The Calanques of Port-Miou, Port-Pin and En-Vau

A pleasant day-long hike through three calanques for experienced hikers. No major difficulties except for a slightly tricky descent towards the Calanque d'en-Vau.

You are in the Calanques National Park, which is subject to specific regulations. Failure to comply with these regulations may result in a fine of up to £1,000.

Details

118988
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.73 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 539 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 541 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 208 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park on Avenue Notre-Dame along the Calanque de Port-Miou.

(S/E) With your back to the calanque, go up Avenue Notre-Dame on the left

(1) Take the path on the left opposite No. 13. It crosses a path and leads to Avenue des Calanques.

(2) Turn left onto the avenue, then quickly left again and follow the track that runs along the sea. Continue to the peninsula between the two calanques. In the narrow part, you will see the Trou Souffleur (only when there are waves). The "breathing" is caused by the waves entering a sea cave.

(3) Continue straight ahead on a path that circles the peninsula, offering some beautiful views.

(4). At the end of the peninsula, turn right and return to Port-Pin Beach, following the cove and passing the Trou du Souffleur again. Turn left onto theGR®51(shared with theGR®98) and turn right for a steep climb. Descend on the other side, cross a track and continue until you find another one above the Vallon d'En-Vau.

(5) Take the path on the left that descends steeply towards the track and allows you to make a round trip to the Calanque d'En-Vau beach

(6) Retrace your steps.

(5) Follow the track that slopes to the left to climb back up and return to the Vallon d'En-Vau.

(7) At the fork, take the track on the left for a few metres and then turn left again onto the path that climbs gently towards the Col de l'Oule. Pass a turning on the right and take a sharp left turn to reach a large crossroads at an esplanade.

(8) Follow the track on the left, which offers space for picnics, and continue to the viewpoint overlooking the cliff and the two calanques.

(9). Return to the previous crossroads.

(8) Take the path on the right (the same as on the way up) and 100 m further on, in the bend, continue on the path on the left which joins a track. Continue straight ahead and turn right at the next fork to descend a slightly steep slope which leads to the bottom of the valley.

(10) Turn right, then 100 m further on, turn left onto the track to reach the Maison Forestière de la Gardiole. Go up to this house, ignoring all the paths on either side.

(11) Turn right onto the track and continue for about 700 m until you reach a right-hand bend.

(12) Leave the track and take a path on the left. Turn right at the fork shortly after, keep left at the next fork and join a track. Turn left to reach the Auberge de la Fontasse.

(13) Turn right and follow the track for about 1.5 km. Pass a turn-off on the left and two track turn-offs on the right, follow the hairpin bends to reach a car park and an esplanade at the junction of the tracks and Avenue des Calanques. Go up the avenue on the left and take the third path on the right.

(2) Retrace your steps back to the start.

(1) At the first intersection, turn right along the cliff and rejoin the trail on Avenue Notre-Dame (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 42 m - Parking on Avenue Notre-Dame
  2. 1 : km 0.28 - alt. 51 m - Path on the left
  3. 2 : km 0.42 - alt. 30 m - Turn left onto the avenue
  4. 3 : km 2.19 - alt. 40 m - Start and end of the tour of the peninsula
  5. 4 : km 2.67 - alt. 17 m - Calanque de Port Pin
  6. 5 : km 4.49 - alt. 26 m - Return trip to Calanque d'En Vau
  7. 6 : km 5.22 - alt. 1 m - En-Vau beach
  8. 7 : km 6.63 - alt. 70 m - At Portalet, turn left
  9. 8 : km 7.34 - alt. 175 m - Col de l'Oule (174m)
  10. 9 : km 8.1 - alt. 170 m - View
  11. 10 : km 9.57 - alt. 125 m - Turn right
  12. 11 : km 11.28 - alt. 207 m - Maison Forestière de la Gardiole
  13. 12 : km 11.9 - alt. 164 m - Path on the left
  14. 13 : km 12.35 - alt. 191 m - Auberge de la Fontasse
  15. S/E : km 14.73 - alt. 41 m - Parking on Avenue Notre-Dame

Notes

Good footwear, preferably high-top shoes, is recommended.
Trees provide some shade for picnics.
Map 3245 ET

At point (7), you can take the track on the right, which rejoins point (12), to shorten the route.

