de Sormiou.
How do you get to the Calanque d'En-Vau?
On foot only, since boats aren't allowed to land. The park gives 90 minutes to 2 hours from Cassis town centre via Port-Miou and Port-Pin, or an hour from the lookout down by the Col de l'Oule; the Gardiole road to that lookout is closed to cars all year. From Cassis, a shuttle runs from Les Gorguettes park-and-ride to Port-Miou, and there are no toilets, shade or supplies at En-Vau.
What is the water quality like in the Calanques?
In the 2025 EEA bathing season, 6 of the 7 places listed here with a monitoring site were classified excellent. Les Goudes (Plage de la Maronaise) was classified good.