La Ciotat (Bouches-du-Rhône)

La Ciotat (Bouches-du-Rhône) mini guide

 «Few places have impressed and attracted me as much in the course of my travels. La Ciotat combines charms and shapes that form a harmonious beauty found both in its features and in its lively inhabitants.»

This is how, in 1832, Lamartine, the prince of romantic French poets, described the splendour of La Ciotat. The beauty of La Ciotat, praised for its charms by Lamartine and by Stendhal, has also been captured by many painters, including Georges Braque.

 

On its territory, La Ciotat has all the variations of a delightful coast. To the west of the splendid «Golfe d’Amour», the highest cliffs in Europe (394 m) majestically plunge into the intense blue sea, projecting to form dreamy creeks. At large, the «Ile Verte», with its lush vegetation acts like a natural breakwater. From the creek of Mugel whose is ending by the « Bec de l’Aigle», a splendid panoramic view opens out over the town and its surrounding areas. The park of Mugel is classified as one of the Notable Gardens of France by the French Ministry of Culture. Sheltered by the massive rock called "Le Bec D'Aigle, 155 meters high, it contains both a botanical garden of tropical plants and a nature preserve of native Provencal plants, covering the hillside below the rock.The Figuerolles creek with its rocky, jagged cliffs is nestled at the bottom of a small valley of greenery. La Route des Crêtes provides a breathtaking panoramic view. Viewpoints have been laid out so walkers can admire the exceptional sight over the Bay of La Ciotat to the islands of Marseilles. 

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The coast of La Ciotat stretches over 19.5 km. Six sandy and pebble beaches cover approximately 6 km. La Grande Plage, boulevard Beaurivage, a gently sloping, sandy beach (safe for children). The Capucins, Cyrnos and Lumière beaches. The Mugel and Figuerolles creeks : pebble beaches. The beaches of Saint-Jean, Fontsainte and Arène Cros : pebble creeks. The coast provide the opportunity to try your hand at all water sports: sailing, windsurfing, water-skiing, diving, etc. The Bay of La Ciotat has a seabed of exceptional wealth and beauty. Diving is practised all year long. The most beautiful dives are often the easiest, like the famous «Grotte à Gaby», the «balise du Canonnier du sud» and the «dorsale des Cononniers» with its spectacular submarine cliffs. Furthermore, the Bay of La Ciotat is home to a Regional Marine Park. 

 

The marina has 900 spaces and provides many handling and self-service facilities for boat maintenance and repairs.

 

La Ciotat was the setting of one the very first projected motion pictures, L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat filmed by the The Lumière brothers in 1895. Cinema is still an important activity in La Ciotat, with various festivals, amongst which the Best of Short Films Festival, Festival of rewarded short films in September, and the Berceau du Cinema, Festival of first films in French in May.

 

In La Ciotat Jules Le Noir invented the game of Pétanque in La Ciotat, and the first tournament was held there in 1910. 

 

 

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Guide point	Details
Department:	South of France and the Riviera > Provence - Cote d'Azur > Bouches-du-Rhône >
Tourist information website:	http://www.tourisme-laciotat.com/en/
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