Riou island, Calanques National Park, France

© Jason Langley/AWL Images/Offset by Shutterstoc

Info. Riou island from Calanque d’En Vau, Calanques National Park, France

These limestone cliffs plunging into the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean are part of Calanques National Park between the city of Marseille and the town of Cassis in southern France. The Calanques are a series of rocky cliffs and bays that punctuate the craggy coastline, and there are plenty of these spectacular inlets to explore on foot or by boat, including Calanque d’En Vau on our homepage.

In the distance of our photo, you can see the island of Riou, an uninhabited and protected island, which is the main hub of the Riou archipelago and part of Calanques National Park. It is known as "the island of birds" and is the only island of the archipelago that can be visited.