Discover La Ciotat, all year round
In La Ciotat, the sea is right there, just across from the apartment — you only cross the small seafront road. Summer is a given, but here's a secret: we love coming in winter too.
Low light over the long beach, a deep-blue sea, the quiet… it's the perfect place to recharge, in any season. Here are our favourite spots, the ones we share with our children year after year.
The beach, right by the apartment
The apartment is on the seafront: the long fine-sand beach stretches just across the small road, a few steps away. In the morning we go barefoot for the first swim; in the afternoon the children build sandcastles for hours while we read in the shade of the parasol.
The water is shallow and clear for several metres — perfect for little ones — and a swimming area is marked off by a line of yellow buoys, away from the boats. Off-season, we often have the beach to ourselves: miles of sand, a few sailboats at anchor, and the bay glowing at sunset.
The calanques, by boat or on foot
La Ciotat's calanques are best explored by boat, departing from the old harbour, a fifteen-minute walk from the apartment. In under an hour you glide past turquoise coves nestled beneath the Bec de l'Aigle, the huge ochre rock that watches over the town and gives it its end-of-the-world feel.
Several companies run the trip, often with a swim stop in the most sheltered coves. For walkers, the coastal path and the Mugel park offer superb views over the bay and the Mediterranean, shaded by a surprisingly lush vegetation.
By bike along the greenway
What locals call the "voie douce" is a former railway line turned into a walkway: you cycle it as a family, flat, shaded and car-free — you can even still make out the original rails set into the surface. It's our favourite morning outing with the children.
At winter's end the path is dotted with white almond blossom; in summer its tree canopy offers welcome cool in the hot hours. We take it to reach the coves at an easy pace, to wander into the hinterland, or simply to get some air without ever touching the car.
Sailing, for children and grown-ups alike
La Ciotat is a seafaring town, and that's felt from an early age. During the holidays the Société Nautique runs sailing courses for children: FFVoile life jacket on, they learn to rig a little Optimist, read the wind and sail in the harbour's sheltered waters. Our daughters treasure the memory.
Beginners and older children alike are well catered for, guided by patient instructors. It's the perfect way to fill a summer week and give children a real first taste of the sea, safely and just steps from the apartment.
Book a sailing course — SNC La Ciotat ↗
Treats: ice cream and café terraces
After the beach, time for a treat. La Ciotat is lucky to have Mezia, considered one of the best ice-cream makers in France: artisan gelato with clean, honest flavours, best enjoyed strolling along the harbour. Worth the walk on its own.
The old harbour and the lanes of the centre are full of terraces for a coffee or an apéritif facing the boats. And in the morning, the Provençal market fills the squares with sun-ripened fruit, olives and warm fougasse — everything you need to put together a lovely picnic to take back to the beach.
Recharge, in winter and summer alike
We'll be honest: La Ciotat is just as beautiful in winter. The mild climate, the deep-blue sea, the quiet beaches… it's the perfect time to unwind, walk by the water and reset. The golden off-season light has something magical about it — see for yourself in this clip, filmed one winter morning on the beach right in front of the apartment.
And the sea is there all year: some pull on a wetsuit for a surf or paddle session whenever the swell picks up, even in the depths of winter. Then, when summer returns, nothing beats dinner with your feet in the sand, glass in hand, as the sun sets over the bay. That's our La Ciotat — to be enjoyed in every season.
