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Calanque de Méjean

Méjean is a pair of inlets on the Côte Bleue west of Marseille: Petit Méjean with a small harbour and beach, and Grand Méjean with a cove under the railway viaduct. The name comes from the Occitan for 'in the middle', and fishermen used it as a shelter from the 17th century.

WhatCalanque, Ensuès-la-RedonneProvence
WhenJune to October17° in Nov
Getting there Train Bus Car On foot Boat
CostPublic shoreFree
AccessCoast road reserved for residents in season (18 April to 11 October 2026); the hills close on red fire-risk days, June to September
Water by month typical °C
  1. 13°J
  2. 13°F
  3. 13°M
  4. 14°A
  5. 16°M
  6. 19°J
  7. 21°J
  8. 22°A
  9. 21°S
  10. 19°O
  11. 17°N
  12. 15°D

Expect the sea at about 22 °C in August and 13 °C in January, going by the 1991 to 2020 averages. The swimming season runs from June to October.

Getting in

Access
By road you go through La Redonne harbour and follow the road beside the railway for 1.5 km to Petit Méjean and then Grand Méjean, says the Marseille tourist office; on foot the GR coastal path (sentier des Douaniers) comes in from La Redonne or Niolon. In 2026 the town restricted motor access to residents from 18 April to 11 October and ran the C6 shuttle to Grand Méjean on weekends and holidays. On red fire-risk days walking, driving and parking in the massif are banned all day. Car access to the coast via La Redonne and La Madrague de Gignac strictly regulated from 18 April to 11 October 2026 and reserved for residents: weekends and public holidays 10:00 to 19:30 (08:30 to 19:30 from 4 July to 30 August), weekdays 14:00 to 19:30 from 15 June to 28 August; applies to all motor vehicles including two-wheelers. The commune is a fire-sensitive zone. From 1 June to 30 September the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture sets access to the forest massifs day by day (order of 22 April 2025, partly revised 9 July 2026): green allows access, red bans it, and the map for the next day is published around 18:00.
Parking
Small car park at the end of the calanque with very little space (tourist office); in the regulated season only residents' registered vehicles may drive down.
Public transport
TER Marseille to Miramas (Côte Bleue line) to Ensuès-la-Redonne station, about 25 minutes from Marseille. The town's C6 shuttle runs 10 trips a day from the town entrance to Grand Méjean on weekends and public holidays from 18 April to 11 October 2026.
Also here
Kayak, Paddleboard, Coastal walk

Cost and facilities

Entry
Free, public shore
Facilities
Restaurant

More places near Ensuès-la-Redonne

Warm water nearby

Swimming in Ensuès-la-Redonne · Provence · Swimming in France