Marseille boat trip FAQ: Calanques and Côte Bleue

Choose a soft bag: rigid suitcases are hard to stow on board. On a boat, you live in your swimsuit; light summer clothes and something warm for the evening are enough. If you are flying, liquids in your cabin baggage are limited to 100 ml per container. Bath and shower towels can be provided: ask us before you arrive.

Liquid products only and, if possible, biodegradable. Hard soap damages the pumps and blocks the boat’s pipes. Waste water ends up in the sea: the fewer chemicals, the healthier the Posidonia meadows.

Several swimsuits, light clothes (T-shirt, shorts, sarong), a cap or hat, and a jacket or sweatshirt for the evening: at anchor, it soon gets cool. On board, you go barefoot; for stops ashore, bring trainers or sandals.

A non-aerosol sunscreen, ideally with mineral filters, applied twenty minutes before swimming. Monoi oil is not allowed on board: it stains the deck. Do not forget your sunglasses: the glare from the water and the white deck is intense. Our tips for an eco-friendly trip are on the Let’s be eco-friendly page.

Stay in the open air, look at the horizon, do not set off on an empty stomach and limit alcohol at the start of the trip. Ask your pharmacist for advice before departure: there are tablets, patches and acupressure bands. All our boats have a first-aid kit. On a very stable catamaran, seasickness is rare.

Yes, phones, tablets and computers can be charged on board. Hairdryers, however, use too much power: the wind will do the job.

Fins, masks and snorkels are available, and our full-day trips include the paddleboard. A GoPro can be lent on request (bring a USB stick to take your footage home). For scuba diving, from a first dive to a guided dive, let us know when you book: we arrange it with a partner club. The National Park regulates diving and kayaking and paddleboarding.

Not in the core of the Calanques National Park: playing music is prohibited there, on land and at sea. Elsewhere, on the Côte Bleue or in the harbour, our boats have a Bluetooth sound system, to be used at a volume that respects other boaters. The Maritime Prefecture sets out the rules of good conduct at sea to avoid disturbing public order.

Created on 18 April 2012, it is the only peri-urban national park in Europe that is both terrestrial and marine. Its core covers 8,500 hectares of hills and 43,500 hectares of sea, between Marseille, Cassis and La Ciotat, extended by an adjacent maritime area of 97,700 hectares. It protects the calanques, the Riou archipelago, the Frioul islands, Cap Canaille and Île Verte. More information on the official National Park website and its FAQ.

Yes, it is even the best way to see them: some cliffs, such as those of Devenson, can only be seen from the sea. Passenger transport in the core of the Park is regulated: authorised vessels fly an orange flag and display an orange sticker. To choose your operator wisely, the Park publishes a dedicated page, as well as a summary of passenger transport regulations. Professionals: see the commercial passenger transport authorisations.

Speed limited to 5 knots within 300 metres of the coasts and islands. Jet skis, water skiing, towed inflatables and other towed activities are prohibited in the marine core. Music, fires and smoking are prohibited. Feeding fish and throwing anything into the sea are forbidden. The calanques of En-Vau and Port-Pin are closed to motorboats. Everything is summarised in the nautical regulations leaflet, the regulations at sea page and the interactive map of buoyage and regulations.

On sand, never on Posidonia meadows, which the anchor chain tears up. The free DONIA app shows the nature of the seabed. Some areas are closed to anchoring, navigation or landing: see the Park’s global anchoring plan and boating page. Our skippers know these rules and choose each anchorage accordingly.

Yellow buoys mark out zones (the 300-metre strip, areas closed to navigation or anchoring): mooring to them is prohibited. White buoys are eco-moorings: at Port-Miou, they are reserved for visiting boaters; the others, installed by the City of Marseille, give priority to divers (see the eco-moorings leaflet).

Not everywhere. Landing is prohibited in certain areas, such as a large part of the Riou archipelago, and from 1 June to 30 September access to the hills depends on the fire risk: on red days, there is no landing. The decision is published the day before at 6pm on the official Mes Calanques app. Good news: visiting by boat is still possible on those days. To plan a hike, see the regulations on land page.

Recreational fishing is allowed, with catch limits and protected species. It is completely prohibited in the seven no-take zones, which make up 10% of the Park’s marine area: Planier, Riou, Sormiou, Devenson, Pointe Cacau, Cap Soubeyran and Cassidaigne. See the recreational fishing page, the no-take zones page, their GPS coordinates and the GPX file to load into your GPS.

Yes, the striped dolphin sometimes comes to play at the bow of boats off Marseille, and fin whales pass offshore. The rule: never deliberately approach within 100 metres, do not chase them or cut across their path. This is article 3 of prefectoral order 172/2021. To find out more, see the Park’s marine wildlife page.

No, the use of drones is prohibited in the core of the National Park, and commercial filming requires authorisation from the Park director. See the air regulations and the authorisation requests page.

Only professional rental companies authorised by the Park can rent out motor vessels in its core (professional rental). Private rental between individuals remains possible occasionally, fewer than 5 times a year per boat, after an online declaration.

Leave it in place, take nothing and declare it within 48 hours to the Maritime Affairs department, using the declaration form. Maritime cultural property is protected by the French Heritage Code (articles L532-1 to L532-3); if no owner is known three years after publication in the Official Journal, it belongs to the State.

In the Park’s media library: maps, leaflets, the founding decree and the guide to preparing your visit. The map library offers all the interactive maps.

Prefectoral order 172/2021 of 6 July 2021 regulates several practices in French Mediterranean waters: fireworks fired from the sea subject to declaration (art. 2), deliberately approaching marine mammals within 100 metres prohibited (art. 3), noise limited to that of normal navigation (art. 4), and non-essential lighting prohibited at night, particularly lights illuminating the seabed three hours after sunset (art. 5).

It depends on the distance from shore and the type of boat: this is Division 240 for pleasure craft. All our boats are equipped accordingly, and your skipper gives a safety briefing before every departure. See also our safety at sea page.

Anchor on sand, take all your waste back, use biodegradable products, slow down near the coast and respect wildlife. The National Park summarises the good practices to adopt. Our commitments are detailed on the Let’s be eco-friendly page.