South of France Itinerary Advice - Cassis or Gorges du Verdon

I've been to both and can say that the first part of May is glorious because the wild flowers are in bloom. But note that it's already hot.

Cassis is lovely but already gets crowded in May during the weekends due to locals from Marseille and other towns coming there. If you can avoid Friday-Sunday, do so. You should also beware of the three-day, or even four-day weekends for the holidays May 1 and 8th. Cassis is a full-sized town with numerous restaurants and cafes to try after hiking. There are all kinds of trails in several directions with a lot of elevation. The main Calanques trail from Cassis can be slippery because the rocks have smoothed due to the large number of walkers.

The Gorges du Verdon are breathtaking, like the canyons in our west, while the best town for staying is Moustiers St. Marie, which is in a spectacular setting. It's smaller but has everything you need, as well. We only hiked the Gorges one day, but once down the canyon, we took a flat trail. Getting back up was another story.

I'd try to hit both.

I'll just give you a small heads-up based on our experience of trying to see the calanques last May. The day we had planned for it was rainy, so no go. The next day was beautifully sunny; however, strong winds and rough water meant the boats stayed in the harbor. Since you're planning on hiking, you should be alright, even if you can't do a boat. I agree that if you can do both, do them. The scenery is very beautiful in both places, and the towns are very charming.

The calanque d'en Vau and Verdon Gorge are my itinerary as well. I just googled Moustiers and the pictures are beautiful. I hadn't thought of the wind/weather and slipperiness of the trails. Do you know what it is typically like at the end of March? My trip's timing could be better for outdoor activities, but I'm hoping to have some luck to enjoy some hiking on a few days.

To answer Riverrain's question: you could have some very nice days, but don't leave your wool jacket at home. I was in the Gorges and Moustiers in March many years ago and lucked out. We spent many months in Cassis. It all depends on "the Mistral" the famous cold winds that blow down the Rhone Valley out of the Alps. They blow about every three or four days. You just have to catch a good day when you can, and enjoy a protected cafe terrace with a good book on the days the wind is blowing. Rain isn't much of an issue--normally.

Hi Eric R
It's a tricky one to answer as both are outstanding. I think if it was me I would be deciding in context with what else we were doing i.e. the balance of coast and inland.

The walking in the gorge is wonderful, I've been in there and on the surrounding hills quite a lot in recent years. Here are some pics and a write up from a recent walk which we have repeated twice now and really enjoyed it each time:

http://where2walk.co.uk/the-alpes-maritimes-france/

Personally I find a full day walking in the gorge (2 nights) is enough for me as its sort of the same once your in (absolutely fabulous walking and not difficult unless you choose one of the steep access points). What I do recommend though is doing a linear walk if you can, that way you get a really good day (the one described above is arguably the classic).

As far as Moustier goes I'm not sure I would want to stay there as it is very touristy these days even in May. Great place to visit but sometimes when taking friends or family we have just turned round and left due to coach loads of people. I would go for a nice gite near the gorge (which is what we did).

I would prioritize the gorge over and above the Calanques as in my view it is the most exceptional of the two very beautiful places.

Hope that helps. Enjoy!

Super descriptions on your blog, they are very helpful!

I guess I'll cross my fingers that the winds don't blow on at least one of the days I'll be in the area.

Thanks for all the great advice. The hiking in the gorge does look amazing, and we will take everything into consideration. I loved reading the description of the trail. I'm not sure which way we are leaning just yet, but you've all given us a lot to think about.

One follow up: if we do try to go to both, is one night in Cassis enough? I'm feeling like it probably isn't. Thoughts?

Thanks for all the great advice. The hiking in the gorge does look amazing, and we will take everything into consideration. I loved reading the description of the trail. I'm not sure which way we are leaning just yet, but you've all given us a lot to think about.

One follow up: if we do try to go to both, is one night in Cassis enough? I'm feeling like it probably isn't. Thoughts?

Yes I think one night in Cassis is enough, its quite a small place, though beautiful. You could take a boat trip in the Calanques but we really enjoyed just walking (it gets hot so take plenty of water) and above all a swim and a nice siesta under the pine trees.

For Riverain, end of March is a slightly tricky time as we still get snow in the region around then and Moustiers is pretty high so can get affected, just a bit slippy on the roads but if you haven't got snow tyres you can get caught out. Actually the good thing about the Alpes Maritimes is that we don't get affected by the mistral, it gets blocked by the mountains (we very occasionally get strong winds but nothing like what they do in Provence), so cold wind is rarely the issue. During March we tend to walk by the coast (places like the St Tropez cap are fantastic) or head for places like Greolieres les Neige for snow shoe walking.