Cassis Honeymoon ideas

kvanallen85,
Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials and your honeymoon trip to France!

Have you planned out the route you want to take from Cassis to Monaco? By the autoroute, with about 26 euro in tolls, it will take a minimum of 2 3/4 hours one way. On non-autoroute roads, about 4 1/2 hours each way. As a day trip you will spend most of the day in the car, even using the autoroutes. (Also, the time I found doesn't't factor in stops for gas/food/comfort.) I would not waste one of my four days on such a long drive. There are Riviera towns much easier to get to.

Closer to where you are is the charming town of Bandol, as well as Sanary-sur-Mer, both small, with lots of restaurants and on the beach. There are also lots of wineries in the area. The area is known for some very fine roses. Bandol's market day is Tuesday, I believe. It is right down at the harbor, where there are some nice cafes and restaurants. We had a special dinner at Sana Beach restaurant in Sanary-sur-Mer (town right next to Bandol), with a lovely view of the water. We love strolling in Bandol.

Less than an hour away to the north is Aix-en-Provence, a university town but with a charming core and a Cezanne history. Good for a stroll and a drink at a cafe along the Cours Mirabeau. You could check online for "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" and you will find several within a shortish drive from Cassis.

Close by also is Aubagne, another neat village. They have three unusual museums there...The Museum of the Foreign Legion (whose headquarters are in Marseille), and the Village of Santons in Provence. I suggest you look up what Santons are online, and what they mean to Provence. I am too lazy to explain at the moment. Also the Little Museum of Marcel Pagnol, the writer who captured the spirit of Provence in books and movies (e.g. Fanny, My Mother's Castle, among many).

Provence is not just a location. It is a mood and feeling and, even today, a happy reflection on life. I am glad you will spend some of your post-wedding trip in the area. If you have time in Marseille, visit Notre Dame de la Guard. And seek out some bouillabaisse for dinner. Marseille and Nice both claim to be the origin. My vote is for Marseille (for opersonal reasons).

Amusez-vous bien!

kvanallen85,
To put you in the mood for Provence, if you get a chance to see any or all of these movies, based onthe Marcel Pagnol books....take a look (they are paired up by story lines):

Fanny
Marius

Jean de Florette
Manon de la Source

The Well Diggers Daughter

My Father's Glory
My Mother's Castle

Fanny, with Leslie Caron, was a big hit in 1961 here in the states. The others were more art house, but were rentable when you could rent a VHS or CD. I guess they are available on some streaming platforms. I don't know if these types of films would appeal to you two, but I confess to having seen them all more than once and they transport me back to Provence, with the cicadas, lavender, sunflowers, plane trees, fresh produce, and the sparkling quality of the late afternoon light,especially in the summer.

Lucky you two!

Congratulations!

I would not travel as far as Monaco. There is lots to see and do around Cassis already!
I fully second the suggestion for Bandol and Sanary, in fact I just spent three weeks in Sanary. Much closer to Cassis, I recommend driving along the Route des Crêtes stopping at various viewpoints and ending up in La Ciotat. Park at the Verdun parking lot and walk around the old town of La Ciotat for an hour or two: there are lots of cute shops these days and at least 4 delicious ice cream shops (Ecume des Glaces, Morgan Fabre, Alma, Alessandro - I can vouch for the first two). The old port is dominated by the cranes of the shipyard: some find it gritty, I find it cool.

A Calanques hike is a great idea but you need decent shoes. Trail runners for rugged terrain as a minimum.
If you are hikers, you might enjoy the Sainte-Baume as well. The drive to the Hostellerie is beautiful, and it is a really nice hike to the Marie-Madeleine grotto and the St Pilon Chapel.

As for food: I like the restaurant at La Font des Pères (la Ferme Auberge, not le Bistrot), it has a beautiful view and good food. You can visit the winery as well (and they can do the tour in English). It would be a good choice for dinner close to Le Castellet.
In Bandol, L'Espérance is quite good. In Sanary, I am always disappointed by restaurants.
Closer to Cassis, I am not so sure. There are several Michelin Star restaurants in Cassis and La Ciotat, but I have never tried them. I had a very good meal at la Madgeleine in Gemenos, I see it is Michelin-starred now so it should still be a very good bet, but my visit was years ago.

Congratulations kvanallen85!
Depending on your willingness to bop around through your honeymoon, I find switching hotels and overnight places often is not that relaxing. If I understand correctly, you have 7 nights planned? Aix- is a nice base for 4 nights to see the nice towns near Cassis. We stayed in Aix in June and took a day trip to hike Calanques and see the fishing town of Cassis. Didn't think it was worth more than a day trip, but you could do a lot of hiking in that area. In 2022 we stayed 4 nights in Nice and took bus or train to great sights from there. Mostly Rick Steves recommended : Monaco, Antibes, Villefranche-Sur-Mer, Old Town Nice. It was easy without a car. If you like a slower, more casual pace to your honeymoon, Provence is nice. You could plan your day trips around the market days. Check out Rick Steves recommendations. Are you flying in and out of Marseille?

kvanallen85,
I hope I understood correctly. You are looking for day trips from Cassis over four days, not a plan to change locations after Le Castlett (one night)? Or did clapperdanlynne get it right.? He seems to think you are planning on changing locations each night. Did I get it wrong?