I’ve never been more thrilled to have found Cassis when I was researching for my trip.
After seeing photos of the Calanques, I just had to see make my way there.
Cassis is only a 30-minute ride from the Marseille Saint-Charles station, and once you’ve alighted, you will have to get on a bus to the town centre (sharing the town’s bus schedule as of August 2018 here).
This blog post is helpful too.
Once in town, I headed towards the lovely (and tiny!) hostel named Au Petit chez Soi, where I was greeted in rapid French. A plus point for a non-touristy leg of the trip!
There were other staff who spoke some English, so combined with my broken, beginner-level French, I managed to check in without any issues.
The town centre itself is just lovely! There were only a few narrow rows of shops and restaurants, but they have everything you need: small supermarkets, a pharmacy, a laundromat, little boutiques, pattisieries etc.
Will I visit Cassis again? Definitely!
I’ve spent only 3 nights in Cassis, and it was a little too short.
Cassis really is a hidden gem in the South of France, and I can’t wait to explore the region again.
PS: When you’re leaving Cassis, I’d also highly recommend getting on the bus at least an hour and a half prior to your train departure.
I left an hour prior and was very, very lucky that my train back to Nice (towards Toulon, platform across the station) was one minute late. Made it onto the platform just in time!