Marseille
France'S Oldest City, Founded By Greek Settlers Around 600 BC, And Its Great Mediterranean Port; Gateway To The Calanques · Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur
Marseille is France's oldest city, founded by Greek sailors from Phocaea around 600 BC, and still its biggest Mediterranean port: loud, mixed, sunlit and more rough-edged than the Riviera to the east. Life centres on the Vieux-Port, a deep harbour full of small boats with a fish market on the quay each morning and forts guarding its mouth. Above it the golden statue of Notre-Dame de la Garde, the Bonne Mère, watches the whole city from its hill. On the north side, the lanes of Le Panier climb through the oldest quarter to the Vieille Charité, and on the waterfront the MuCEM, a museum wrapped in a concrete lace screen, is joined by footbridge to the old Fort Saint-Jean. Boats run out to the Château d'If of The Count of Monte Cristo and the Frioul islands. The coast road leads to the tiny fishing harbour of the Vallon des Auffes and on towards the Calanques. It is a real working city with real problems, including theft and a few districts best avoided at night, but it rewards people who take it as it is.
Vieux-Port and Le Panier, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France
The Vieux-Port, Le Panier, the Corniche and the waterfront are public spaces open at all hours. Notre-Dame de la Garde is open every day from morning into the evening, with longer hours in summer; during services visitors are asked to stay quiet and some areas may be closed. The MuCEM usually closes one day a week, often Tuesday, and on some holidays, while the Fort Saint-Jean gardens and walkways have their own hours and are often free to walk; confirm the current days. City museums including the Vieille Charité also commonly close on Mondays. Boats to the Château d'If and the Frioul islands leave from the Vieux-Port through the day, much more often in summer, and sailings are cancelled when the mistral makes the sea rough, so check that morning. The château itself has seasonal hours and shorter opening in winter. The fish market on the quay is a morning affair, over by late morning. Noailles market streets are busiest in the morning and quiet on Sundays. Serious bouillabaisse restaurants often need booking a day ahead because the fish is bought for each order, and many restaurants close on Sunday evening or Monday.