La Ciotat, France

We are winding down our two weeks in the seaside community of La Ciotat, France. 

We have really enjoyed our restful time here. We have had an older but comfortable 2 bedroom air bnb apartment in the old town, with a charming narrow alley below. The laundry is hung along the alley when neighbours wake and open their shutters for the day. Just around the corner is a street of small shops: bakeries, produce stores, clothing, books, haircutting places, and cafes. Going in the other direction, there is a lovely waterfront walkway that goes for miles along the beaches and the old port/marina.

We arrived here after a frenzy of activity and transport around France, but then our time here has been delightfully slow and restful. There's a calm energy and comfort here, aided by the beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures that we missed being North all summer. We have had a couple of rainy days, but most days we have enjoyed 17-20 degrees Celcius and sunshine.

doing 'the tango' in our street

our street

our apartment

Things to do in this community:

1) Sunday market

We have enjoyed finding snacks and people watching in the lovely outdoor Sunday market. We love markets!

2) The old pier

La Ciotat has a marina that can host large yachts from around the world, and a large crane that can help with their maintenance / repair needs. There are several large luxurious yachts, including one impounded Russian boat. There are also beautiful sailboats and small boats and it's fun to walk around looking at them.

3) Ile Vert

We caught the 15 min ferry ride to the little island off the coast, and walked around the trails. The views and history (WW2 and older war bunkers / ruins) were interesting, and the little ferry boat ride was beautiful.

We especially enjoyed having lunch with a view of the 'eagle' rock on the mainland. We had fun with our camera angle.

4) Swimming / hanging out at one of the beaches / cliff jumping

The water isn't very warm but the kids are still enjoying a splash most afternoons. At one of the beaches, there is a large rock that allows brave people to cliff jump into the water. Jason, Rachel and Ava have all done this.

5) The trails at the nearby National Park des Calanques

A 'calanque' is an inlet and often has a beach with high walls of rock on either side. There are steep trails up to be above the cliffs looking down, or ways to access some of the beaches and look up. Jason has enjoyed some longer runs through the trails, and one day Rachel and Jason took the bus to the nearby town of Cassis and then hiked back through the park (12km).

6) The chapelle above town

Just above town, there is a beautiful old small chapelle that has lovely views of the surrounding cliffs and water. We had fun scrambling on the rocks behind it, and then making our way down to the beach through some back trails. We may have had to hop a fence at the end, but it worked out and was a fun adventure.

7) Running along the Voie Douce pathway

There is a really accessible paved path that used to be a railway, and it gradually climbs out of town nearly 5km. It's been a great way to get in some runs without having to navigate traffic lights or construction.

8) Park du Migel

Beautiful botanical gardens in town that are easy to walk through.

Also, I finally got to meet some relatives on my Dad's side that live nearby. They were kind enough to drive an hour to have a visit at our place, and then drive back to their home. I'm the only person in my family that hasn't already met them, and it was lovely to get to know them a little bit.