Information on Cassis?
May 7th, 2012, 12:54 PM
#1
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Information on Cassis?
Has anybody been to Cassis? Have anything to say about it? We are thinking of traveling to Cassis or to Ravello, Italy . . . Thanks for any input, such a tough decision when you have one vacation week in a year!
May 7th, 2012, 01:14 PM
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I thought Cassis was beautiful, the calanques make for gorgeous scenery and some good hiking. Assuming you'll have a car, you'll be able to explore the rest of the coast as well if you'd like. We were in Cassis for 3 or 4 days at the end of our honeymoon, and loved just wandering around. It's not a big city, so it may depend on what you want to do with your time.
May 7th, 2012, 01:25 PM
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I thought it was okay but only the coastline was beautiful if you took a boat out. I didn't think it was beautiful at all right around the harbor and it is very small so there wouldn't be many places to hang out or eat. I would never stay there a whole week myself. I disagree with the remark that it isn't overrun with tourists, I thought it was full of them.
May 7th, 2012, 04:07 PM
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Both Cassis & Ravello are quite small. My wife "shopped" Cassis in about 30 mins. We've visited it on 3 separate occasions. We've visited Ravello on 3 occasions also - good pottery shopping.
I don't agree that you can visit the "rest of the coast" from Cassis - it must be 2 1/2 hrs of freeway driving (one way) to Menton and 4 hrs to Collioure.
Stu Dudley
I don't agree that you can visit the "rest of the coast" from Cassis - it must be 2 1/2 hrs of freeway driving (one way) to Menton and 4 hrs to Collioure.
Stu Dudley
May 8th, 2012, 04:03 AM
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Ok. Well we really just want to relax and do not much of anything. Do they have umbrellas at the beaches? I guess that will be a deciding factor , because if there's no shade or umbrellas, then it won't work for us. Also, are there any good restaurants in the village of Cassis? Would people recommend 2 days in old Marseilles after Cassis? It looks pretty but maybe it's too big of a city?? StuDudley, did you prefer Ravello or Cassis? Thanks!!!
May 8th, 2012, 06:20 AM
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>>Do they have umbrellas at the beaches? I<<
When we were there to sunbathe, there was 1 concession that provided umbrellas. The "experience" was not nearly as luxurious or decadent as other places where we've sunbathed along the Cote d'Azur (see the following).
Here is something I wrote about Cassis in my 27 page Cote d'Azur & Provence itinerary, If you would like the entire itinerary, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail. I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Fodors.
Many people claim that Cassis is what St Tropez used to be like before St Tropez was “discovered”. We’ve spent more than 4 weeks in St Tropez (several trips) and 4 days (4 different trips) in Cassis – so that’s perhaps a clue to which one we prefer. St Tropez is much larger and has more stuff to do & see. There are also more things to see within a 40 min drive from of St Tropez. We also prefer the beaches outside of St Tropez at Pampelonne, over the beach in Cassis. Although the Cassis beach is right in town – it’s not nearly as “luxurious” (and decadent) as the beaches in St Tropez (remember – we’re not jet-setters). My wife “shopped” Cassis in about 30 mins, and it took us no more than 1 1/2 hrs before we were ready to leave during our first 3 day-trips there. However, in ’07 we decided to do an overnight trip to Cassis from our Gite near Mt Ventoux – and we enjoyed it much more this time. We stayed at the hotel Le Golf – which we later found out was a Rick Steves recommendation. We had a room with a fabulous view out over the port and of the cliffs behind Cassis. We had an enjoyable dinner at Nino. Most of the restaurants along the port are directly on the street – except for Nino. It’s about a half-story up from the street so you don’t get the gawkers walking by all the time & staring at you – but we got to see them – which is always an interesting scene. We also took a boat trip along the Calanques, which was quite scenic. Lesson – just like I advised in the St Tropez section of this itinerary – stay overnight in Cassis. Don’t visit it as a day-trip from somewhere else like we did the first 3 times. It’s much more pleasant in the evening or early morning when the day-trippers have gone. I still, however, would get bored with 3 nights in Cassis – but not bored with 3 nights in St Tropez & surrounds.
>>Would people recommend 2 days in old Marseilles after Cassis? It looks pretty but maybe it's too big of a city??<<
I thhink there there are better places to visit than Marseille.
>>StuDudley, did you prefer Ravello or Cassis?<<
These are two different types of places. Cassis is a small port/beach village. Ravello is a village high up on a cliff with no walking access to the beach. We've always spent at least 4 days in Positano plus 2 nights in Capri (on 1 of our 3 visits) while visiting the Amalfi coast. If you asked me if I preferred Positano to Cassis - I would choose Positano. Yes - they have umbrellas. In fact in front of me at this moment there is a photograph my wife took in the morning of the beach in Postiano with all the umbrellas "lined up & ready to go". I think you would enjoy the Amalfi Coast more than Cassis. I also have an Italy itinerary with a section about the Amafi Coast.
