On the Mediterranean coast about two hours from Beaumes, Cassis is the beautiful village of Cassis ranged along the cliffs and around a bay just east of Marseille. It is a bit touristy but – or because – it is very pretty and the jumping off point to see the calanques, high chalk cliffs in a natural park with deep fjord like inlets. We visited at the beginning of September. Parking was not a problem though the free parking will require a bit of a stroll into the village. There are great walks along the top of the calanques but we chose a boat trip which was marvellous. These are very popular and run regularly from the harbour with a choice of four different durations and the opportunity to see different numbers of these superb natural features. We took the five calanques taking just over an hour and costing 19,50€ which seemed a reasonable compromise from the choices available.
A nice lunch topped up with rosé in a harbourside bistro, of which there is a good choice from relatively fine dining to quick and easy, topped off with a saunter around the port and an ice cream on the way back to the car.