Kayaking in Calanques

[twruger]

Has anyone had experience kayaking in the Calanques? 

 

Our ship docks in Marseille.  We are looking to get to Cassis, then rent kayaks to go to Calanque d'En-Vau.  Is this an easy DIY option?  What's the best way to get to/from Cassis?  Also, we will be there in late September, so is weather still warm enough for kayaking?

 

Thanks!

Edited June 14, 2019 by twruger

[aaalynn1]

On June 14, 2019 at 11:21 AM, twruger said:

Has anyone had experience kayaking in the Calanques? 

 

Our ship docks in Marseille.  We are looking to get to Cassis, then rent kayaks to go to Calanque d'En-Vau.  Is this an easy DIY option?  What's the best way to get to/from Cassis?  Also, we will be there in late September, so is weather still warm enough for kayaking?

 

Thanks!

I was just going to ask this same question.  Im wondering how to get to the kayak boats as well. There must be a bus or taxi at the port.

Did you book the tour yet?

[twruger]

35 minutes ago, aaalynn1 said:

I was just going to ask this same question.  Im wondering how to get to the kayak boats as well. There must be a bus or taxi at the port.

Did you book the tour yet?

 

I never got any feedback, but I did book it.  I didn't find easy or cost-effective transfers to Cassis, so this is my plan....

 

1)  There is apparently a free shuttle bus that will take you from port to Joliette Metro station. 

2)  From there it is a short walk to main train station, where I booked a rental car.  I used Alamo/Enterprise, but there are others to choose from.  I've read many reviews of Sixt and Hertz all over Europe that claim fake damages well after you return car, so I stayed away from them.

3)  We will drive to Cassis, which is about 25km. 

4)  I booked a kayaking excursion through Destination Calanques, which meets and departs from Calanque de Port Miou car park.

5)  Kayak to Calanque de Port Pin and Calanque de En Vau.

6)  Drive back, top off with gas, return the car, and back to the ship for shower and dinner!  😎

 

Car rental about 63 Euros.  Kayak trip 70 Euros for two.  Will be there in about 70 days!

 

If you were wanting to kayak out of Marseille, I believe I saw some rentals just south of there but before you get to the Calanques.  I didn't see any that went to the Calanques, as most stayed in the Marseille area.  We specifically wanted to go to Calanque de En Vau.

 

 

 

Edited July 25, 2019 by twruger

[aaalynn1]

30 minutes ago, twruger said:

 

I never got any feedback, but I did book it.  I didn't find easy or cost-effective transfers to Cassis, so this is my plan....

 

1)  There is apparently a free shuttle bus that will take you from port to Joliette Metro station. 

2)  From there it is a short walk to main train station, where I booked a rental car.  I used Alamo/Enterprise, but there are others to choose from.  I've read many reviews of Sixt and Hertz all over Europe that claim fake damages well after you return car, so I stayed away from them.

3)  We will drive to Cassis, which is about 25km. 

4)  I booked a kayaking excursion through Destination Calanques, which meets and departs from Calanque de Port Miou car park.

5)  Kayak to Calanque de Port Pin and Calanque de En Vau.

6)  Drive back, top off with gas, return the car, and back to the ship for shower and dinner!  😎

 

Car rental about 63 Euros.  Kayak trip 70 Euros for two.  Will be there in about 70 days!

 

If you were wanting to kayak out of Marseille, I believe I saw some just south of there but before you get to the Calanques.  I didn't see any that went to the Calanques, as most stayed in the Marseille area.  We specifically wanted to go to Calanque de En Vau.

 

 

 

Sounds and looks Amazing! We have a whole year until we cruise, but I am sold on this idea for our Marsailles day.  I would love to hear about your experience when you get back! Have a safe and fun trip!

[rmats]

I believe there is a car rental place right in the port.  Might save some time.

[feenix]

On 6/14/2019 at 10:21 AM, twruger said:

Has anyone had experience kayaking in the Calanques? 

 

Our ship docks in Marseille.  We are looking to get to Cassis, then rent kayaks to go to Calanque d'En-Vau.  Is this an easy DIY option?  What's the best way to get to/from Cassis?  Also, we will be there in late September, so is weather still warm enough for kayaking?

 

Thanks!

How did it go?  I would like to hear about your kayak day and any tips!

[twruger]

1 hour ago, feenix said:

How did it go?  I would like to hear about your kayak day and any tips!

 

It was awesome!  We executed exactly as I described above.  On a ship of 4500 guests, I believe we were the only two people kayaking the Calanques.  We only came across about 10 other kayakers, but they all seemed like locals.  We were surprised by all of the jellyfish we saw in the Calanques.  The water is crystal clear and the weather was warm and perfect for late Sept.

 

We had some small snags to be aware of...

 

1)  Getting to rental car agency...  We walked to the free shuttle, which seemed like 1km.  After the free shuttle dropped us off at Joliette, we probably walked another 1km to get to rental car agency.  We actually enjoy plenty of walking, but I would probably just get an Uber to pick us up at the port if I did again to shorten that overall transit time.  We took an Uber after returning our rental car to ensure we got back to the ship on time.

 

2)  Very winding roads in Marseilles.  Almost immediately we missed a turn, and getting back to where we needed to be to get on the A50 and head east took probably 10 minutes due to the road layouts.

