cassis on our own.

[cruisin73]

We are looking into going to Cassis.  Thinking about having lunch, walking around and shopping. This is our first time there. Can we get a taxi? or Shuttle bus? Is it safe to go without a tour group?

[Lutèce]

What do you mean - safe???? 

[edinburgher]

Is it safe to go without a tour group?

i didn't understand that question either. Perhaps cruisin73 will elaborate?

 

cruisin73, most tourists going to Cassis will be going for the boat trips around the Calanques and to sit around the quite pretty harbour with coffee or for lunch.  I know the town quite well as we have visited a few times with French friends nearby, but we have never really browsed the shops as there didn't seem much of interest.

 

What kind of shopping are you hoping for?  Marseille itself offers a massive selection of stores, also department stores and markets.  Something to suit all tastes and in every price range, so to me  it doesn't make a lot of sense to ignore the bigger city and head instead  to what is a small seaside town with much less choice. Is it something unique to Cassis that you want to buy?

 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by edinburgher

[cruisin73]

Is it a safe area meaning can I walk around alone and feel comfortable doing that.  As a female.  

As far as shopping I was looking for clothes, hand bags, maybe little gifts for friends.  

[marazul]

Perfectly safe.

You can find gift stores. Some clothing stores. Mostly beach stuff. 

Lots of good restaurants. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by marazul

[edinburgher]

 

 

Is it a safe area meaning can I walk around alone and feel comfortable doing that.  As a female.  

 

As above, absolutely.  I think French women living  and working in Cassis would not be at all uncomfortable venturing out alone.

 

I was looking for clothes, hand bags, maybe little gifts for friends.  

 

for all of these items, Marseille will offer a much larger choice with a broader price range than Cassis.

 

Popular local gifts for friends could include many lavendar related items(perfumes, oils etc), pretty olive oil based hand soaps with local scents such as olive, lavendar, rose, lemon, lime etc items made of olive wood, items made with Provencal fabric and the top quality purest Marseille soap, (Savon de Marseille)which if you research online you will find is almost the purest soap to be found in the world..  You will be spoiled for choice.  items to consider might include lavendar bags made with Provencal fabric, as these are inexpensive, lightweight and small for packing,and they wont risk breakage in luggage either.  You should also be able to find large bags of lavendar, (which should you want to) you could make into individual lavendar bags with whatever fabric you either have already at home or which you decide to buy a small amount of ion your travels.  When last there (Sept 2019) there were several little mini craft  markets and/or stalls selling similar items scattered around the Old Port and nearby central shopping area, in addition to actual stores.

 

BTW, Cassis isn't the easiest place to travel to without a vehicle, in part as you will need to first get into Marseille centre, then board a bus or train to Cassis.  Cassis train station is near the top end of town and you would need to take a local bus or walk down to reach the waterfront.

Edited January 23, 2023 by edinburgher

[Lutèce]

Probably considerably safer than as a lone female walking round Newark NJ 🙂

[dess_je]

Hi, @cruisin73

 

We are a family of 5 and we are also planning to do Cassis on our own for half a day. Maybe from 9:00 am to 14:00. We are also looking for transfer company to just drop us and pick us back up. Maybe someone can suggest us one.

When are you sailing? Hopefully we are on the same ship on the same dates so we can share a ride 😁

Edited January 24, 2023 by dess_je

[cruisin73]

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful responses.  

 

4 hours ago, dess_je said:

Hi, @cruisin73

 

We are a family of 5 and we are also planning to do Cassis on our own for half a day. Maybe from 9:00 am to 14:00. We are also looking for transfer company to just drop us and pick us back up. Maybe someone can suggest us one.

When are you sailing? Hopefully we are on the same ship on the same dates so we can share a ride 😁

We will be on the Symphony of he seas May 7th. 

[dess_je]

5 hours ago, cruisin73 said:

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful responses.  

 

We will be on the Symphony of he seas May 7th. 

