Calanque de Sormiou – loop in the Calanques National Park

Today it was almost 30 degrees again here in Marseille and the surrounding area, so we packed our things and drove to the parking lot in front of Sormiou, although we still had to walk the last few kilometers. Of course, that wasn't a problem for us, even if the way over the pass took us a lot more time than we had thought. So it was only enough for swimming on the fine sandy beach, an exploration to the edge of the bay would have taken too long. The water is fantastically clear, you can see down to the bottom here, either to the sandy bottom, to the seaweed growing on the stones or to the fish that I almost caught while crawling. The path wasn't all that long, but it always offered impressive evidence of nature.

Parking: Marked hikers' parking lot N 43°13.3596' E 5°25.0908', which is already full at around 11:30 a.m. Additional parking spaces require a hike of approx. 1 km. Refreshments: Bar at the beach for drinks, ice cream and sandwiches How to get there: Marseille Tunnel Sud Equipment: hiking shoes mandatory (no bathing shoes required for the sandy beach), put on bathing suit, bath towel, sunscreen Tour: The tour starts to the left of the car park exit at the barrier. In the park-like area keep left up to a gravel road. Follow this a few meters and turn left. At the crossroads straight down the steep path to the bathing bay that soon comes into view. The path is steep and rocky! The water here was quite cold and full of jellyfish. Beach very crowded! We go up again to the right of the road, taking the path next to the road. The steep section is shorter than on the descent, but not easier. As soon as we have to use the road for the last bit up, we can use the low bunker-like tunnel for some shade (photo). At the crest, turn right into the beautiful gravel road with the barrier, although later on we have to take a shortcut to the right. Soon we come back to the gravel road and the circle closes.