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Swimming in Marseille

Marseille's coast runs south from the Vieux-Port into the Calanques National Park, and its swims follow it: the Catalans, the Vallon des Auffes, Malmousque and the Prophète along the Corniche, the Prado beaches, Les Goudes on the city's southern tip, then the calanques of Sormiou, Morgiou and Sugiton. Offshore, Saint-Estève is a beach on the Frioul islands, which shuttle boats reach from the Vieux-Port, stopping at the Château d'If.

  • Spots10
  • Free to enter10
Street map of Marseille with every spot marked and numbered10987654321
© OpenStreetMap contributors, © OpenMapTiles

Every spot in Marseille

Typical water temperature in November.

  1. Eugénie Peigné, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA

    1Calanque 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°NovFree
  2. Jeanne Menjoulet from Paris, France, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY

    2Calanque 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
  3. ydecaseneuve, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA

    3Calanque 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°NovFree

  4. 4Les 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

  5. 5Malmousque (Anse de la Fausse Monnaie)

    Cove, Marseille · Not lifeguarded. Dogs, smoking, alcohol and naturism banned on Marseille beaches; no diving from over 3 m

    Malmousque is a village district on the Corniche in the 7th arrondissement, with a small fishing harbour and rocky coves facing the Château d'If and the Frioul islands.

    17°NovFree

  6. 6Plage de Saint-Estève (Frioul)

    Beach, Marseille · National park rules on Frioul. Dogs, smoking, alcohol and naturism banned on Marseille beaches; no diving from over 3 m

    Saint-Estève is a small beach on Ratonneau, one of the four islands of the Frioul archipelago off Marseille, and the only real beach on Frioul according to the Marseille tourist office.

    17°NovFree

  7. 7Plage des Catalans

    Beach, Marseille · Dogs, smoking, alcohol and naturism banned on Marseille beaches; no diving from over 3 m

    Plage des Catalans is a sand beach in the 7th arrondissement, a short walk from the Vieux-Port, looking out to the Frioul islands and the Château d'If.

    17°NovFree

  8. 8Plage du Prado

    Beach, Marseille · Dogs, smoking, alcohol and naturism banned on Marseille beaches; no diving from over 3 m

    The Prado beaches run for 3.5 km along the seafront from the David statue to the Vieille Chapelle, backed by lawns, playgrounds and the Escale Borély complex.

    17°NovFree

  9. 9Plage du Prophète

    Beach, Marseille · Dogs, smoking, alcohol and naturism banned on Marseille beaches; no diving from over 3 m

    Plage du Prophète is a sand beach below the Corniche Kennedy in the 7th arrondissement, with a free beach volleyball court and a first-aid post.

    17°NovFree

  10. 10Vallon des Auffes

    Cove, Marseille · Not lifeguarded; working fishing harbour. Dogs, smoking, alcohol and naturism banned on Marseille beaches; no diving from over 3 m

    The Vallon des Auffes is a small fishing harbour on the Corniche Kennedy, spanned by a 19th-century bridge with three arches 17 m high.

    17°NovFree

Questions about Marseille

Can you drive to the calanques in Marseille?

Not always. On set summer dates the Ville de Marseille closes the roads to Sormiou and Morgiou to cars through the day, and the park points visitors to RTM buses 22 and 23 instead. Sugiton is walk-in only, about 45 minutes from the Luminy bus stop.

Do you need to book to visit Sugiton in Marseille?

On peak summer dates, yes. The Calanques National Park lets visitors in only with a free booking, which opens three days ahead and closes the evening before. The booking dates change every year.

Can the Marseille calanques be closed in summer?

Yes, on red fire-risk days. From 1 June to 30 September the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture sets access to the Calanques massif day by day: green allows access, red bans it. The map for the next day is published each evening.

How warm is the sea in Marseille's calanques in September?

Typically about 21 °C, down from about 23 °C in August. It's usually about 19 °C in October and 16 °C in May.

What is the water quality like in Marseille?

In the 2025 EEA bathing season, 3 of the 7 places listed here with a monitoring site were classified excellent. Les Goudes (Plage de la Maronaise), Plage du Prado and Plage du Prophète were classified good. Plage de Saint-Estève (Frioul) was classified sufficient.