The color code. From June 1 to September 30 the Calanques park publishes a fire-risk color for the next day by 6 p.m. on calanques-parcnational.fr. Green and yellow mean the paths are open. Orange closes every path and the Route des Crêtes, though boats still sail. Red stops the landing boat trips too. A Sugiton reservation is canceled with an orange or red day, so keep Malmousque or the If boat as the swap.
Sugiton and Sormiou. In 2026 the free Sugiton reservation is needed on June 20 and 21, every day from June 27 to August 30, and the weekends of September 5 to 6 and 12 to 13. It opens at 9 a.m. three days ahead and closes at 6 p.m. the evening before; one booking covers up to five people and the QR code is checked at the path. Sormiou needs no reservation, but its road is closed to cars in July and August from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. unless you hold a booking at Le Château; everyone else takes bus 23 to La Cayolle and walks 45 minutes down.
The RTM and the City Pass. Since September 2025 a contactless card or phone tapped at the metro gate or bus validator pays €1.70 a ride, and one card covers up to five people. A paper single is €1.70, a 24-hour pass €6.70 and a 72-hour pass €14. The City Pass (€36, €47 and €55 for 24, 48 and 72 hours) adds MuCEM, the city museums, the If boat and the tourist train; add up the sights you will actually enter before you buy it.
Museums and the island. MuCEM is €11, closed Tuesday and free on the first Sunday of the month; the city museums close Monday. Boats to Château d’If leave the Quai des Belges; the kiosk sells the crossing and the château together (€14 and €7). Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April to late September, closed Monday in winter, and canceled when the sea is rough. The mistral stops the boats and empties the beaches; move the island to a calmer morning.
Bouillabaisse. The real thing is ordered when you book, served for two or more in two services, and costs €75 to €100 a head at Chez Michel on rue des Catalans or Chez Fonfon on the Vallon des Auffes. A €30 bouillabaisse on a Vieux-Port terrace is fish soup with a name.
On the day. Keep your phone out of your hand on the metro, and never leave a bag on the beach or the rocks while you swim; take turns. Check the massif color at 6 p.m., save the Sugiton QR code in Waystop’s Documents, and bring two liters of water a head, a hat and proper shoes.