One stop away from Cassis, La Ciotat manages to escape the excess tourists during the low season, and even the beginning of the summer. However, once summer comes along, this sleepy fishing village explodes with parties and clubs. The town's overnight transformation from an innocuous port where middle-class Frenchmen dock their boats to party central is like Extreme Makeover Port Edition. La Ciotat's old town seems to be very confined to the port, but expanded development along the beaches has made the technical city limits somewhat undefinable. The expansion has shifted the focal point of tourism to the beaches, leaving the old port uniquely untouched by the pasty masses searching for sun in the summer. A good place for low key sailing or SCUBA diving, not to mention a Calenque hike and beach time, Ciotat is sure to remain a budget traveler's paradise, so long as the rest of the world doesn't find out there is a low priced seatown in Southern France.
The town is divided into two main areas: the Vieux Port, and the Beaches. the Vieux Port is cluttered with restaurants, cafes, and bars as well as an expensive hotel or two; bring your parents or their ...more
Hotel Afy, 39 quai François Mitterand (☎ 04 42 08 42 98), Located above a restaurant and next to the port, Hotel Afy gets a little noisy, but it's ridiculously central location makes up for it, so long ...more
Grande Plage, bl. Beaurivage. One of the busiest b beaches in Ciotat, Grande Plage is mostly visited by families and children. Though generally as pebbly as the rest of the coastline in the South ...more
Loulou la Malice, 4 bl. Anatole France (☎ 04 42 71 83 47), Unusual combination of sitdown cafe and sandwich/crepes takeaway. Situated on the raised street above the main road, Loulou la Malice has turned ...more
Bar l'Abri Côtier, 1 rue Jean Jaures Popular with local youth, sailors, and girls who love sailors, this marina bar is not as rough around the edges as you'd expect, but still provides some salty air ...more
Tourist Office: Offers free maps, free hotel bookings, and information on restaurants, sights and hotels. (bld. Anatole France☎ 04 42 08 61 32 www.toursime-laciotat.com h ...more
 |
 |
 |
 |
For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
Facebook
Twitter
You Tube
Foursquare
Newsletter
RSS Feed
Overview