 

3)  Parking at Port Miou was disastrous.  The parking lot right where we needed to be is very small, maybe holds 40 cars and was full.  The area around there is all residential, with only street parking that was completely full.  We probably spent 30-45 minutes looking for parking, and almost made us give up and just head back to Marseille.  But we finally found a lot, about 10 minutes walk away.... Parking de la Presqu'île.  Not bad if you're already aware of where to find it.  It's on Google Maps.

 

4)  Finding our tour guide... We didn't get the best of instructions from Destination Calanques on where to meet them (partially they give poor info, partially language barrier), so probably searched for them almost an hour before finding the right guy.  They actually meet right at the water edge at the tip of Port Miou.

 

5)  So all those 4 items below put us behind schedule, but not far enough behind to miss anything.  Their other expected kayakers didn't show up at all, so it was just the two of us and one guide.  We spent about 3 hours on the water.

 

6)  As we were leaving Cassis and getting on the highway, we were immediately stopped by police.  An accident had just happened and they completely shut down the roadway entrance, and a helicopter was landing to take away the injured.  Not a good thing to have happen when you have 90 minutes to make it back to the ship!  We elected to go the opposite direction on the highway, hoping we could U-turn down the road and the closure was only the entrance ramp and the highway would still get through.  Fortunately that worked!  Arrived at the rental agency, checked in the car, had an Uber pick us up and take us to the ship, and we still had about 40 minutes to spare. That's closer than I like to cut it!  I haven't missed a ship yet, but is the thing I worry about the most.  We've cut it closer before in Nynashamn and Copenhagen.  :-)

 

Also, before kayaking, we drove to the hills on the coast above Cassis to the east for great views (Falaises de Cassis).  Definitely recommend that.  We are returning to Marseille by ship in early July this year, but we'll have a larger group with us (older and younger), so will likely either do an excursion to Les Baux, or one of the E-bike trips to the Calanques.  We're less risky on the DIY with a larger group.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2020 by twruger

[feenix]

Thanks for the update - sounds like an adventure, and the pictures are great!

[Nancycat]

On 1/10/2020 at 12:25 PM, twruger said:

 

It was awesome!  We executed exactly as I described above.  On a ship of 4500 guests, I believe we were the only two people kayaking the Calanques.  We only came across about 10 other kayakers, but they all seemed like locals.  We were surprised by all of the jellyfish we saw in the Calanques.  The water is crystal clear and the weather was warm and perfect for late Sept.

 

We had some small snags to be aware of...

 

1)  Getting to rental car agency...  We walked to the free shuttle, which seemed like 1km.  After the free shuttle dropped us off at Joliette, we probably walked another 1km to get to rental car agency.  We actually enjoy plenty of walking, but I would probably just get an Uber to pick us up at the port if I did again to shorten that overall transit time.  We took an Uber after returning our rental car to ensure we got back to the ship on time.

 

2)  Very winding roads in Marseilles.  Almost immediately we missed a turn, and getting back to where we needed to be to get on the A50 and head east took probably 10 minutes due to the road layouts.

 

3)  Parking at Port Miou was disastrous.  The parking lot right where we needed to be is very small, maybe holds 40 cars and was full.  The area around there is all residential, with only street parking that was completely full.  We probably spent 30-45 minutes looking for parking, and almost made us give up and just head back to Marseille.  But we finally found a lot, about 10 minutes walk away.... Parking de la Presqu'île.  Not bad if you're already aware of where to find it.  It's on Google Maps.

 

4)  Finding our tour guide... We didn't get the best of instructions from Destination Calanques on where to meet them (partially they give poor info, partially language barrier), so probably searched for them almost an hour before finding the right guy.  They actually meet right at the water edge at the tip of Port Miou.

 

5)  So all those 4 items below put us behind schedule, but not far enough behind to miss anything.  Their other expected kayakers didn't show up at all, so it was just the two of us and one guide.  We spent about 3 hours on the water.

 

6)  As we were leaving Cassis and getting on the highway, we were immediately stopped by police.  An accident had just happened and they completely shut down the roadway entrance, and a helicopter was landing to take away the injured.  Not a good thing to have happen when you have 90 minutes to make it back to the ship!  We elected to go the opposite direction on the highway, hoping we could U-turn down the road and the closure was only the entrance ramp and the highway would still get through.  Fortunately that worked!  Arrived at the rental agency, checked in the car, had an Uber pick us up and take us to the ship, and we still had about 40 minutes to spare. That's closer than I like to cut it!  I haven't missed a ship yet, but is the thing I worry about the most.  We've cut it closer before in Nynashamn and Copenhagen.  🙂

 

Also, before kayaking, we drove to the hills on the coast above Cassis to the east for great views (Falaises de Cassis).  Definitely recommend that.  We are returning to Marseille by ship in early July this year, but we'll have a larger group with us (older and younger), so will likely either do an excursion to Les Baux, or one of the E-bike trips to the Calanques.  We're less risky on the DIY with a larger group.

 

 

 

On 1/11/2020 at 8:31 AM, feenix said:

Thanks for the update - sounds like an adventure, and the pictures are great!

We are thinking of doing the same thing, but considering taking the train, or hiring a private driver, we did that when we were in Dubrovnik, we hired a driver to take us to Cavtat .

There will be 8 of us,