Parc national des Calanques

National Park in Marseille

Calanque D En-vau — CC BY-SA 4.0 / GabrielleMerk

Calanques National Park (Parc national des Calanques) is a stunning national park located along the Mediterranean coast in the Bouches-du-Rhône region of Southern France. Established in 2012, the park covers an expansive area of 520 km² (201 sq mi), with 85 km² (33 sq mi) of it being terrestrial and the remainder marine. The park encompasses parts of the Massif des Calanques that stretch between the southern districts of Marseille, Cassis, and La Ciotat. It is renowned for its dramatic landscapes and several notable features such as the Calanque de Sormiou, Calanque de Morgiou, Calanque de Port-Miou, Calanque de Sugiton, Calanque d’En Vau, and the prehistoric Cosquer Cave.

History
The initiative to protect the Calanques began in 1923 with the formation of the Comité de Défense des Calanques, aimed at preventing industrial development in the En-Vau area. In 1999, the Groupement d’Intérêt Public (GIP) des Calanques was established to lay the groundwork for the creation of a national park. Over a decade of planning and preparation followed, with the GIP presenting its first draft in 2010 and the final proposal being approved in 2011. The park was officially created on April 18, 2012, by a decree signed by then-Prime Minister François Fillon, marking a significant achievement in environmental and cultural conservation in France.

The Parc national des Calanques appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Marseille!

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