spaceman

The wife and I are taking a river cruise that has the last leg going from Lyon to Arles in September 2011. We will already have spent a day or two in Avignon and Arles along the way before they provide us transport to MRS.

Never having been in this area before but having experienced other areas of Europe I am sure of one thing, I will not rent a car - it will be public transport or hoof it. Looking at the maps, etc, we were thinking that maybe we should spend an extra day or so in Marseille before flying home. We are not beach people nor boaters but rather like to take in the historical/picturesque sights and although it might sound stupid to the adventureous ones on the first time in an area we would rather sit on a tour bus/van and let them do the talking and driving. So I guess my question is what would one recommend to fill up a pleasant day or so in Marseille or should we just hop on the wings of LH and relax and if worth staying a decent hotel that will not break the already broke bank

Alsacienne

I recommend going to see Notre Dame de la Garde. Why not look at the Tourist Board's website http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/en/in-marseille/ and see what takes your fancy, and you could always contact them to ask what organised tours they run or which companies or taxi companies they recommend to show you the area. It would be a shame to go straight home when there are lovely things to see locally.

(PS I have to admit that Notre Dame was my objective but then I only had a couple of hours before taking the ferry to Corsica .... but I know that there was so much more I wanted to see and will return when the weather warms up!)

dia1

Nimes is worth a couple of days, especially if you can figure out how to get out to the Pont du Gard without a car.

rudy.viae

Marseille is a great city where there is lots of history to be found. If you don't intend to rent a car, then it is a good idea to explore Marseille.
Here are ideas: the old harbor ("le vieux port"), the basilica "Notre Dame de la Garde", Palais Longchamps, trip to the Château d'If or other little islands off Marseille (île du Frioul), the Canebière (most well-known street in the city), the neighborhood called "le panier"... enjoy!

nicolas75

Marseille is a beautiful city that does not amount to Canebière, la Bonne mère and the Vieux Port.

The city offers to lovers of architecture, many monuments of great interest, and districts with multiple colors and moods:

- Le Panier, popular historic district of the city, close to the Vieux Port, with the beautiful Vieille Charité, Hospice of the XVIIth century old hosting the Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology, the Museum of African Arts, temporary exhibitions and a cinema theater

- The Palais de Longchamp, majestic building of the Second Empire with a fountain of Neptune which leaves the waters that feed Marseille via an aqueduct

- The Cours Julien district dedicated to the arts since the early nineteenth century (many restaurants and concert halls)

- Docks de la Joliette, full and beautiful industrial architecture of the nineteenth century,

- The housing unit by Le Corbusier, a master work of architecture of the 20th century. Built in the '50s, the building incorporates the theories of the "Radiant City" made by Le Corbusier (pile structure, duplex apartments, interior street with shops, a magnificent terrace at the top which offers a breathtaking view over the city, and welcoming nursery school and playground)

- Cantini Museum, in a beautiful mansion on the fashionable rue Grignan, houses one of the richest public collections devoted to French art of the twentieth century (Derain, Matisse, Dufy, Picasso, Miro, Ernst, Tapies, Alechinsky , Dubuffet, Bacon)

- The Museum of Contemporary Art: a museum which has opted for sobriety of the building to better showcase the works exhibited. Close to the Borély park, pleasant garden in the residential area of the Prado, lined with the elegant white facades of nineteenth-century mansions.

- A secret beach: following the chemin du Génie, a small creek hanging on the Corniche, to have a sunbath in privacy.

