A picturesque harbor in Cassis featuring colorful buildings, moored boats, and calm waters reflecting the sky. A scenic view of Calanque of Port-Miou in Cassis, featuring rocky cliffs, turquoise water, and sailboats anchored nearby.
France

Cassis: At the Fjord of Port-Miou

Calanque of Port-Miou near Cassis
 Cassis, France, October 2022

Cassis is the kind of place that guidebooks like to describe with words like "picturesque" or "charming." The harbor is lovely, the houses are painted in soft pastels, and the air smells of salt and sunscreen somewhere between the fishing boats and tourist ferries. But above all, Cassis is - first and foremost - full.

Boats crowd the harbor basin, restaurant tables are packed side by side. Along the waterfront, excursion boats wait to ferry tourists out to the famous Calanques. I let them go and set off on foot. The Calanque de Port-Miou lies right on the edge of town—a long, narrow inlet, almost like a fjord. The water glows green, bordered by hundreds of sailboats neatly moored in rows. Seen from above, the scene is almost geometric: rock, water, boats, mast after mast.

Back in town, I pass the Église Saint-Michel, a solid, neo-Romanesque church that is cool and quiet inside. It's more a place to retreat than a sightseeing highlight.

I return to the harbor. Still full. You can sit, watch the world go by, maybe have a drink. And then move on.

Map of Cassis
Charming waterfront view of colorful buildings and boats in Cassis, France, reflecting in calm waters. Perfect for a coastal getaway.
A picturesque view of Cassis harbor, featuring colorful waterfront buildings and numerous boats docked in the calm water.
A picturesque harbor in Cassis featuring colorful buildings, moored boats, and calm waters reflecting the sky.
A picturesque view of the Cassis marina, lined with boats and colorful buildings under a clear blue sky.
Eglise Saint Michel de Cassis, showcasing its stone facade and arched entrance, framed by green trees and blue sky.
Built between 1859 and 1867, the Église Saint-Michel de Cassis is the town's third church, replacing earlier structures compromised by flooding.
Fresco by Jean Lair in Cassis church, depicting Joan of Arc with soldiers, featuring altar, gold candles, and patterned floor.
Fresco by Jean Lair, depicting Joan of Arc and French soldiers, in the Église Saint-Michel de Cassis.
A grand organ in a church in Cassis, featuring blue pipes and decorative arches under natural light.
The pipe organ of Église Saint-Michel de Cassis rises like a fortress above the nave - bold, symmetrical, and unmistakably modern in hue.
A narrow street in Cassis showcasing Saint Michael's Church tower amidst green foliage and traditional buildings.
The clock tower of Église Saint-Michel rises above a quiet alley in Cassis. Built in the 19th century, the church anchors the old quarter of this Mediterranean fishing town.
A picturesque view of Cassis harbor, featuring colorful buildings, moored boats, and a church tower in the background.
A boat glides through the tranquil waters near the coastal town of Cassis, with picturesque buildings lining the shore.
A coastal view of a white villa in Cassis, surrounded by greenery and rocky shoreline, with low-rise buildings in the background.
A lighthouse on the pier in Cassis, with visitors enjoying the waterfront and clear blue sky in the background.
A view of the rocky shoreline in Cassis, France, with a boat on the calm blue waters and lush buildings in the background.
Aerial view of Calanque of Port-Miou in Cassis, showcasing a marina filled with sailboats surrounded by cliffs and lush greenery.
Marina in the Calanque of Port-Miou in Cassis
A view of the Calanque of Port-Miou in Cassis, featuring sailboats and kayakers navigating the calm waters.
Aerial view of the Calanque of Port-Miou in Cassis, featuring kayakers, boats, and rocky cliffs surrounded by pine trees.
A scenic view of Calanque of Port-Miou in Cassis, featuring rocky cliffs, turquoise water, and sailboats anchored nearby.
A scenic bay in Cassis featuring a sailboat anchored near rocky cliffs and lush greenery under a partly cloudy sky.