Southern France restricts access to the bays of the calanques near Marseille. Until the end of the summer, only a maximum of 400 people per day are allowed to visit the beaches there.

Up to the end there were up to 2.500. The reason for the measure is the attacked ecosystem of the Calanques, which is suffering from severe soil erosion, as Check24 reports. The landscape of the Calanques stretches between Marseille and Cassis in southern France and attracts numerous locals and tourists in summer. The rock massif with its steep cliffs is interrupted by several bays, which can often only be reached by boat or hiking trails. The two most famous of them, the calanques of Sugiton and Pierres Tombées, are affected by massive soil erosion due to the high number of visitors. Limiting access is now intended to protect the endangered landscape.

The new access regulations were applied for the first time on June 26th. A day pass with a QR code for the desired visit date must be booked via an online platform, of which only 400 are available per day. The reservation is free of charge, but if a person is found in the protected bays without a ticket, there is a risk of a fine of 68 euros. On the first day of the access restriction, controls were carried out on the access routes to the Calanques, and numerous people had to turn around again because the QR code was missing. A second trial day of the new rule is planned for July 3rd before it will be applied daily between July 10th and August 21st.