Stu Dudley
When we were there to sunbathe, there was 1 concession that provided umbrellas. The "experience" was not nearly as luxurious or decadent as other places where we've sunbathed along the Cote d'Azur (see the following).
Here is something I wrote about Cassis in my 27 page Cote d'Azur & Provence itinerary, If you would like the entire itinerary, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail. I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Fodors.
Many people claim that Cassis is what St Tropez used to be like before St Tropez was “discovered”. We’ve spent more than 4 weeks in St Tropez (several trips) and 4 days (4 different trips) in Cassis – so that’s perhaps a clue to which one we prefer. St Tropez is much larger and has more stuff to do & see. There are also more things to see within a 40 min drive from of St Tropez. We also prefer the beaches outside of St Tropez at Pampelonne, over the beach in Cassis. Although the Cassis beach is right in town – it’s not nearly as “luxurious” (and decadent) as the beaches in St Tropez (remember – we’re not jet-setters). My wife “shopped” Cassis in about 30 mins, and it took us no more than 1 1/2 hrs before we were ready to leave during our first 3 day-trips there. However, in ’07 we decided to do an overnight trip to Cassis from our Gite near Mt Ventoux – and we enjoyed it much more this time. We stayed at the hotel Le Golf – which we later found out was a Rick Steves recommendation. We had a room with a fabulous view out over the port and of the cliffs behind Cassis. We had an enjoyable dinner at Nino. Most of the restaurants along the port are directly on the street – except for Nino. It’s about a half-story up from the street so you don’t get the gawkers walking by all the time & staring at you – but we got to see them – which is always an interesting scene. We also took a boat trip along the Calanques, which was quite scenic. Lesson – just like I advised in the St Tropez section of this itinerary – stay overnight in Cassis. Don’t visit it as a day-trip from somewhere else like we did the first 3 times. It’s much more pleasant in the evening or early morning when the day-trippers have gone. I still, however, would get bored with 3 nights in Cassis – but not bored with 3 nights in St Tropez & surrounds.
>>Would people recommend 2 days in old Marseilles after Cassis? It looks pretty but maybe it's too big of a city??<<
I thhink there there are better places to visit than Marseille.
>>StuDudley, did you prefer Ravello or Cassis?<<
These are two different types of places. Cassis is a small port/beach village. Ravello is a village high up on a cliff with no walking access to the beach. We've always spent at least 4 days in Positano plus 2 nights in Capri (on 1 of our 3 visits) while visiting the Amalfi coast. If you asked me if I preferred Positano to Cassis - I would choose Positano. Yes - they have umbrellas. In fact in front of me at this moment there is a photograph my wife took in the morning of the beach in Postiano with all the umbrellas "lined up & ready to go". I think you would enjoy the Amalfi Coast more than Cassis. I also have an Italy itinerary with a section about the Amafi Coast.
Stu Dudley
May 8th, 2012, 06:20 AM
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I wouldn't drive all the way to Menton either - that's nearly to Italy. With that said, it's about an hour and a half to St. Tropez, a half hour to Bandol, etc. I think I meant more that I'd want a car if I were going to be in Cassis, as I'd want to go exploring.
As for dinners, there was a restaurant near Jardin d'Emile that we liked quite a bit, but I can't remember the name. Overall, I wasn't wowed by the food, but by that point in the vacation, we had had plenty of great food!
As for the beach, as I recall it was small pebbles, not sand. I don't remember if there were umbrellas or not. The link below will give you a little sense.
As for views, this was the view from our hotel every morning, with fewer people. We were there in early October, so very few tourists really at all. We didn't need to go out in a boat to enjoy the coastline... http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinevan/3845960691/
As for dinners, there was a restaurant near Jardin d'Emile that we liked quite a bit, but I can't remember the name. Overall, I wasn't wowed by the food, but by that point in the vacation, we had had plenty of great food!
As for the beach, as I recall it was small pebbles, not sand. I don't remember if there were umbrellas or not. The link below will give you a little sense.
As for views, this was the view from our hotel every morning, with fewer people. We were there in early October, so very few tourists really at all. We didn't need to go out in a boat to enjoy the coastline... http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinevan/3845960691/
May 8th, 2012, 06:53 AM
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Nice photo, Dunia, of a beach of Cassis late afternoon/early evening, just in front of Jardin Emille, a bit outside the center of Cassis where the port, the main beach and all the shops are located.
I have been to Cassis more than a few times for calanque walks and don't remember any rental parasols, etc on the beach. As someone wrote above, nothing luxurious about it. And I like it that way.
I have been to Cassis more than a few times for calanque walks and don't remember any rental parasols, etc on the beach. As someone wrote above, nothing luxurious about it. And I like it that way.
May 8th, 2012, 09:42 AM
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Thanks, kappa1, though I can't take credit - I googled it. I didn't have mine (on my home computer) but I thought it gave a good sense of the place. I agree - I liked that it wasn't luxurious/glamorous. We stayed in a hotel that was just in front of the location you mentioned, and having coffee on the balcony in the morning was lovely!