Worth a visit

Swimming possible at En-Vau.

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.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 55 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 8988565
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent route
The descent to En Vau is indeed very steep, but there are handholds in the rock for the trickiest sections. It must be quite ‘stressful’ though when there are lots of people going up and down at the same time
The return from En Vau to Port Miou “overland” (towards Gineste or the Logisson car park) means you don’t have to climb back up those difficult rocky steps and can take a well-trodden, easy path.
Completed on 24/04/2026: indeed, the final path that is supposed to lead down to Port Miou from the Auberge de la Fontasse is closed for works.
However, there is an easy alternative (blue path on the information signs) to descend to Port Pin via the GR or the panoramic path. This path could also be used as an alternative to descend to En Vau without difficulty and without taking the "rocky staircase", but I think you have to add about 3km.
In total, we covered 14.5km, as indicated on the original route, including the detour around the closed path.

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Louisa B.
Louisa B.

Hello,
I’ve seen recent posts mentioning closed paths, particularly after point 13. Is the track leading to another path clearly signposted? Is it steep or particularly difficult?
Thank you

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Sophie 04
Sophie 04

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk, but please note that after point 13, the path leading down to the Port Miou cove is closed due to works. You have to follow the track down to join another path, which means the walk is almost 20 km long.
At the start of the walk, there were lots of people, but after the En-Vau cove, there was no one else.
Make sure you take plenty of water as it gets hot quickly.

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gégérando
gégérando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb views of the Calanques. Please note that many paths are currently closed due to construction work.

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Louloupoulette
Louloupoulette

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great hike, a few people around but not at all annoying!
The sun was shining and warming us up!
Watch out for processionary caterpillars at this time of year (early spring)

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anneke99
anneke99

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Arriving early in the morning is recommended.
A magnificent loop with a few tricky sections (good shoes recommended)
Worth doing again!

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Jo42260
Jo42260

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A must-do – Superb hike, location, scenery, setting, but be careful: I did it with my 9-year-old dog, who isn't used to Mediterranean terrain, and the rocks were slippery, making some parts very difficult.

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Phane2
Phane2

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk to do early in the morning and one to avoid in summer, I think. Good shoes are essential as the path is very stony. The difficulty is moderate except on the descent to the Calanque d'En Vau. Beautiful scenery for taking photos.

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Chalopin
Chalopin

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike. It is advisable to use a GPS as it is easy to get lost. No major difficulties on this route

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Fx13
Fx13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Stunning scenery, fairly easy route, a few steep sections but well maintained and not too crowded at this time of year... avoid July/August in the calanques!

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ajmart
ajmart

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike during the week, so there weren't many people around.
The highlight of this hike is the photographs of the calanques. They are superb. Be careful though, as the route takes you down a very steep and rocky path to reach the Calanque d'en Vau. It must be dangerous in wet weather. But this rocky landscape has an exceptional mountainous character. It is sublime.

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ACAHIER
ACAHIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this walk during the week, so there were fewer people than at the weekend. The route is magnificent, a marvel of our region that we never tire of visiting. You need to be very careful because the rocks are smooth from heavy foot traffic and therefore very slippery. There is a constant risk of falling. Nevertheless, we had a wonderful day and took some beautiful photos. Thank you

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Chremi07
Chremi07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We went hiking today in beautiful sunshine. The route is great and the views are stunning.
However, my girlfriend's and my watches (Garmin Fenix 7x and 7s, both up to date) both showed an elevation gain of over 700 m instead of 400 m... The distances were correct. We followed the route exactly. But there were no difficulties.

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Nicole Guil
Nicole Guil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike. Magnificent landscapes

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david51350
david51350

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike that I did early in the morning, taking a detour along the Calanque d'En Vau

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