A lot of people rate CASSIS the
best resort this side of St-Tropez - its inhabitants most of all.
Hemmed in by high white cliffs, its modern development has been limited
to a model toytown on the steep inclines above the port. Portside
posing and drinking aside, there's not much to do except sunbathe and
look up at the ruins of the town's medieval castle , built in 1381 and
refurbished by Monsieur Michelin, the authoritarian boss of the family
tyres and guides firm.
The favoured lazy pastime, though,
is to take a boat trip to the calanques - long, narrow, deep fjord-like
inlets that have cut into the limestone cliffs. Several companies
operate from the port, but check if they let you off or just tour in
and out, and be prepared for rough seas. If you're feeling energetic,
you can take the well-marked footpath from the route des Calanques
behind the western beach; it's about ninety minutes' walk to the
furthest and best calanque , En Vau , where you can climb down rocks to
the shore. Intrepid pine trees find root-holds, and sunbathers find
ledges on the chaotic white cliffs. The water is deep blue and swimming
between the vertical cliffs is an experience not to be missed.
Les Sports Loisirs Nautiques (tel 04.42.01.80.01) rents out windsurfing and watersports equipment by the beach next to the port
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