When James' co-worker (a lovely French woman, who holidays in the South of France) told him that we "had to visit Cassis," I basically took it as the word of God and penciled it right in! Of the four days we spent exploring the South of France, Cassis is probably the one place that I wish we had spent more time. All in all, we only had about four or five hours in the area, but apparently that was all we needed to fall in love with this charming little coastal village.
Cassis is only located about 20 miles east of Marseille—an easy 30 minute car ride—and when you get there, you are directed to one of the nicest and cleanest parking garages that I've ever seen. The parking garage is located very centrally, so it's only a short walk to the main area with shops, restaurants and the port/harbor.
Once inside, you are greeted with iconic architecture, pastel colors and the winding street that define the South of France. Everywhere you look you see something quintessentially European. You start on a trail of breadcrumbs, and those breadcrumbs lead to you one picturesque location to the next.
I will never tire of meandering around the winding streets in Southern Europe. Regardless of where I am, my past travels are never too far from my mind. The architecture is so recognizable, so breathtaking, that sometimes I forget where I am. Barcelona, Paris, Rome, Provence—I love that feeling of nostalgia.
If I could re-do our holiday, the only thing I would change would be that we would stay in Cassis, rather than Marseille. Cassis is just soooo picturesque, and for us, Marseille was just soooo underwhelming... Granted, at the time of booking we didn't have enough time or knowledge of the area to make those decisions, but eh, you live you learn!
You might be disappointed when I say this, but the really amazing and jaw-dropping views of Cassis are actually just outside of these winding, iconic streets. Yes, they are undoubtedly charming, but trust me when I say—you ain't seen nothing yet!
