Figuerolles beach

A pleasant little walk. Take a picnic and make a day of it.

Details

429531
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.76 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 316 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 311 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 195 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start and finish at the car park beside the chemist on the RN568 road, level with number 58B.

(S/E) Head west along the road and then take the Chemin des Esclades to the left. At the barrier, turn right and follow this track up on to the plateau.

(1) Take the track to the right to reach a further junction.

(2) Head left past the Puits de l'Œuvre to reach a major path junction.

(3) Continue straight on, head right at the fork to another junction.

(4) Turn right and shortly after cross a dirt road to start the descent into the Vallon des Fontettes valley. You will reach a further path junction.

(5) Continue downwards by the path in the valley floor to Figuerolles beach, which is a very pleasant spot for a picnic.

(6) Climb up along the end of the cliff and continue north to return to the previous junction.

(5) Take the path to the right to continue up towards Fort Figuerolles. Pass by the fort, leaving it some way off to the right, or go over and explore it (it need not take more than five minutes). Return to the waymarked track.

(7) Follow it to the left and carry on to the dirt road previously mentioned, reaching it at a water cistern. Cross the dirt road to return to the same junction as on the outward route.

(4) Continue straight on to the previous junction seen on the outward leg.

(3) Take the path to the right to reach a dirt road leading to Le Rove.

(8) Head left along the track on the plateau. After passing under the power lines, branch off the track along a path, pass twice more under the power lines and return to the first junction of the walk.

(1) Return to the car park (S/E), retracing the first part of the route.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 134 m - Pharmacy car park
  2. 1 : km 0.68 - alt. 176 m - Plateau, south-west
  3. 2 : km 0.98 - alt. 185 m - Southbound
  4. 3 : km 1.94 - alt. 191 m - Take the path on the right
  5. 4 : km 2.22 - alt. 180 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 3.72 - alt. 75 m - Southbound
  7. 6 : km 4.54 - alt. 1 m - Figuerolles beach
  8. 7 : km 6.5 - alt. 113 m - Crossroads
  9. 8 : km 9.24 - alt. 129 m - Game reserve, North-West direction
  10. S/E : km 10.76 - alt. 135 m - Pharmacy car park

Notes

Protect yourself against the sun and take swimwear, a towel and sunglasses if doing the walk in summer.
Wear good shoes, take drinking water and respect the environment.

Worth a visit

Visit the fort

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 45 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
kitty64
kitty64

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that takes you from Le Rove to the Figuerolles cove, with superb views of Marseille, Le Frioul and the sea. A lovely route, but you'll need a map as there are quite a few junctions.
Do it on a sunny morning, but be prepared for it to be very hot on the way back as there is little shade.
Access to the cove and the climb back up are quite perilous.
A beautiful walk nonetheless!

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Nadko
Nadko

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk. Fantastic views over the sea and Marseille. Picnic on Figuerolle beach. When we left the beach, we had to climb a very stony, very steep path to the left of the beach (with our backs to the sea), but we turned around and rejoined the path indicated by taking the path we had arrived on. It was easier and safer! We recommend it!

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tobbie
tobbie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

nice walk, figuerolles beach is very nice (pebbles). We took the opportunity to fill 2 bin bags with bottles and polystyrene. We're not far from MarseilleThe return is prettier and longer than the outward journey, with some lovely views over Marseille.
We chose to take a short diversions via La Vesse to get a few more sea views. We caught up with the original path from la vesse via a prohibited path, but we didn't see why. It's just a bit badly marked but if you follow the path with your GPS, no worries.
There's also a prohibition on the original path up from figuerolles.

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Annie VIAL-UZEL
Annie VIAL-UZEL

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very nice walk with a variety of landscapes. The paths are not at all difficult, only the short descent to the beach requires a little attention, but nothing really terrible. Best done in spring or autumn, as there's no shade at all.
The explanations are clear, but the Rove massif is criss-crossed by a multitude of small paths, so it's best to use the GPS track.
We set off at around 9am, which meant we were virtually alone, but be careful, by midday the crowds were much bigger, even though it was the end of October and the middle of the week!

