Marseille grows on you with its fusion of cultures, souk-like markets, millennia-old port and corniches (coastal roads) along rocky inlets and sun-baked beaches. Once the butt of French jokes, the cité phocéenne (in reference to Phocaea, the ancient Greek city located in modern-day Turkey, from where Marseille’s settlers, the Massiliots, came) is looking fabulous after its facelift as the European Capital of Culture in 2013.
Vieux PortHISTORIC QUARTER
Ships have docked for more than 26 centuries at the city’s birthplace, the colourful Old Port. The main commercial docks were transferred to the Joliette area north of here in the 1840s, but the old port remains a thriving harbour for fishing boats, pleasure yachts and tourists. The free Cross-Port Ferry in front of the town hall is a fun way to get out on the water, however briefly.
Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la MéditerranéeMUSEUM
The icon of the 'new' Marseille, this stunning museum is split across two dramatically contrasting sites, linked by a vertigo-inducing foot bridge. On one side is lumbering Fort St-Jean , founded in the 13th century by the Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem and rebuilt by Louis XIV in the 17th century; and on the other the contemporary J4, a shoebox with breathtaking 'lace' skin designed by Algerian-born, Marseille-educated architect Rudi Ricciotti.
Le PanierHISTORIC QUARTER
From the Vieux Port, hike north up to this fantastic history-woven quarter, dubbed Marseille’s Montmartre as much for its sloping streets as its artsy ambience. In Greek Massilia it was the site of the agora (marketplace), hence its name, which means ‘the basket’. During WWII the quarter was dynamited and afterwards rebuilt. Today it’s a mishmash of lanes hiding artisan shops, ateliers (workshops) and terraced houses strung with drying washing.
Basilique Notre Dame de la GardeCHURCH
This opulent 19th-century Romano-Byzantine basilica occupies Marseille's highest point, La Garde (162m). Built between 1853 and 1864, it is ornamented with coloured marble, murals depicting the safe passage of sailing vessels and superb mosaics. The hilltop gives 360-degree panoramas of the city. The church's bell tower is crowned by a 9.7m-tall gilded statue of the Virgin Mary on a 12m-high pedestal. It’s a 1km walk from the Vieux Port, or take bus 60 or the tourist train.
Château d'IfISLAND, CASTLE
Immortalised in Alexandre Dumas’ classic 1844 novel Le Comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo), the 16th-century fortress-turned-prison Château d’If sits on the tiny island Île d’If, 3.5km west of the Vieux Port. Political prisoners were incarcerated here, along with hundreds of Protestants, the Revolutionary hero Mirabeau, and the Communards of 1871.
Frioul If Express boats leave for Château d'If (€10.10 return, 20 minutes, around 15 daily) from the Vieux Port.
AIR
Aéroport Marseille-Provence, 25km northwest in Marignane, has numerous budget flights to various European destinations. Shuttle buses link it with the Marseille train station (€8.20, 25 minutes, every 20 minutes).
BOAT
The passenger ferry terminal (www.marseille-port.fr) is 250m south of place de la Joliette, 1er. SNCM (www.sncm.fr) boats sail to Corsica, Sardinia and North Africa.
TRAIN
From Marseille's Gare St-Charles, trains including TGVs go all over France and Europe. Services include:
Avignon €29.50, 35 minutes
Lyon €65, 1¾ hours
Nice €37, 2½ hours
Paris Gare de Lyon €113, three hours
Getting Around
Marseille has two metro lines, two tram lines and an extensive bus network, all run by RTM (www.rtm.fr), where you can obtain information and transport tickets (€1.50).
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