RoutesMountain biking trailsFranceProvence-Alpes-Côte D'AzurVarMarseilleCassis
Vigie la Betoude – Chemin de Saint-Loup (Cassis) loop from Cassis
RoutesMountain biking trailsFranceProvence-Alpes-Côte D'AzurVarMarseilleCassis
Vigie la Betoude – Chemin de Saint-Loup (Cassis) loop from Cassis
Hard
4.5
(4)
27
riders
Vigie la Betoude – Chemin de Saint-Loup (Cassis) loop from Cassis
03:46
35.1km
1,160m
Mountain biking
Hard mountain bike ride. Very good fitness required. Advanced riding skills necessary. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: July 20, 2026
Tips
Includes a very steep uphill segment
You may need to push your bike.
After 10.3 km for 775 m
Waypoints
A
Start point
Bus stop
Get Directions
1.40 km
Plage du Bestouan
Beach
2
4.40 km
Palombière des Rompides
Highlight • Other
3
7.47 km
🍇 Domaine Couronne de Charlemagne
Highlight • Structure
La Couronne de Charlemagne is a 7ha estate created in 1988 by Bernard Piche. It extends from the Vallon des Janots to the foot of the Crown of Charlemagne.
Since 2009, it is with the Santini family, from the Domaine du Paternel, that the exploitation and marketing of the La Couronne de Charlemagne estate has been carried out.
Producing grape varieties: 50% Marsanne, 30% Clairette, 20% Ugni Blanc.
The color is a beautiful deep and shiny gold. The nose announces freshness and minerality. The palate is frank, invigorating and focused on exotic fruits. The Cassis terroir is reflected in the mineral and saline final touch.
Ideal as an aperitif, with shellfish and summer salads.
Since 2009, it is with the Santini family, from the Domaine du Paternel, that the exploitation and marketing of the La Couronne de Charlemagne estate has been carried out.
Producing grape varieties: 50% Marsanne, 30% Clairette, 20% Ugni Blanc.
The color is a beautiful deep and shiny gold. The nose announces freshness and minerality. The palate is frank, invigorating and focused on exotic fruits. The Cassis terroir is reflected in the mineral and saline final touch.
Ideal as an aperitif, with shellfish and summer salads.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
4
16.3 km
Vigie la Betoude
Highlight • Other
A change of scenery guaranteed
Translated by Google •
Tip by
5
17.6 km
View of the Little Grand Canyon
Highlight (Segment) • Viewpoint
It is rare that this is practicable on skis!
Translated by Google •
Tip by
6
26.0 km
ℹ️ Trolib (History of La Ciotat) - Bau Redon
Highlight • Other
📖 La Ciotat, a port steeped in history…
🏺 Ancient origins
The Gulf of La Ciotat has attracted people for millennia. Excavations at Ellianac and in the Terrevaine Cave reveal the presence of sedentary tribes as early as 3000 BC. In the 5th century BC, the town became a stopover for ancient navigators.
📜 Birth of a commune
In 1429, a charter recognized La Ciotat as a commune in its own right. In the 16th century, the town expanded with the arrival of Genoese noble families, who came from Italy after political unrest.
⚓ A port focused on shipbuilding
In 1622, shipyards were established. Despite a decline in the 18th century, they regained their dynamism in the 19th century thanks to Louis Benet, who gave the site an industrial dimension. In 1836, Le Phocéen, the first French steamship in the Mediterranean, was launched, followed by the Bonaparte in 1839.
🏛️ A rich and vibrant heritage
La Ciotat is full of treasures: churches, chapels, old gates, typical squares, private mansions... Old La Ciotat captivates with its charm and warm Provençal atmosphere, where past and present coexist.
⚫ The invention of pétanque
At the beginning of the 20th century, Jules Le Noir, a merchant suffering from rheumatism, played the game sitting in a circle marked on the ground. His friend Mr. Pitiot suggested playing "with your feet tanqués" (glued to the ground)... Pétanque was born right here in La Ciotat!