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Anne13
Anne13

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty walk with a variety of landscapes. Nice beach for a swim and a magnificent view of Marseille harbour on the way back.
The return journey took longer than the outward journey. Next time, try it in the opposite direction.

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Flo013
Flo013

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike. You need to have the track to follow the route without any problems. The views are magnificent. No particular difficulty. The Figuerolles fort is very nice to visit.

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Gautier Serge
Gautier Serge

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hiking, swimming at Figuerolles and discovering the eastern part of the Côte Bleue massif.
The only difficulty is the descent and ascent to Figuerolles beach, which is steep and full of loose stones.
A very nice route with variations and a panoramic view over the harbour of Marseille.
Thank you

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Jean N
Jean N

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very fine route that requires some effort. The hardest part is finding the ascent from Figuerolles beach, which is extremely steep and full of loose stones. The climb up to the fort is also a bit of an ordeal, but the beauty of the scenery is well worth it. The beach is heavily frequented by people coming from La Vesse on foot. The pebble beach hurts your feet. Bring flip-flops. It would be good to know the history of the "Pompidou" road, a property scandal that was narrowly avoided. The visit to the fort is of little interest.
In Le Rove, there's really nothing welcoming to quench your thirst. A sad village

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anneperetz
anneperetz

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk along the coast b le rue a ce rc breathtaking view over Marseille. Like other people, it's hard not to get lost at crossroads and arriving at the Pointe de Figuerolles beach is very sporty. It's also dangerous for those on the beach when a rock topples over on the way up or down. Needs to be improved.

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sormiou
sormiou

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's hard to follow this route with the description alone. These massifs are full of paths and crossroads, and the Visorando app is essential for finding your bearings as you go along.
The descent to the beach and the ascent back are indeed difficult, but well worth it.
Thanks to the person who suggested this loop in 8.

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FERRARAPAT83
FERRARAPAT83

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, on that day my application worked ... so I was able to record the route ... unfortunately, the 2 previous times, for some reason the route I did at Figuerolles as a reconnaissance for my association could not be recorded because of a lack of "GPS points" ... so I had to find another way to find the tracks of this route.
2nd time: on Seillon Source sur Argens I wanted to record my route ... not possible ... again on Saturday 15 January the coastal circuit between Vesse Niolon and the calanque Grand Jean return loop ... there it worked
I'd say it's an interesting but unreliable application ... which costs me 19 euros a year, which isn't much, but I'd like to have peace of mind ...
Kind regards
Patricia

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Michèle d'istres
Michèle d'istres

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent walk among the white limestone rocks down to Figuerolles beach. We stayed at the foot of the railway bridge to admire this pretty cove (we listened to the warnings that the descent and ascent would be a bit chaotic, so thank you for that). Then we climbed back up the same path to point 5 (we avoided point 6) and took the path that climbs to point 7. Our picnic was organised around the Figuerolles fort, with its magnificent panorama over the islands of Marseille and the Estaque harbour. We ended the year on a high, with an ideal temperature of 22°C in a T-shirt and short legs. We met up with a few hikers who were enjoying the fine weather and sunshine for this time of year. Otherwise, it was just a long descent with scree in the Fontêtes valley, so we had to be a bit careful where we put our shoes for our old legs.
A walk to do again and again out of season and if possible during the week. A real treat!

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odileS.13
odileS.13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a lovely, fairly easy walk with magnificent views over the harbour of Marseille.
But there are no signposts and there are paths and tracks everywhere. A description and map are essential.
The descent to the beach is tricky.

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leray andre
leray andre

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Dangerous descent to Figuerolles beach.
Not a popular walk in winter
Nice view

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veroniquel13
veroniquel13

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pretty walk, easy for the whole family to do apart from the descent to the beach, which is a bit more strenuous!
The description lacks precision and we used the GPS to guide us!
Figuerolles beach is well protected from the wind

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