Calanque d'En-Vau, Marseille, France (with Map & Photos)

Calanque d'En Vau is certainly one of the most beautiful in the massif, which in just a few years has become a social media star thanks to its turquoise waters and exceptional environment. On the other side of the coin, it is now crowded with tourists during the summer season, which sometimes spoils the serenity of this exceptional place, located in the southeastern part of the 9th arrondissement of Marseille, in the official district of Vaufrèges, right in front of the Port-Pin Calanque... overcrowding, which led to the establishment gauges in 2021 and a ban on mooring boats!

Calanque d'En Vau France
Calanque d'En Vau France

The French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur has a privileged coastline. Its diversity and beauty are only comparable to the celebrity of many of the sections that we can find throughout it. There are, at the same time, other spaces on this magnificent coastline in the south of France that have not achieved great fame, perhaps due to a lack of accessibility or because they are not close to the typical and best-known tourist towns.

Calanque d'En Vau France
Calanque d'En Vau France

This is the case of the piece of coastline corresponding to the Calanques Massif, which with its 20 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide forms an impressive mountainous elevation facing the Mediterranean Sea. The Calanques - which are nothing more than coves -, are sandwiched between cliffs on the coastal strip of this massif and are quite a spectacle to behold due to the landscapes they offer us.

One of these coves, the Calanque d'En Vau, is without a doubt one of the most impressive coastal scenes in all of France.

Calanque d'En-Vau, a beach difficult to imagine


Calanque d'En Vau is framed within a mountainous environment characterized by marked cliffs, beaches, and natural wealth, in an abrupt coastline that begins in the city of Marseille and reaches the town of Cassis, all inscribed under the figure of the Calanques National Park, one of the youngest and most peculiar in the whole country, as it is the only one that covers land, sea and peri-urban areas.

Calanque d'En Vau France
Calanque d'En Vau France

8,300 hectares of land and 43,500 hectares of sea whose personality is defined by its wonderful calanques, among which d'En-Vau stands out unmistakably.

The undeniable beauty of this cove, which surely makes it one of the most beautiful in all of France, is combined with the fact that it is difficult to access, which increases its charm and the motivation of reaching this wonderful place. It is precisely the difficulty of getting to this beach with vertical walls and turquoise blue waters that, despite its majesty, is much less crowded than many others in the surrounding area.

Calanque d'En Vau France
Calanque d'En Vau France

And it is that to reach this point it is necessary to take long walks that, in the best of cases, do not last less than an hour and a half, being the most advisable to leave from the Calanque de Port-Pin, which has much easier access. easier. Of course, the path surrounded by forests will allow us to also enjoy the journey to the beach.

The other way in which it is possible to get there is through the water, either by boat or using a kayak or canoe, which are usually the most common boats to reach the beautiful cove, at the same time that they are a sporting activity that adds to the allure of getting to this natural wonder.

It must be borne in mind, however, that to approach Calanque d'En Vau it is necessary to bear in mind the entry authorizations depending on the risk that weather conditions and tides may entail. The most advisable thing to do is, without a doubt, to go to the cove as early as possible to be able to enjoy the landscape when there are still not too many people and have the pleasure of feeling absorbed by this hidden corner of southern France.

Calanque d'En Vau Map