Alert
Alerts
Crown Stone Quarry Loop
IGN cards
Description
Surprising mineral case nestled in the heart of the Côte Bleue. This tourist loop invites you to discover a bend of a major front on the blue of the Mediterranean.
Visit the La Couronne dimension-stone quarries, 3 inland and 5 on the coast, on an 11 km itinerary. Learn about how quarrymen worked over the centuries: discover traces of there work, distinguish different extraction strategies and identify periods of activity.
In detail:
The antique quarries of the Côte Bleue
Massalia needed stone for construction from its foundation in 600BC. The site was not suited to this sort of activity, so the Massaliotes had to find their raw material elsewhere. The first quarries were created on the hewn coastline of the Côte Bleue, not far from Martigues on Cap Couronne, more precisely at Pointe de l’Arquet and the surrounding area. 6 main quarries were worked in antique times, 4 for stone and 2 for pink limestone which was used to build the walls of Massalia and most of its monuments.
Technical Information
Altimetric profile
Starting point
Additional information
Updated by
Provence Tourisme - 04/12/2025
www.myprovence.fr/
Report a problem
Environments
Sea view
Close to pleasure port
Coastal
Village centre
Open period
All year round daily.
Subject to favorable weather.
Contact
Phone : 04 42 42 31 10
Email : info@martigues-tourisme.com
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/martigues.tourisme
Type of land
Stone
Ground
Grit
Not suitable for strollers
Location complements
Access condition: Between June 1 and September 30, access to forest areas is regulated by prefectural decree and may be by municipal decree, for your safety and the preservation of sensitive sites. Before you follow your “stroll desires”, call 0811 20 13 13. Each day, you will be able to find out whether the site where you want to walk is free access all day, open only in the morning, or completely closed. Depending on the weather conditions, the “forest fire” danger level (orange-red-black) is known no later than 6 pm for the next day.
Animals
Yes