Have a dinner at Petit Nice Passédat, stay at Sofitel (superb view over the Vieux Port), have a brunch at Café Populaire

spaceman

Thanks for the tips, I am starting to drool

maltasr

Follow the advice of Nicolas75. I lived there for a year while my wife was teaching at a local lycee. It really is a marvelous city that is very much misunderstood. Do see Notre Dame de La Garde, the cathedral that overlooks the entire city and has a striking view of the city. The city bus will get you there quite cheaply and operates every 20-30 minutes. The Palais Longchamps should not be missed for its grandiosity. There are scores of excellent restaurants, particularly in the waterfront area. If you are looking for modest accommodations, try the Hotel Fereol built on a pedestrian walkway in the old city. There is also a two line metro system which should be experienced.

nacho

Is it safe to visit Marseille? I have read a lot of bad review about that. We are thinking about going there but we are put off by a lot of bad comments about safety in Marseille.

Woudld Feb. be a good month to visit?

maltasr

We think it's perfectly safe to visit Marseille despite what you may have heard. There's a goodly number of 'ladies of the evening" frequenting the bars near the waterfront. This is the only area I'd avoid at night. By the same token, there are some wonderful restaurants, such as "Entrecote," also facing the harbor. Just use a taxi in the evening to get to this area and you'll be fine. February is really not the best month to visit as there are ferociously bitter winds that blow in from across the Med. From March through late October the weather is perfectly fine.

rudy.viae

Marseille weather is mild in winter - the average temperature in February are usually from 4 to 14 degrees Celsius (39 to 57 F). What makes a day really cold sometimes is the wind called the Mistral. It is a very cold, strong wind that comes from up north and travels down the Rhone Valley. Although it is cold and very strong, it is the wind that clears the sky and bring sunny weather. It is very strong everywhere around the Rhone delta (Arles, Salon de Provence), down to Marseille. But all this is true all year round, the Mistral has no favorite season, it blows all year round. Of course February is a winter month, so don't expect very warm and sunny weather throughout the month. This winter people say December and January will be colder, and February milder...

stimpy

What do the Marseille locals do on Dec 31st? In Paris they drink a beer under the Eiffel Tower. Is there something special like that for Marseille?

JDiver

Nice list, nicolas75! Merci.

More tourist things to do (and places to eat) in Marseille... and no, personal safety and security is not as much of an issue as one might believe from past decades. I have seen no sinister smugglers and drug runners lurking about the Vieux Port, though there are plenty of construction workers creating the expansive pedestrian mall - hopefully by 2013 and Marseille's year as Culture Capital of Europe / Capitale européenne de la culture. More to do near the Vieux Port, where Phocaeans landed ~600 B.C.:

The free ferry between the newer Quai de la Rive Neuve and the Vieux Port saves some steps, and there is easy access to the atmospheric old Panier quarter, a "train" to the hilltop church / view area of Notre Dame de le Gare).

Stop and look at the old Hotel de Ville / City Hall. Visit the Jardin des Vestiges, with some antiquities from the days of the Greeks and Romans.

There is a Marseille Le Grand Tour hop on hop off type of bus available - tours in many languages, many sights, lots of convenience. In Marseille, a one day ticket is generally good for two days - seems to be a running promo. The route is quite extensive, including Vallon Des Auffes, Oriol Corniche, Notre Dame de la Gare, Parc Borely, etc. 1 Day Pass Adult - 18,00 €, 2 day Pass 21,00 €, Child 8,00 €, Special (disabled, 65 or older, etc.) 15,00 €.

There is a number of restaurants around the old port area, from the fast food Hippopotamus chain with surly waiters and carpets in need of an oil change to a decent restaurant la Taverne de Maître Kanter (usual seafood, including a huge bouillabaise, mussels, selection of oysters, steak and frites, etc.), Miramar (amazing fish soup (and decent bouillabaise), but not cheap - we dropped 200 € here on a large meal for two and a bottle of good Cassis white, but they also offered courtesy amuse bouche, pre- and post-dessert!) and the contemporary Le Moment. There are also the Bateau-Restaurant Le Marselloise (have not tried it) and a cast of many small restaurants and cafés (some of which can get rowdy later at night). The Les Arcenaulx (old arsenal) is also a picturesque place to dine. Calypso and Chez Michel are also at a picturesque location (Anse des Cátalans) overlooking the Mediterranean.

