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Calanques
and Cap Canaille
Walking
Tours in France
2010
prices
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The
Calanques spread out across twenty kilometers between
Marseille and Cassis. This limestone mountain, which
reaches 565 meters at Mont Puget, glistens dazzlingly
and bristles with ruinous and decayed ridges. Renowned
for their beauty and charm, the Calanques consist
of narrow valleys surrounded by abrupt rocky facades,
dug out through the ages by rivers and now submerged
entirely by the sea. On the other side of Cassis,
the cliffs of the Canaille mountain plunge into the
ocean from a height of 300 meters! In the midst of
all this rocky upset, lies the small fishing port
of Cassis, known for fresh fish and one of the best
white wines of Provence. Here you will spend your
evenings on the terrace, enjoying these luxuries and
living a dream!
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DURATION:
6 days
TOURCODE: C09CO
GRADE: Moderate
- Difficulty:
grade 4
DAY STAGES: 4
to 5.30h / day
DATES: all year round
except 20/06 to 10/09 (fire ban)
PRICE: 799 euros / person (twin-share)
Single Supplement : 315 euros
SINGLE TRAVELLER: 1310 euros
Accommodation:
***
hôtels. 3 nights
in Marseille - ** Hotel 2 nights in Cassis
Budget
travellers : 558 euros
accommodation in 2-star hotels (rooms with en-suite
facilities)
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Luxury
Walking Tour.In such
a tour, we give priority to comfort and service of hotels
and to the quality of the restaurant. You will stop in 2,3
star hotels located in beautiful places and very often recommended
by important guidebooks such as the Guide Rouge or the Gault-Millau
Guide. We
dont hesitate to escort you by taxi at the end of
the walk to stay in the best hotel in the area (old castles,
farmhouses or water-mills
)
For info and bookings on walking tours,
contact us.
Day
1 : Arrival at MARSEILLE. We invite you to spend somre
time to visit the historic city around your hotel located
in
the Vieux Port, and to ascend to The church Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde
that overlooks the bay of Marseille, great view
of the town - Lodging and breakfast
in a 3-star hotel by the Vieux Port
Day 2 : CHATEAU DIF and FRIOUL ISLANDS
These islands visible from Marseille are only at 20
minutes by boat from Vieux
Port. You will visit the chateau dIf a fortress built
by François I and made famous by Alexandre Dumas'
novel, The Count of
Monte Cristo. Then you take again the boat to reach the
islands Pomègues and Ratonneau islands which have
been connected
after the construction of a dam in 1825. At the 17th Century,
they had nothing to attract tourists and were used like
places of
quarantine for people affected by plague, yellow fever and
other contagious diseases. The Caroline hospital built on
Ratonneau
Island was used to treat yellow fever patients. Those who
like to sunbathe on the beach will be happy with the different
sand
beaches but the true wealth of these islands is the diversity
and number of heavenly creeks, allowing bathes far from
civilization.
Return to Marseille in end-of-day - Lodging
and breakfast in the same hotel.
Day 3 : CALANQUE DE MORGIOU MARSEILLE
(6 hour walk).
Your day will begin with an escort by taxi to the Calanque
de Morgiou. The taxi ride will bring you across thelimestone
mountain dry and arid, but of extreme beauty
and will leave you at the seas edge. This calanque
is home to acharming port and several little huts. You will
leave this small paradise and climb up to the Crête
de Morgiou, then walk down the opposite slope to the calanque
of Sormiou. You will climb to the summit of Sormiou and
then down again into the nextcalanque, or will make your
way along the rocks that jut out towards the sea, and will
continue in this pattern. You will discover the Cirque des
Walkyries, will look down upon the Escu, Podestat and Marseilleveyre
calanques, and will then reach the Mounine beach. You will
climb again a little ways to reach the Callelongue calanque,
the destination point of this days journey. The most
courageous among you may choose to continue along the sea
front or take the Esterel massif to the ancient neighborhoods
of Marseille, and the hotel. For those who have had enough
for the day, you will find your way back to comfort by means
of the citys public transportation or by taxi - Lodging
and breakfast in the same 3-star hotel.
Day 4 : CALANQUE DE MORGIOU CASSIS (7
hour walk ascent: 950 meters). Transfer by
taxi to the Calanque de Morgiou. Then you will begin your
trek to Cassis. You will walk round the Crêt de Saint
Michel to reach the Calanque du Sugiton and the famous rock
named Le torpilleur or Le Crocodile. You will continue along
the foot of the Falaises des toits (cliffs) and reach the
first ridges with breathtaking
panoramas of the seaside and calanques. From calanques (Saint
Jean de Dieu, Oule, En-vau, Port Pin and others) to passes,
or making your way along the Devenson cliffs, you will pass
through striking landscapes, each of them more beautiful
than the one before. You may wish to take a quick swim from
time to time in the calanques before tackling the next climb,
each defeated summit bringing you closer to Cassis, where
a cool drink awaits you on the veranda as the sun sets upon
the horizon line, illuminating the Soubeyrane cliffs -
Lodging and breakfast in a 2-star hotel by
the port.
Day 5 : LA CIOTAT CASSIS (5
hour walk). Todays walk will greatly differ
from yesterday, being less challenging and giving you an
opportunity to recuperate. The taxi will leave you at La
Ciotat, close to the Calanque du Mugel. Overhead looms the
imposing rock structure of Le Bec de lAigle. After
having descended into the Figuerolles bay just to
wet your feet a bit you will head in the direction
of the ruins of the Sainte Croix chapel sitting above the
Soubeyranes cliffs, reaching up more than 300 meters from
the seas surface. The path continues through sparse
vegetation and along the cliffs edge, giving breath-taking
views of the ocean, the Cap Canaille and the magnificent
bay, where nestles Cassis. This adorable harbor is surrounded
at the east by calanques, at the west by the Cap Canaille,
and the first foothills of the Etoile chain, covered by
vineyards that produce one of the greatest white wines in
Provence. You will arrive at the harbor, full of life and
of tourists, towards the start of the evening. Your hotel
will be a welcome treat, just off the beach Lodging
and breakfast in a 2-star hotel by port.
Day 6 : CASSIS. the tour ends after breakfast.
Getting
there:
By plane : Marseille international airport is served
by low-cost companies from the main European towns
By train: Scheduled links (TGV or fast trains) between
Marseille and the French main towns.
By car: Marseille in on the A7 motorway.
Where to park : several pay guarded car parks nearby
Le Vieux Port in Marseille
The
price includes:
- 5 nights accommodation in selected 2 / 3 -star hotels
- 5 breakfasts dinners not included
- Hotel to hotel luggage transfer along the trail.
- Taxi transfers : Marseille-the Morgiou calanque (x2),
Marseille-La Ciotat
- A set of maps (1/25 000 scale) with the route marked on
and detailed route notes describing the trail.
- A daily itinerary together with information about facilities
and places of interest along the trail.
- Emergency assistance.
Not
included:
Visa fees - transportation fees to and from the walk
area - Insurance (strongly recommended on all trips) - Transfers
except those mentioned above Drinks Entrance
fees
Additional meals - Spending of personal nature e.g. laundry,
souvenirs, phone calls,
are not included
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