The Calanque du Mugel is a real gem on the Côte d’Azur. We loved its breathtaking view of Île-Verte, the crystal-clear water of its beach and its botanical garden. In our opinion, it’s the ideal place to spend a day swimming and exploring the local flora.
Here are some useful tips for planning your visit to the Plage de la Calanque du Mugel in La Ciotat.
This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Is the Calanque du Mugel worth the effort?
Absolutely! We think the Calanque du Mugel is well worth a visit. It offers a beautiful view of Île-Verte and plenty of space for swimming. The water is azure and transparent, ideal for spotting fish, sea urchins and starfish. It’s a little corner of paradise where we recommend you spend a few hours or even the whole day!
We also discovered that the Calanque du Mugel is home to a botanical garden. Perfect for enjoying nature right next to the city. Here you can discover numerous species of Mediterranean plants.
It’s one of the town’s main attractions and one of La Ciotat’s best beaches.
Type of beach
Sand or no sand?
The floor of Plage de la Calanque du Mugel is adorned with pretty, multi-colored pebbles. They’re small, certainly less comfortable than fine sand, but quite bearable. We loved looking at the different colors!
Swimming conditions and supervision
The slope to enter the water is very gentle, ideal for children. Signs indicate that the beach is supervised in season.
Installations
We didn’t see any showers or toilets around this cove.
Calanque du Mugel in La Ciotat: how to get there
Where is the Plage de la Calanque du Mugel?
- In the city of La Ciotat
- About a 20-minute walk from downtown.
Access by car and parking
You can easily reach the Calanque du Mugel from downtown La Ciotat in less than 5 minutes by car.
The beach has its own parking lot: Parking du Mugel. It’s on the Avenue des Calanques, less than 5 minutes’ walk from the beach. You have to pay all year round, but the first 2 hours of parking are free.
If you’re travelling by bike, a bike park is also available near the beach.
OUR TPS FOR RENTING YOUR CAR IN Provence
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars – one of the best rated sites.
- Choose a car that is powerful enough (the roads are steep) but compact (some passages are narrow).
- Think of thecomplete insurance (some roads are tortuous and narrow).
- There is a lot of demand, book it early.
Access from La Ciotat
To reach the Calanque du Mugel on foot, you’ll need to walk about 20min from the center of La Ciotat. We advise you to head south along the old port towards Avenue Victor Giraud. Then turn left onto Avenue des Calanques, which takes you straight to Plage de la Calanque du Mugel.
Public transport access
The Calanque du Mugel is served by bus line 30 of the local transport network, which stops at Mugel.
To plan your itinerary, we invite you to consult the official website of the public transport network here.
PLAN YOUR STAY IN La Ciotat
- Things to do in La Ciotat
- Best hotels to stay in La Ciotat
- Best restaurants (coming soon)
- La Ciotat’s most beautiful beaches
- Tour de l’Île-Verte (coming soon)
- Calanques de Figuerolles
Special features
Dog
Dogs are not allowed on the Plage de la Calanque du Mugel.
Reduced mobility access
There are no facilities for disabled access.
With children
The slope is gentle and ideal for a visit with children. However, the lack of sand makes it difficult to build sandcastles and other beach games.
Also, we found that there were a few (rare) shady areas that you can take advantage of if you get there first. However, we recommend that you take a parasol, sun cream and water with you.
Naturism
Naturism is not possible in this cove. La Ciotat’s only naturist beach is Plage du Liouquet.
Eating out
There’s a restaurant open in high season on the Plage de la Calanque du Mugel. Here you can enjoy a gourmet stopover and refresh yourself with a view of the sea!
Otherwise, we recommend returning to the city center. La Ciotat is home to some very fine restaurants. We’ve rounded up our favorites in our article dedicated to the city’s best restaurants.
Hotels
La Ciotat is an ideal place to spend the night. Located near Cassis and Bandol, it’s easy to get around Provence and discover all the jewels of the Côte-d’Azur.
Here are our recommendations for your stay:
WHERE TO STAY IN La Ciotat
Option 1: Old port side
Enjoy the charm of the old town, the port and all the restaurants.
We recommend..:
- Best Western Vieux-Port Hotel with rooftop pool – see prices, photos and availability
Option 2: Beach side
With sea views and direct access to beaches. We recommend..:
- Aparthotel A Deux Pas de L’Eau – see prices, photos and availability
- Hotel Rose Thé – prices, pictures and availability
SHE MADE THE TRIP Claire