Ok....let me know if you know about transportation you will use to get to cassis please.....

[edinburgher]

dess_je  let me know if you know about transportation you will use to get to cassis please.....

 

Should you fail to find a transfer company or taxi, check the bus and train options. There should be timetables online together with journey times and ticket pricing.  if you can carefully plan your time around the timetables, you could consider doing this yourselves, with only some planning needed before leaving home.

 

You may be OK with a car/taxi transfer in May unless it is a major public holiday, as car parking in Cassis fills up quickly and early in the day  in summer and on public holidays,  and when it does, and to avoid congestion, access  roads into the town are closed to any vehicles other than those of local residents, with drivers having to park outside the town.

 

 Are you thinking of visiting for a special reason? Boat trips will be running in May but you should check timings on individual company websites.

 

And did you mean an arrival in Cassis at 0900, or is 0900 the time you would want to leave the port?  Most ships will run shuttle buses to an area close the Old Port in Marseille but their scheduled timings may vary.  There is also a public bus which runs from the main road outside the port gates, but depending where your ship is docked, you could have a walk to reach it.  And you mention 2pm.  Is that for leaving Cassis or arriving into Marseille?  Be especially carefully checking timetables for return  buses and/or trains, as there are often fewer in the lunchtime period.

 

I have seen CC threads about a port shuttle bus, but unfortunately  I know nothing about that.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2023 by edinburgher

[Lutèce]

On 1/24/2023 at 11:22 AM, Lutèce said:

Probably considerably safer than as a lone female walking round Newark NJ 🙂

Should have said Neptune NJ

[dess_je]

10 hours ago, edinburgher said:

dess_je  let me know if you know about transportation you will use to get to cassis please.....

 

Should you fail to find a transfer company or taxi, check the bus and train options. There should be timetables online together with journey times and ticket pricing.  if you can carefully plan your time around the timetables, you could consider doing this yourselves, with only some planning needed before leaving home.

 

You may be OK with a car/taxi transfer in May unless it is a major public holiday, as car parking in Cassis fills up quickly and early in the day  in summer and on public holidays,  and when it does, and to avoid congestion, access  roads into the town are closed to any vehicles other than those of local residents, with drivers having to park outside the town.

 

 Are you thinking of visiting for a special reason? Boat trips will be running in May but you should check timings on individual company websites.

 

And did you mean an arrival in Cassis at 0900, or is 0900 the time you would want to leave the port?  Most ships will run shuttle buses to an area close the Old Port in Marseille but their scheduled timings may vary.  There is also a public bus which runs from the main road outside the port gates, but depending where your ship is docked, you could have a walk to reach it.  And you mention 2pm.  Is that for leaving Cassis or arriving into Marseille?  Be especially carefully checking timetables for return  buses and/or trains, as there are often fewer in the lunchtime period.

 

I have seen CC threads about a port shuttle bus, but unfortunately  I know nothing about that.

 

 

OMG....thank so much for this info. I was thinking of taking the public transportation but I read in a random blog on the internet from a traveller that with all the bus fares, train fares and taxi fares you have to pay to get to Cassis, it will be very close to a private transfer 🤷🏾‍♀️ I dont know if this is true. I am googling transfer companies and they all charge near €300 - €350 for us (party of 5). While the RC shore excursion would cost us about €400, which is very close and safer. I will only consider doing it on my own if the cost difference is significant. That is why I am asking around here if someone maybe has experience with any transfer method they would recommend that is way cheaper. 

I was planning leaving the ship at 9 am and leaving Cassis at 2 pm. But off course these times are not set in stone and I will take whatever is close.

 

I am taking a day tour to the Amalfi Coast and neighboorhood when docking in Napels and also a day tour to Rome when docking in Civitavecchia...

And since I just wanted to wander around in the small chaming Cassis, I was thinking to save money by trying to do it myself.

 

But many thanks again for taking the time to answer 🤗.

[edinburgher]

Thanks for acknowledging as not everyone does.

