I will be staying near Avignon. Ive been up near Nice and Eze/Monaco area. I want to stay closer to the center, any villages (Cassis) that i should visit for some nice scenic coastal driving. Also would like to visit some Bandol wineries.
thanks.
Posted by
Florida
509 posts
We can endorse Cassis from our day trip there during a 2016 stay in Provence (based in L'Isle sur la Sorgue). If you can arrange to approach Cassis from the south side (we did so via dumb luck having missed a turn en route), you will be able enter Cassis via the Route des Cretes, a spectacular mountain-top ride (9 miles) with great views down to the harbor and callanques. Or exit Cassis via the Route/Cretes after your visit. Photos and more detail here: http://www.marvellous-provence.com/activities-and-sports/drives-and-rides/road/route-des-cretes. Callanques boat tours of varying durations leave continuously from the harbor, which also has a string of restaurants and shops. Hikes into the Callanques from the landside are also described in the literature, but we didn't attempt that. Parking can be a bit of a challenge, but you'll figure it out. I believe the RS book recommends a public parking lot on the edge of town with a shuttle bus down to the action at the harbor.