We will be in Provence during mid-May and are wondering which coastal village would be our best choice for a day trip from the Luberon or Alpilles area? We prefer to stay out of the larger cities and would love to visit a quaint small coastal village. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I like Cassis, it's what St Tropez was like years ago although I'm afraid it's catching up.

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I like Cassis

... and the coast road between Cassis and La Ciotat is spectacular. We had a highly memorable evening drive along this road, driving east to west into the sunset.

We enjoy Cassis and it has the advantage of offering boat trips out to see the beautiful calanques (rocky inlets). There's a small harbor, lots of restaurants, and two beaches. But as I think cigalechanta is suggesting, it's a very popular destination and can be crowded. Better in mid-May than later in the summer, though.

If you're willing to drive a little further, Bandol is another possibility. I don't know if I'd exactly describe it as a quaint, small village (maybe more of a small town), but it's a lovely place with a broad promenade on the harbor-- very easy to get in and out of too. You can take a short boat ride over to the little island of Bendor.

You could possibly drive first to Bandol, have lunch and maybe go over to Bendor, then drive to Cassis on the coastal road WestSussexBird mentions. That is an absolutely fabulous drive.

I've got some more info and photos on my blog from last summer. See here:

Bandol 1 - Day 1
Bandol 1 - Day 2
Bandol 2
La Route des Cretes (La Ciotat to Cassis)

Kathy

JeanJo, there has been a lot of discussion on this forum about Cassis. If you do a search on "Cassis" using the Find button at the top of this thread on the left, you can read many previous posts and get some very good insight into what you might find in Cassis.

Kathy

Thanks for all the info. I wondered about Cassis! I will check out your other suggestions as well and look at the other posts. Thanks again!

Here's an over-all look of Cassis.
I tasted my first Oursins (sea urchins) there.

http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/bouches/cassis/cassis.htm

Your comment about sea urchins brings me to another potential problem for me. I am allergic to all shellfish. When we are dining in seafood territory, how do I insure that I don't get any shellfish in my food? I would hate to not be able to sample the local fare and I can eat regular fish, just not shellfish. Thanks.

This page on ViaMichelin about the coast between Martigues and Marseille may be of interest.

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how do I insure that I don't get any shellfish in my food?

I don't know the answer to your question, but you may find some useful information in the links on this thread.

The above comments about sea urchins, reminded me:
Once when we were there, my barefooted husband stepped on a sea urchin while exploring the rocks by the beach. Yikes! Those hard little spines were embedded in his foot, and we had to do some crude surgery with scissors in our hotel room. I hate to admit to this malpractice!
So, wear water shoes when you go into the water, as sea urchins may still lurk there!
Other than that - We've been to Cassis twice and we've enjoyed it thoroughly. One nice thing about Cassis is that it is accessible by train. Though the train from Aix-en-Provence and Marseille doesn't go directly into the town, I understand that you can get there easily.
Our favorite coast town is Antibes, but that is quite a bit further east.
Linda