Touristic information

The location of the Bastide des Escourches, between town and nature, allows quick access to various tourist sites:

• The city center of Marseille is 20 minutes away by car. A visit to the city is a must, especially since Marseille has been designated European Capital of Culture in 2013. Don’t miss the essentials : Notre-Dame de la Garde and the church of Saint-Victor and the Fort Saint-Jean, the Major Cathedral, the Docks, the Vieille-Charité in the center of the Panier district.
• Museums : the Mucem, Regards de Provence, Cantini, Fine Arts, Grobet-Labadie, Borély…
• The shopping mall Les Terrasses du Port
• The Corniche and the typical districts of the seaside : the Pharo’s garden, the Circle of the Swimmers of Marseille, the beach of the Catalans, the Auffes valley, the famous restaurant ”Le petit Nice Passédat”, the beaches of Prado, the port of the Madrague and its restaurant, the Goudes and the Calanque of Callelongue.

You will also have the opportunity to organize superb visits and excursions in the region:

• From the Old Port, boats will take you to the Frioul islands and the If Castle made famous by Alexandre Dumas in his novel the Count of Monte-Cristo.
• The maritime shuttle will take you to Pointe Rouge or l’Estaque from the Old Port.
• The little train of the Côte Bleue will take you to the west for a superb panoramic journey along the sea to Miramas via l’Estaque and Carry-le-Rouet.
• On the east coast of Marseille, towards the cities of Cassis, la Ciotat, the beaches of Les Lecques and Bandol or Toulon.

Hikers and walkers will have the choice between:

• • The Garlaban Hill which was the setting for Marcel Pagnol’s books and films and where Angèle’s farm, Manon’s cave and the village of Aubignane are located. From its top, you will have a remarkable view of the whole region. You will also be able to climb to the top of other high points such as Tête Rouge or the Taoumé where the cave of the big owl is located.
  • The villages of Aubagne, la Treille (famous for its Bastides, the fountain of Manon, the cemetery where Marcel Pagnol and his family rest as well as little Lilli), Allauch (country of mills, nougats and many specialties) where you will not miss the chapel of Notre-Dame du Château built on the site of a medieval castle.
  • The Sainte-Baume mountain which culminates with more than 1000 meters and where Marie-Madeleine, after having accosted at the Saintes Maries de la Mer and returned to Marseille with Lazare, had withdrawn there into a cave.
  • You will discover magnificent itineraries such as the Sentier Merveilleux, but also many climbing routes on the slopes of the Pic de Bertagne or caving courses with the cave of the little Saint-Cassien.
  • The Sainte-Victoire mountain, dear to Cézanne, its priory, its multiple routes which allow to reach the summit and one of which passes near the castle of Vauvenargues, Picasso’s last refuge.
  • The Calanques, a remarkable site and national park that you can visit by the sea from La Ciotat, Cassis or Marseille or thanks to the countless hiking trails that will allow you to reach the Calanques d’En-Vau, Sormiou, Morgiou, Sugiton, Marseilleveyre… It is also an exceptional site for the practice of climbing.
  • The beautiful villages of the Var and Haut-Var such as Valensole and its lavender fields, Tourtour, Sillans-la-Cascade, Saint-Julien, Cotignac, Quinson on the shores of the Sainte-Croix lake with its prehistory museum will delight the youngest.
  • A little further, the Verdon gorges with the villages of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie or La Palud or the Luberon with Gordes and Lourmarin, in the footsteps of Albert Camus. And at the limit of the Alpes de Haute-Provence, it is absolutely necessary to discover the Château de Sauvan listed and classified as a historical monument as well as its park, the Abbey of Salagon and, in Digne, the Tibetan center of Alexandra David-Néel.