Simon Calder recommends uncrowded and ‘magical’ destination that’s 20C in autumn

Travel expert Simon Calder recommended the town of Cassis, in France, during a recent interview with This Morning.

The travel guru said the pretty seaside town is the perfect autumn destination, with affordable flights, average temperatures of 20C in October, and no crowds.

He explained: “I just came back from Cote d’Azur on Friday, and it was absolutely magical, particularly the lovely town of Cassis.

“Beautiful port, very close to St Tropez. It’s just a gorgeous place, the food is great! You can even take a bus from Marseille that costs £3 and takes you around one of the greatest drives in the world.” Simon explained that he only paid £25 to go there and £12 to go back.

According to Francevoyager, Cassis is a “dreamy fishing town full of colourful buildings and crystal-clear water”. 

The top attractions are the Port de Cassis, the Old Town, Cassis Market and of course, its marvellous beaches.

The travel blogger explained: “While not nearly as popular for its beaches as Cannes and Saint Tropez, that doesn’t mean this place isn’t brimming with iconic and stunning places to get some sun and swim.”

Plage du Corton, in particular, has lovely clear water, and “is a great little place to go if you want to avoid some of the crowds at the other beaches”. 

On Tripadvisor, a holidaymaker who visited the town at this time of the year said: ” Beautiful… We stayed here for five days and loved it. Plenty of restaurants and cafes.

“Lovely little streets and shops. Little market on a Wednesday selling food, flowers, soaps and clothes. The architecture is stunning and you can’t help but fall in love with Cassis. It’s perfect.”

Another one opined: “Really worth the stop. A beautiful little port town with that relaxed, chill vibe of the south of France. Lots of restaurants along the port to just sit, have a nice apérol and enjoy.”

A third one said: “Cassis should be on everyone’s itinerary when visiting the Provence region. We started by viewing the city from the cliffs high above. Then came to town to walk the picturesque harbour and city streets. Gorgeous!”