🎬 The birthplace of cinema
In 1895, Louis Lumière stayed in La Ciotat. There, he developed the cinematograph and shot some of the first films in history: Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station, The Sprinkler Sprinkled… The first private screening took place on September 21, 1895, at the Palais Lumière, even before Paris!
In 1899, the Éden Théâtre hosted the first public ticketed cinema screening, making La Ciotat a mecca of the seventh art. This cinema, still in operation, is now a listed historic monument. 🎞️
Today:
Economically, La Ciotat is experiencing a revival thanks to the rehabilitation of the former shipyards, now focused on luxury yachting and maritime technologies.
La Ciotat seduces with its authentic Mediterranean atmosphere. Its bustling alleyways, colorful markets, festivals, and vibrant port offer a quality of life appreciated by both locals and visitors.
🏺 Ancient origins
The Gulf of La Ciotat has attracted people for millennia. Excavations at Ellianac and in the Terrevaine Cave reveal the presence of sedentary tribes as early as 3000 BC. In the 5th century BC, the town became a stopover for ancient navigators.
📜 Birth of a commune
In 1429, a charter recognized La Ciotat as a commune in its own right. In the 16th century, the town expanded with the arrival of Genoese noble families, who came from Italy after political unrest.
⚓ A port focused on shipbuilding
In 1622, shipyards were established. Despite a decline in the 18th century, they regained their dynamism in the 19th century thanks to Louis Benet, who gave the site an industrial dimension. In 1836, Le Phocéen, the first French steamship in the Mediterranean, was launched, followed by the Bonaparte in 1839.
🏛️ A rich and vibrant heritage
La Ciotat is full of treasures: churches, chapels, old gates, typical squares, private mansions... Old La Ciotat captivates with its charm and warm Provençal atmosphere, where past and present coexist.
⚫ The invention of pétanque
At the beginning of the 20th century, Jules Le Noir, a merchant suffering from rheumatism, played the game sitting in a circle marked on the ground. His friend Mr. Pitiot suggested playing "with your feet tanqués" (glued to the ground)... Pétanque was born right here in La Ciotat!
🎬 The birthplace of cinema
In 1895, Louis Lumière stayed in La Ciotat. There, he developed the cinematograph and shot some of the first films in history: Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station, The Sprinkler Sprinkled… The first private screening took place on September 21, 1895, at the Palais Lumière, even before Paris!
In 1899, the Éden Théâtre hosted the first public ticketed cinema screening, making La Ciotat a mecca of the seventh art. This cinema, still in operation, is now a listed historic monument. 🎞️
Today:
Economically, La Ciotat is experiencing a revival thanks to the rehabilitation of the former shipyards, now focused on luxury yachting and maritime technologies.
La Ciotat seduces with its authentic Mediterranean atmosphere. Its bustling alleyways, colorful markets, festivals, and vibrant port offer a quality of life appreciated by both locals and visitors.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
7
27.1 km
ℹ️ Trolib (Vignoble de Cassis) - Pas de Julien
Highlight • Other
A very pretty viewpoint overlooking the Bay of Cassis 😎
🍇 The Cassis Vineyard:
The Cassis Vineyard was one of the very first to be awarded appellations of controlled origin in 1936 (along with Sauternes and Chateauneuf-du-Pape). It is planted in the shelter of Cap Canaille, the highest sea cliff in France, plunging 400 meters into the waves of the Mediterranean.
🍷 It's a "pocket vineyard," covering only 210 hectares and producing around 1 million bottles per year. One bottle per vine. A rare wine that is produced and distributed by twelve winegrowers. While the dry, fruity whites are the most renowned, the reds and rosés are also renowned.
🌞 Cassis's unique ecosystem and microclimate are very favorable:
- It suffers little from the mistral wind, which calms its ardor across the pine-crowned hills.
- The sea breeze keeps the vines healthy thanks to a healthy humidity.
- 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, which promotes the flowering of the grape clusters and their rich sugar content.
- Rainfall in early spring allows for an early start to vegetation, then in the fall, regenerates the parched soil.
