Cassis or Paris
 

We will be in Provence next June and have 2 extra days before heading to London. Two options are either TGV to Paris, spend 2 nights and then Eurostar to London or spend 2 nights in Cassis and then fly Marseille to London. Never been to Cassis but really love Paris and it's hard to imagine being in France and not going there. Obviously two very different experiences, but I can appreciate both of them.

How much time will you have spent in Provence? I would vote for Paris, just so you know.

We will be in Provence for a few days but much of it will be spent visiting friends. I guess I am wondering if Cassis will be a nice relaxing escape on the Med ( nice meals, sea side cafes, scenery) before heading to London or will I regret having skipped Paris on this trip since it's been over four years since we have been there. I guess my question really is...is Cassis worth it?

Would say Paris and buy a dew bottles of Cassis, nothing like it when it comes from France.
Enjoy your time in Provence.

My son and daughter in law spent part of a vacation in Cassis and enjoyed it a great deal.

I would base the choice on how soon I would be likely to go to Provence again.

Cassis is small, cute, beautifully sited, not especially historic. We love to go there for lunch (many, many restaurants along the waterfront) and the afternoon.

If I were considering it for 2 nights, I would think of it more as a base than a destination in itself:

Just south/east of town is the Route des Cretes, which I consider one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. You snake through wild, undeveloped hills on a road with many laybys, from which the views down the coast are spectacular.

Alternatively, you could take a boat to visit the calanques (limestone fjords) toward Marseille.

With a car, a day trip to Marseille is surprisingly easy, at least on a weekend day.

I think Cassis is worth a half day. A full day if you explore the Route des Cretes & the Calanques - as tedgale describes. You'll only need about 1 hr to wander through town. I would opt for more time in inland Provence (whereever you're staying there), then early in the am drive south & do the the Route des Cretes, visit Cassis, sleep in Cassis, and take the first Calenques tour the next morning. Then off to London.

Paris or Cassis??? I think I would do something you've never done before & visit Cassis - although Paris is never a mistake. We often go to Paris for just 1 night. (like this year & next year).

Stu Dudley

The only reason to spend two days in Cassis is just relaxing - swimming, snorkeling, walking the coastal path, making a boat trip. The coast will be beautiful in June.

Since you know Paris, I do not need to write about it. The only thing: Paris has always something new or something special going on. And Paris is beautiful in June, too.

The decision is yours.

They aren't remotely similar so you have to decide yourself. I can't even imagine wanting to spend two days in Cassis (I have been there), even if Paris weren't the alternative. For what purpose, to hang out with all the reams of tourists and look at the boats. I don't know where all the seaside cafes are, the cafes I saw and ate in where around the port, not the sea. There wasn't any great view from them. I guess maybe there was a small beach there if you went over the parking lot a ways, but the cafes weren't on it, as I recall.

Cassis is one of my 6 or 7 favorite places on earth. Of course, so is Paris. (To give you some idea of the company, the others are Venice, Camogli, Positano, Italian lake country, Honfleur) You're comparing apples and oranges but sometimes you have to do that. Since you've been to Paris, Cassis remains to be discovered. If you like small seaside fishing villages, Cassis is right up there in my book. We like to stay at the Roches Blanches with its lovely infinity pool. Worth it to pop for one of the rooms with balcony overlooking the sea and the Cap de Canaille in the distance. And there's a new and fabulous place to dine in Cassis--the Villa Madie. Incomparable views and wonderful food. Totally relaxing. I'll try to dig up some pictures and see if I can include them in another post.

Ive always thought Cassis to be overated and would support StuDudley's suggestion of half a day, whereas Paris cant be rated high enough, in my opinion.

For some great photos of Cassis and the Route des Cretes PLUS the very interesting and almost unknown coastal area WEST of Marseille (la cote bleue) chack out photos from #36 onward in this album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...5&l=24cd910b36

Photos are from late October 2008. We were also there in late October 2009.

Here are some more great shots of the Cassis area. See photo #80 + onward:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...5&l=e145eda15f

Having been to both - Cassis once, Paris 7 times, I would make it Paris 8 times. Cassis is nice to pass through and perhaps have lunch. Paris is fabulous.

We did a day trip to Cassis this past June from Roussillon and enjoyed it as a day trip. I couldn't imagine spending several days there unless you just want a relaxing experience and to soak up the sun. We did a boat ride to the Calaques in the morning and lunched in afternoon at one of the great restaurants along the port. It was an enjoyable visit but would definitely choose Paris or another stop in Provence.

Thanks for the responses. Of course I am still torn about what to do since Paris is amazing yet relaxing on the Med sounds great too! Perhaps we will try to to a day trip to Cassis while staying with our friends. Anyone know how long the drive is from L'isle sur la Sorgue to Cassis?

An hour and a half, give or take...

-Kevin

Here's a link to my pix of Cassis taken last May.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...leid=en_US&h=1

Julie: When I open the link I get a blank white screen.

So do I. But when I tested it out, I was able to connect. Can't imagine what happened. I'll try again.