Marseille Boat Trip to Calanques Review
One of the best activities in the South of France is a Marseille Boat Trip to Calanques National Park. I went on this trip with my sister and cousins and we had the best time!
Our overall trip was about 2.5 hours of travel to a lovely lagoon along Calanques National Park, 2 hours of lunch and swimming, and then a 2-hour ride back.
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The Basics
- Around €140 per person
- 7 hours (10am-5pm)
- Lunch and wine included
- Bring Dramamine/Motion Sickness things
- French and English-speaking crew
- Book online here
Getting on Board the Le Don du Vent
The sailing yacht, Le Don du Vent (The Gift of the Wind) was constructed in the1940s and is still thriving today. From what my French skills would allow me to translate, it seemed like movie stars like Charlie Chaplin went on the boat. You can read more about the history of the boat on its official site.
I suggest you book your ticket as soon as you know when you’ll be in Marseille. I booked a month in advance—we were lucky it was perfect weather too!
After booking your ticket online at Get Your Guide, plan to be in Marseille the night before so that you can easily get to the harbor in the morning for the 10am departure. The ticket suggests that you arrive 5 minutes before 10am. However, I suggest arriving around 9:40 at the latest so that you can get to the front of the line to get a good spot on the sailboat.
There are three boats leaving around the same time from the pier, so it feels a little chaotic. It seemed like you should wait around the front to hear your name called. But for us, by 10am, we were still waiting to get on the boat, so we asked when we could board, and then we were told we could. It didn’t seem to make sense, but all good! If you’re still waiting around by 10am, just ask the staff member present to board.
Breakfast on the Marseille Boat Trip
Coffee, tea, and cookies are available first thing on board. I had several cups of black coffee and then some tea!
My sister, cousins, and I chose to sit at the front of the boat. (Though if you get seasick, sit at the back of the boat. More on that below.) The boat did not feel crowded at all and each group had their own little space to hang out.
Once everyone was seated, the captain shared some history and safety information in French and English.
The first part of the journey lasts around 2.5 hours to get to the lagoon at Calanques National Park.
I loved the ride out of the harbor.
After we left port, the sails went up. The crew asked if anyone wanted to help and our group struggled to hoist the sails. It was so heavy and very shortly afterward, the crew took over from us— haha.
Lunch and Swimming
As soon as the boat is anchored, jump into the water! It’s so refreshing.
There is also a ladder set up on the side of the boat to get in and out of the water.
The crew set up a paddle board and snorkel equipment (masks and snorkel) for everyone to use.
After a few jumps into the water, with plenty of photo ops, it’ll be time for lunch.
Lunch was a vegetarian spread with two salads, olives, cheese, pizza, bread, and spreads. I really enjoyed it and went back for seconds.
We also made good use of the chilled white wine and rose. (Sitting by the food and wine cooler definitely helped us make the most of both).
Although the tour writes that you could have multiple stops, we just had one stop. That worked well enough for us but just FYI. It seems like this depends on how fast you get to the first lagoon to visit a second. As the ride was a little rough for us all, I was happy with the one.
Seasick?
The crew on board was very kind to anyone who was feeling seasick. They came around twice to ask everyone how they were feeling. The best spot to avoid seasickness, according to the crew, is to sit right by the captain, behind the wheel. A perk of feeling seasick is that you may be able to steer the boat like my cousin, Vivienne!
Although I rarely get seasick and generally don’t feel motion sickness, I found our initial ride out to the lagoon pretty rough and had to lie down for at least 1.5 hours until we reached the lagoon. There weren’t any waves while we were anchored.
Is the Marseille Boat Trip to Calanques worth it?
€140 is an expense that you may need to think twice about, especially if you’re opting for a budget trip. I looked up several different companies and wanted to have a special experience. I felt that I got my money’s worth with the drinks, food, kind crew, and the experience bonus of being on a sailing yacht (vs a motor boat). Helping to hoist the sails and even steering the boat added a unique touch to our trip and I hope it is the same for you!
Be sure to book your own experience here!
Hi from me, Sitara, Lili, and Vivienne!