Le Baou de l'Œuvre

A short walk up high to enjoy the view of Marseille and the islands.

Details

427268
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.24 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 643 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 627 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 801 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 407 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Le Rove (13740)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.368946° / E 5.254031°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3144OT, 3145ET
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

To start, you can park in the school car park after the pharmacy, at the corner of Chemin des Fenouillères and the N568.

(S/E) With your back to the car park, go up the side road and, in front of the restaurant, turn left and cross the main road to head towards the hill, following Chemin des Esclades. After 100 metres of tarmac, go through the gate on the right and follow the track to the plateau.

(1) Take the path on the right (towards the setting sun), ignore the paths on the right and left, and after a steep climb, you will be a few metres before the tarmac road.

(2) Turn left onto a path that follows the same direction as the road. Stay on the ridge and, after a slippery descent, ignore the paths on the right and left.

(3) Climb up in front of you and return to the ridge. Shortly after, on your left, you will see a small grey cross known as the Croix des Dames. Continue on to reach the Croix Paix et Amour. Continue east and begin the rocky descent. Follow the rocky ridge on your left to reach a crossroads and arrive at Basses de l'Oeuvre. Be careful after the cross, as the descent to point 4 is difficult

(4) Turn right towards the rising sun onto the Chemin du Soldat, renamed Chemin de la Batterie de Figuerolles, then very quickly take the path on your left, opposite you.

(5) Leave the Chemin du Soldat and take the steep path on your left. Once at the top, begin the descent into the Vallon des Pins Longs, leaving the other paths on your right.

(6) At the intersection, turn left to reach a small clearing with a fenced-in hunting reserve.

(7) Continue along the right-hand track and stay on it until you reach the plain.

(1) Now, simply turn right to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 436 ft - Large car park schools
  2. 1 : mi 0.46 - alt. 584 ft - Plateau, path on the right
  3. 2 : mi 1.33 - alt. 748 ft - Intersection - turn left onto the dirt road
  4. 3 : mi 1.72 - alt. 771 ft - Follow the path opposite until you reach Basses de l'Oeuvre
  5. 4 : mi 2.2 - alt. 640 ft - Turn right and then quickly left opposite
  6. 5 : mi 2.53 - alt. 571 ft - Steep path on the left
  7. 6 : mi 3.08 - alt. 433 ft - Intersection - left
  8. 7 : mi 3.24 - alt. 423 ft - Follow the track on the right
  9. S/E : mi 4.24 - alt. 436 ft - School car park

Notes

WARNING!
Between points (2) and (4), the path is damaged and degraded by motorcycles.
Please take care.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 42 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
MALTERRE Thierry
MALTERRE Thierry

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk, not too difficult, but you’ll need to keep a close eye on your GPS around points 3 and 4 as there are lots of narrow paths. No signposting.
Stunning views of Marseille Bay, the islands, the Étang de Berre, Sainte-Victoire...

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User 17563541

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

This short hike is very pleasant, with a superb view once you reach the Croix de l'Oeuvre du Baou.

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gg13500
gg13500
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Thanks for sharing.
A magnificent walk offering unique views of Marseille, Sainte Victoire and the sea.
The route is easy to follow with GPS.
BUT
be careful because the descents are slippery due to loose stones, so
Avoid going if there is a risk of rain.

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Joss13
Joss13

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short, fairly easy walk with beautiful views of Marseille harbour and, on a clear day, Mont Ventoux. I live nearby and walk here regularly to enjoy a good walk in peaceful surroundings on the outskirts of Marseille.

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trombinoscope
trombinoscope

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Beautiful view of Marseille harbour
Multiple trails allow you to modify this somewhat short hike
Is the paved road the Pompidou road?
Thank you for this wonderful discovery so close to Marseille

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Thank you for your review
You rated it "Very disappointing".
It's a shame you didn't provide more details. This could help the author improve their description.
Best regards

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Voyageur nature
Voyageur nature

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike with views of Marseille, be careful on the steep descents, walking sticks are very useful. More difficult than expected.

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Vivestido
Vivestido

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with beautiful views...

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alain.dardant@bbox.fr
alain.dardant@bbox.fr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice wooded hike with lovely views of the sea and Marseille

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Freco
Freco

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An interesting walk once you reach the ridges. The first part along the wide track could probably be replaced by other smaller paths (to be explored...).
Pleasantly surprised by the Baou ridges, with the added bonus of access to the little red cave (fire retardant), but be careful on the way down..
The return via the Vallon des Longs Pins is very pleasant as it is very shady, which is appreciated at this time of year.
no problems with navigation using the GPS track

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Michèle d'istres
Michèle d'istres

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with superb views of the islands of Marseille.
There is just one short steep descent halfway down, but it is not very long.
Not many people around for a Thursday morning during the school holidays.

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JCBaldi
JCBaldi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, with no difficulty whatsoever. Beautiful panoramic views with plenty of variety.

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brunoetvalerie
brunoetvalerie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, much less crowded than I would have expected for a sunny Sunday.
With the route mapped out on my phone, we had no trouble finding our way.
Very pretty views of the bay of Marseille and Frioul, with the Étang de Berre in the distance on the other side. Beautiful spring vegetation. In short, we enjoyed it!

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jeeppet13
jeeppet13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The car park is large and easy to park in, but it is located before the pharmacy, and crossing the main road can sometimes be difficult due to heavy traffic. After point 2, be careful not to follow the path (which descends down a rocky slope towards the road), but instead turn left onto a path that is not very clearly marked.
An easy walk that I did with my dog in two hours, including stops to take photos (very beautiful views of the bay of Marseille and the fort of Niolon).
Thank you for this itinerary

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Jessie Tou
Jessie Tou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy-to-access and very pleasant route.
I hadn't been hiking for months, and this really made me want to do more.
The view is superb!
The description is very clear. There was just one place where we didn't understand the directions, but we quickly found the right path thanks to the app.
Well done and thank you!

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