West of Calanque d'Aurelle from Le Trayas

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Calanque d'Aurelle, with its red rocks and turquoise water, is the starting point for our walk. The walk is a series of paths winding through the Mediterranean scrubland among pine trees, mimosas, rosemary and cork oaks. On the return leg, we take the Lentiques ravine. This is theGR® 653A, part of the Way of St James.

Details

n°3450768
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.62 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 352 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 358 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 249 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1 m
Downloads
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Photos

Running water point in the Lentisques ravine.
Crossroads of the trail and the G R
Trail start
Path through the scrubland

Description of the walk

Park in the car parks along the road.

(S/E) Walk down the section of road at No. 120 Route des Escales, which quickly turns into a public coastal path leading to Calanque d'Aurelle.

(1) Go through the tunnel, the entrance to which is on the beach. At the exit, the vegetation has reclaimed its rights. Follow the dry stream bed in front of you for about a hundred metres. At the second bridge ruin, stay on the right side of the Aurelle valley and take the westbound path to the tarmac road.

(2) At the junction between the path and the tarmac road, turn left and follow the road downhill to the first bend 50 metres away.

(3) Turn right at this bend onto the path to reach a tarmac road.

(4) At this point, the Var department has installed a signpost indicating the directions to Saint-Raphael - Col Notre-Dame.
Turn right and walk 50 m along the road.

(5) Leave the road and take theGR® trail, which runs parallel to the tarmac road.
Reach the Col des Lentisques trail-road intersection.

(6) Turn left and follow the road downhill for 200 metres to the hairpin bend on the left.

(7) Take the path located in this bend and descend to the Lentisques ravine.

(8) At the trail junction withGR® 653A, turn left 180°
Follow the Ravin des Lentisques trail eastwards. Walk for about 1.7 km.
Please note: after one kilometre, a cairn serves as a landmark for accessing a running water source below.

(9) Turn left at the trail intersection and walk east, leaving the GR®.

(4) At the intersection of the trail and the tarmac road with the Var sign mentioned above, cross the road and take the trail in the opposite direction to the Calanque d'Aurelle car parks (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 18 m - Calanque car park
  2. 1 : km 0.4 - alt. 2 m - Calanque d'Aurelle - Tunnel
  3. 2 : km 1.68 - alt. 136 m - Trail junction with paved road
  4. 3 : km 1.76 - alt. 143 m - Intersection of paved road and trail
  5. 4 : km 1.95 - alt. 164 m - Crossroads of the loop
  6. 5 : km 2.03 - alt. 174 m - Start of the GR
  7. 6 : km 2.6 - alt. 249 m - Intersection of the path and the tarmac road. - Baisse des Sangliers (249m)
  8. 7 : km 2.79 - alt. 240 m - Lacet
  9. 8 : km 4.8 - alt. 82 m - GR trail intersection - Ravin des Lentisques
  10. 9 : km 6.48 - alt. 138 m - Trail bend
  11. S/E : km 8.62 - alt. 18 m - Calanque car park

Notes

- Beware of summer temperatures
- Take water with you. There is a water source 700 m before (9).

Worth a visit

- The turquoise waters of the calanque are perfect for swimming before and after your walk, depending on the weather.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Downloads
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Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 21 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
bernard bb
bernard bb

Hello Ry33
I understand, it's not easy to park
Best regards, b.

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Ry33
Ry33

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

No parking available at the start of the hike. Very little space at the side of the road.
Not very interesting for us.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, christineg06, for your advice
best regards, B.

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christineg06
christineg06

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike, but beware of very stony paths; good footwear is recommended.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you for your opinion,
good point about the alternative
Best regards, B.

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courtiade sophie
courtiade sophie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy and varied hike along the coast and through the hills to the viewpoint. The GPX is perfect... I even tried a slight variation by taking the old path marked with dotted lines on the GPX, which runs even closer to the coast at the start, facing the island. It's a little more rugged, but it joins up after half an hour. Not bad either

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, Donato, for this review
A pleasant hike, hiking friendship, b

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Donatien Bertrand
Donatien Bertrand

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

easy and pleasant path, sea and undergrowth, not suitable for young children

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you renato52 for this clear and concise review
Best regards, b.

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renato52
renato52

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I did this route on 20 February 2025
A wonderful discovery. I found it easy to follow the directions and it's great to start from the beach in summer. It must be lovely coming out of the valley with its beautiful views and easy route, which takes half a day but can easily be done in a day
Well done! The cove is wild and the loop is varied. The Estérel is magical

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, Remy, for this review
best regards, B.

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remy conti
remy conti

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The first 10 minutes from the beach are not pleasant because of the narrow, stony path, but after that the hike is magnificent. We continued on to the Pic d'Aurelle, where the view is breathtaking.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

With great pleasure, dominus67fra,
best regards, rando, b.

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dominus67fra
dominus67fra

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Lovely spring outing
Thank you for sharing

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bernard bb
bernard bb
• Edited:

Hello Cathc
i can't promise anything, but if I pass by there again, I'll try to clean up that area
best regards, Rando

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.