La Ciotat, situated between Marseille and Toulon, was renowned for its impressive shipyards. French emperors, dignitaries, and scientists would flock there to witness the launch of ocean liners. The influx of people would cause the port to overflow, flooding cafes and carrying diners and motorcars out to sea.
When I visited this summer, everything seemed calm. Shipbuilding ceased in La Ciotat in 1987, but the yard was transformed into a hub for refitting luxury ships and superyachts, keeping a large workforce employed while the town shifted its focus to tourism.
As I stroll along the seafront, I pass a giant 3D #ILoveLaCiotat sign, brightly painted pointu boats, a ferry heading to Île Verte, barrels of fishing nets, charming restaurants, and a restored hammerhead crane.
Le Port Vieux, distinguishable from Marseille’s Vieux-Port, resembles many other Mediterranean ports. However, the view is breathtaking, with soaring masts, cranes, riveted girders, one of the largest boatlifts in the world, and a magnificent titan-white gantry that extends over the port. While there are beautiful sandy beaches along the northeast bay, La Ciotat’s true allure lies in its bustling, unpretentious, and industrial elegance.
The shipyard’s massive armaments building has been redeveloped to maintain its heavy industrial integrity. It now features a pedestrian walkway, a restaurant, and several nautical outfitters, a bookshop, and Les Toiles du Large. This unique store transforms old sails into bags and accessories. Customers can bring in their old canvas sails and choose to have a bag made from them. The remaining fabric is recycled into duffle bags, tote bags, backpacks, beanbags, and deckchairs. The open workshop at the back of the shop showcases the original stitched seams and navigational scars from the sails’ previous lives at sea.
I continue my walk behind the old shipyard towards the Parc du Mugel and the Mugel Calanques. These rocky coves offer turquoise water, pebble beaches, and a botanical garden filled with parasol pines, chestnut trees, wild flowers, and bamboo. Further along the coast, accessible via 87 steps down to the beach, is the Calanque de Figuerolles. Here, visitors will find a tiny hotel and the popular restaurant, Chez Tania. While it’s typically crowded in the summer, during autumn, one can enjoy the beach and the eroded crags of the Eagle’s Beak, Dog’s Head, and Lion’s Islet – all within the Calanques National Park – almost in solitude.
La Ciotat, the unsung cradle of cinema, was also the birthplace of France’s unofficial national sport: pétanque. The Jules Le Noir pétanque club’s president, Enzo Balbi, welcomes me to a gravel boules court a few blocks from the sea. He explains that the local shopkeeper Jules Le Noir, who suffered from rheumatism, was the only player allowed to sit in a chair while throwing his boules. Eventually, it was decided that if Jules was playing, other players couldn’t move their feet either. The name pétanque, derived from Pè tancat meaning “foot fixed” in the local dialect, stuck. The first tournament was held on the court in 1910, and today, there are federations in 80 countries. Visitors from all over the world come to La Ciotat for Le Mondial la Marseillaise, the pétanque championships in Marseille, and often take the opportunity to visit the birthplace of this beloved sport. Balbi emphasizes that everyone is welcome to play on the courts as long as they bring their own boules.
After failing miserably at pétanque, I return to the pedestrianized old town. The art-deco Cafe de l’Horloge offers a paperback on every table and a wall of secondhand books priced at 50 cents each. It’s the perfect spot for people-watching and enjoying croissants, bagels, and lunchtime soup. Nearby, Rue des Frères Blanchard is home to Lait Trais’or de Marie, a cheese shop and creamery, the Lebanese cafe Chez Sophie, and Frérots, a wine shop specializing in natural wines. Chymós, an organic grocer, is just a block away, with plenty of ice cream parlors and sunny cafes scattered in between. The town center, renovated to embrace an organic-minded approach, exudes charm with its 17th-century architecture.
If you’re planning a visit, consider staying at one of the characterful properties managed by La Maison de Famille. Studios and apartments start at €95 a night.
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