The Corniche, from Notre-Dame de la Garde to the Old Port

Take bus no. 60 to Notre-Dame de la Garde (from the Old Port).

(S) Enjoy a 360° view from the top of the Colline de la Garde. From the forecourt of Notre-Dame de la Garde, join the GR® de Pays 2013 at the oratory.

(1) Turn left and continue left at the bottom of the stairs. Head towards Rue du Bois Sacré. Turn right onto it, then head up Chemin du Roucas-Blanc on the right. Cross the road and turn left onto Boulevard Amédée Autran.

(2) Take Traverse Olympe on the left, then go down the steps on Rue Martin Brignaudy. At the bottom of the stairs, turn right onto Rue Martin Brignaudy and follow the winding road until you reach Traverse Chanot. A lovely view of the sea and Roucas-Blanc hill awaits you. Go down the steps on Traverse Chanot to reach Avenue des Roches. From the small square, turn right onto Rue Chanot.

(3) Head up Chemin du Vallon de l’Oriol on the right to reach Traverse Blancard. Walk down it and continue to the right, then head up the steps on the left at Impasse du Plateau. After leaving the climb up Impasse du Plateau, head up Boulevard Bompard on the left.

(4) Take Rue du Soleil on the right, then turn left onto Traverse Mathias. Walk down Traverse de la Baudille. Take the steps on Traverse Ollivary to reach the Vallon de la Baudille. Walk up Traverse Ollivary to Rue du Docteur Frédéric Granier. Cross this street to reach the entrance to the Valmer estate’s park.

(5) Enter the park and follow the winding boundary wall through the woodland to reach a small esplanade with numerous benches. Continue to the right to reach the tarmac path leading up to Villa Valmer. Walk up the path, flanked by harmonious flower-filled rockeries, to reach the esplanade overlooking the Corniche. Head to the park entrance on the Corniche Kennedy.

(6) Leave the park and turn right onto the Corniche Kennedy promenade. Walk past the tide gauge, then past the prestigious hotel-restaurant Le Rhul (a founding member of the Bouillabaisse Charter), to reach the Pont de la Fausse Monnaie.

(7) Immediately after crossing the bridge, head down the stone steps on the right at the Traverse de la Fausse Monnaie, which clings to the bridge pier, to reach the cove. Pass under the viaduct to join the concrete seaside promenade. From this promenade, climb the steps to reach the Anse de Maldormé on the left. Continue until you reach the yellow Art Deco-style villa (a flight of steps has been built to access the small beach in this cove).

(8) Climb the Montée Maldormé steps on the right. Continue left along Rue de la Douane, then turn left again and head down Rue Notre-Dame des Grâces. Follow the concrete coastal path to the small garden on the Malmousque plateau (opposite which lie the Ilot de Gaby and the Île d’Endoume). Walk back up the Malmousque plateau, following the fence of the Légion rest home. Continue to the right along the Chemin du Génie, then turn left onto Rue Boudouresque.

Take the tiny Rue Va-à-la-Calanque on the left, which leads to the little harbour at Anse de Malmousque. Climb the steps on the right in Rue Malmousque to return to the corniche.

(9) Continue the route to the left. Following the seafront, head towards the Vallon des Auffes viaduct. Just before the viaduct, turn right onto Rue Edmond Oraison. Walk around the harbour. After taking in the peaceful atmosphere of the spot, take the steps on your right to reach the War Memorial to the Army of the Orient and Faraway Lands.

(10) Return to the Corniche Kennedy heading towards Les Catalans. Walk past Plage des Catalans, then past the Cercle des Nageurs, and continue to the right along Boulevard Charles Livon for about a hundred metres to reach the entrance to the Palais du Pharo.

(11) Go past the entrance gates and follow the path on the left up to the palace. Take the footpaths along the cliff edge to enjoy the views and head to the Guiguette du Chalet, which offers a view over the water of the Old Port and Fort Saint-Nicolas.

(11) Leave the garden, then head down Boulevard Charles Livon on the left to reach the Old Port (E).

The magnificent Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, Valmer Park, the Vallon de la Fausse Monnaie, the Malmousque Peninsula, the Vallon des Auffes, Catalans Beach and the Palais du Pharo.