The oldest AOC in Provence:
Source: ot-cassis.com/vignoble.html
🍇 The Cassis Vineyard:
The Cassis Vineyard was one of the very first to be awarded appellations of controlled origin in 1936 (along with Sauternes and Chateauneuf-du-Pape). It is planted in the shelter of Cap Canaille, the highest sea cliff in France, plunging 400 meters into the waves of the Mediterranean.
🍷 It's a "pocket vineyard," covering only 210 hectares and producing around 1 million bottles per year. One bottle per vine. A rare wine that is produced and distributed by twelve winegrowers. While the dry, fruity whites are the most renowned, the reds and rosés are also renowned.
🌞 Cassis's unique ecosystem and microclimate are very favorable:
- It suffers little from the mistral wind, which calms its ardor across the pine-crowned hills.
- The sea breeze keeps the vines healthy thanks to a healthy humidity.
- 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, which promotes the flowering of the grape clusters and their rich sugar content.
- Rainfall in early spring allows for an early start to vegetation, then in the fall, regenerates the parched soil.
The oldest AOC in Provence:
Source: ot-cassis.com/vignoble.html
Translated by Google •
Tip by
8
28.6 km
🚴♂️ Pas du Vicaire - 🕰️ History of Cassis
Highlight • Viewpoint
🌅 Viewpoint above the bay of Cassis ideal for a sunset 😎
First testimonies:
Cassis is a territory inhabited since prehistoric times, as proven by the Cosquer Cave (dated 27,000 years BC), named after its discoverer, a Cassiden diver!
The first testimonies of the occupation of the site date back to 500 or 600 years BC. Inhabited by populations called Celto-Ligurian like all of western Provence.
Cassis was certainly frequented by the Greeks of Massalia (Marseille), a city founded by the Phocaeans. At the time of the Romans, Cassis entered written history as the Roman Port “Carcisis Portus” whose foundation dates back to the first century BC. A port of rest and trade (fishing, coral, Cassis stone, etc.), wine and olive oil were already cultivated there, as evidenced by the presence of agricultural villas
From the 5th to the 10th centuries, barbarian invasions led the population, less numerous, to take refuge on the heights inside the “castrum”. This period leaves its mark on the Cassiden landscape with the fortified enclosure of Cassis, inspired by Saracen.
In the 20th century, these industries disappeared, replaced by an ever more flourishing viticulture (Cassis was one of the first three vineyards to benefit from the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in 1936) and by tourism.
First testimonies:
Cassis is a territory inhabited since prehistoric times, as proven by the Cosquer Cave (dated 27,000 years BC), named after its discoverer, a Cassiden diver!
The first testimonies of the occupation of the site date back to 500 or 600 years BC. Inhabited by populations called Celto-Ligurian like all of western Provence.
Cassis was certainly frequented by the Greeks of Massalia (Marseille), a city founded by the Phocaeans. At the time of the Romans, Cassis entered written history as the Roman Port “Carcisis Portus” whose foundation dates back to the first century BC. A port of rest and trade (fishing, coral, Cassis stone, etc.), wine and olive oil were already cultivated there, as evidenced by the presence of agricultural villas
From the 5th to the 10th centuries, barbarian invasions led the population, less numerous, to take refuge on the heights inside the “castrum”. This period leaves its mark on the Cassiden landscape with the fortified enclosure of Cassis, inspired by Saracen.
In the 20th century, these industries disappeared, replaced by an ever more flourishing viticulture (Cassis was one of the first three vineyards to benefit from the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in 1936) and by tourism.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
9
30.0 km
Chemin de Saint-Loup (Cassis)
Highlight • Other
This is where you have to dare. Ignore the direction Route des Crêtes and take the DFCI!
Translated by Google •
Tip by
B
35.1 km
End point
Bus stop
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
17.5 km
8.20 km
5.39 km
3.77 km
286 m
Surfaces
14.0 km
9.06 km
7.77 km
3.20 km
547 m
421 m
184 m
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Elevation
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Highest point (480 m)
Lowest point (0 m)
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Weather
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Monday 20 July
38°C
22°C
0 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 23.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
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