Massif de l'Etoile - Simiane-Collongue/Mimet, from Pilon du Roi to Baou Traouqua

These two mountain-top itineraries both offer fabulous views over Marseille and the Mediterranean Sea on one side and the Aix area and Sainte-Victoire mountain on the other - an exclusive viewpoint owed to the Massif de l’Etoile chain, the last limestone rampart separating Marseille and the Mediterranean from inland Provence. Suitable for confirmed walkers who are not afraid of heights, the Pilon du Roi itinerary at an altitude of 670 m and Boau Traouqua itinerary (a series of rocky peaks), both accessible from Simiane-Collongue and Mimet, offer a good appreciation of Marseille's singular geographical layout, comprising a vast, amphitheatre-shaped limestone basin whose only escape route is the sea... The landscapes to the north are equally spectacular: the Gardanne basin, "mountain" village of Mimet and relief of Sainte-Victoire mountain underline the rugged and tormented aspect of Provence's astonishing geological make-up.