 

As we  usually arrive into  in Cassis by car  with our French friends, we have no first hand knowledge of trains or buses, but I do know that both options connect Marseille and Cassis, therefore I suggest you spend a little time online searching for both bus and train info between Marseille and Cassis.  Train will probably be faster than buses, but fares for either will be a lot less costly than several hundred euros, even for 5 people.

 

i honesly didn't understand this:

that with all the bus fares, train fares and taxi fares you have to pay to get to Cassis, it will be very close to a private transfer

[jsn55]

On 1/22/2023 at 2:45 PM, cruisin73 said:

Is it a safe area meaning can I walk around alone and feel comfortable doing that.  As a female.  

As far as shopping I was looking for clothes, hand bags, maybe little gifts for friends.  

I got a big charge out of 'not knowing what safe means'.  Your first sentence describes your query perfectly.  I mean, we'll not be wandering around Cassis at midnight, but some port towns are known to be very rough, so it was smart of you to ask.  

 

[marazul]

8 hours ago, jsn55 said:

I got a big charge out of 'not knowing what safe means'.  Your first sentence describes your query perfectly.  I mean, we'll not be wandering around Cassis at midnight, but some port towns are known to be very rough, so it was smart of you to ask.  

 

Cassis is not a "port" town.  It is a seaside resort town.  It is tiny and there are local fishing boats.

Marseille is a port town.  It is a large industrial port that has capacity for mega ships and that has been cleaning up its act for tourists.

[edinburgher]

some port towns are known to be very rough

 

I agree with Marazul.  Cassis is a popular tourist resort and in no way considered "rough". Reading a little about the town  online and looking at images would have found that information very easily.

One of its principal attractions is boat tours around the calanques and many tour operators are based in Cassis. On a personal note, we have (dare I say it) found the "calanques" over rated but many others would disagree.

Edited June 7, 2023 by edinburgher

[marazul]

4 hours ago, edinburgher said:

some port towns are known to be very rough

 

I agree with Marazul.  Cassis is a popular tourist resort and in no way considered "rough". Reading a little about the town  online and looking at images would have found that information very easily.

One of its principal attractions is boat tours around the calanques and many tour operators are based in Cassis. On a personal note, we have (dare I say it) found the "calanques" over rated but many others would disagree.

The Calanques are good for a nice boat ride on a hot afternoon. Is it a priority, 5-star site? No.

Edited June 7, 2023 by marazul

[edinburgher]

jsn55 you said 

some port towns are known to be very rough,so it was smart of you to ask. 

 

Would be interested to know which EUROPEAN port towns you are referring to as the OP is going on a European itinerary and to date most of the PORT TOWNS we have visited which have a poor reputation  have only been found in South and Central America,  Calleo for Lima being a prime example.

[Wineaux007]

Cassis is a cute little fishing village.  We have been there a couple of times by rental car, but last May when the ship pulled into Marseilles, we decided to do it on our own by taking the train.  Big mistake!

 

I downloaded all the train schedules ahead of time.  We took a taxi from the pier to the train station, purchased round trip ticket from the machine in English, boarded the train, and arrived at the train station in Cassis.  The station is about 2km up the hill from Cassis, and a bus was there to meet the train to take us into Cassis (for a couple of Euro).  Easy Peasy up to this point.

 

Getting back was the issue.  We noticed there were 7-8 taxis at the port, so we assumed no issue getting a taxi back to the train station.  Wrong!  When we were ready to leave, every one of the taxis there were already hired and just waiting for their party to return.  There was not a taxi to be had in the entire town, so we were held hostage taking the bus back.  Bus schedule was not frequent.  When the bus came, we just caught the last train to get us to Marseilles in time.  The train was a "milk run" so we got back late.  There was a long queue to get a taxi to the pier.  If it hadn't been for a ship's tour returning late, we would have missed the ship.  

 

Rent a car or hire a taxi for the day, and don't rely and be held hostage by local transportation.