I'd frankly avoid the chain Hippopotamus restaurant - surly waitstaff, the carpet is in desperate need of an oil change.

Other good restaurants: L'Epuisette (pricey, but amazing bouillabaise) and Chez Fonfon (less pricey and more fun, opens earlier than most at 11:00 AM, serves through closing and accepts no reservations) have the reputation for the best seafood and bouillabaise, and are a twenty minute walk (or shorter cab ride) at the picturesque coastal Vallon des Auffles with beautiful sunsets and crowded with lots of fishing boats - an advance booking requesting a window table is always advisable at L'Epuisette; both restaurants closed Mondays.

Restaurants can be found out of town, such as reasonable Le Salon Provencal, 15 km / 9 miles away in quaint Allauch, or perhaps a stop at Cassis.

One can go driving to parking lots nearby and go hiking in the Callanques, or take one of several boats from the Quai de la Fraternité (by the Hippo restaurant) on one, two or three hour routs to Les Calanques - grotesquely and interestingly twisted and thrust up limestone cliffs and shapes with picturesque little fjords and a few small villages. The cheapest boats with shortest tours are 10 €, the longest 28 €. Some advertise much more than they actually provide - ICARD Maritime claims snack bar, beverages, multi-lingual narrations, etc. but in fact offers a nice boat, French narration and restrooms, for instance. Boat size counts - seas can get choppy. The morning trip offers better illumination, I think, and a sunset trip can be nice; summers one can disembark in Cassis, or even opt for a tour with swimming or snorkeling in a calanque.

Note the Calanque boats get very nice views of the Chateau D'If going by, and of the adjacent islands, as well as the Calanques with their crystalline waters. IMO, don't bother: Chateau D'If, the ex-prison chateau on a nearby small island, is the scene for the apocryphal Count of Monte Cristo.

There is a small, picturesque open air fish market in the morning at the Quai de la Fraternité as well, worth a glance.

If you have a car, a drive to Cassis (at the end of the Calanques) is nice, though it gets crowded in summer, and there are some nice drinkable wines from here as well. Aix en Provence is a short drive / train ride away, and well worth a day or two.

Annoyances: Petty thievery, much as anywhere tourists congregate. There are plenty of "Gypsies" trolling for your wallet here, so leave passports and valuables in your hotel safe (take a copy of your passport front page for identification). Be aware if you are approached by "mutes" somewhere in the city seeking "signatures for support" they will also demand money to "help them acquire assistive devices and education" - and be assured they are not mute, not part of any actual charitable endeavor, and you may see groups of them speaking and hearing quite easily passing time and chatting over how their fleecing has gone. These con artist packs are to be seen in other popular tourist places, such as Avignon and especially Paris, as well.

Minor annoyances: Most restaurants hard close after ~2 PM until 7 or 7:30 PM, so all that will remain open to you are cafes with very limited menus, Middle East / North African menus with the usual, or the very mediocre chain Hippopotamus.

MSPeconomist

Yes it's safe if you use common sense. Avoid dark alleys and control your belongings to discourage pickpockets. Marseille is a genuine working city, not some fancy place like you find further east along the riviera.

I'd suggest a couple days in Marseille for relaxed sightseeing and good seafood. There are hills, but this is a walking city with a small but easy to use subway system. In addition to a fancy meal at Le Petit Nice, go to one of the simpler places around the old port.

If you have more time, I would go to Aix-en-Provence for a day. There
should be frequent train service, perhaps at most a hour long, or you could move to Aix for your last night as it's closer to the airport than Marseille is.

Cassis and Bandol are along the coast to the east, but realistically you would want a car for these places.

tcook052

I will sheepishly admit to bypassing MRS in favor of Aix while spending a few weeks in Provence a few years back in part because of concerns about personal safety. I will have to rectify that error soon and your insights are appreciated, JDiver.