Travel Eye on Marseille (France)

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Overview:

France's second largest city and most important seaport is Marseille. It was established over 2600 years ago and has prospered chiefly as a trading port through the ages. In the past it has suffered a rough reputation linked with racial tensions and organised crime, but now this is image is becoming outdated. Thanks to the rapid TGV rail-link, many Parisians come to treat this cosmopolitan city as a weekend retreat. It is generally now regarded as "branché" (i.e. trendy) and a far cry from "The French Connection".

On the southern side of the old port is a pedestrian zone with a lively mix of bars, cafés and restaurants. Also in this area is the Opéra , Marseilles oldest cultural institution built in 1924, and the national theatre, La Criée . Further south is a hill, the top of which is the highest point in the city.

Eastwards from the old port extends the city's main thoroughfare known as La Canebiere , a name linked with its roots in rope-making. In it's heyday it had a lively café culture but these days it is not very satisfying to walk along. Just off this street however, the area towards the Prefecture building that includes Rue Saint Ferréol , a pedestrianised shopping street, is worth a stroll. 

A short boat ride from the old port can take you to a couple of small offshore islands southwest about a mile away. On one of them stands the Château d'If , a 16th century fortress used as a prison. This is the where Alexander Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo was imprisoned although in reality there is no record of anyone escaping. Many of the inmates either died there or went mad or both, lending this place a rather sinister reputation.

Although it is the capital of the local departement, Marseille cannot be seen as representative of the area. It is a city that stands out as an anomaly and whose frenetic pulse guarantees it to be loved by some and loathed by others.

Locality:

Marseille can be found on highway A7 and route N7, 700 km from Paris, 270km from Lyon,
3h from Paris by TGV (high speed train).

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

The most popular beach near the city centre is the Plage des Catalans. This marks the beginning of Marseille's corniche that ends at the Plage du Prado, the city's main sand beach, where the water is remarkably clean.

Cassis is a beautiful resort town just west of Marseille. Hemmed in by high white cliffs, its modern development has been limited and it retains much of the charm lost by its more high-profile neighbours. Built on the side of a hill, the old village is centred around a shady square where the inhabitants come to cool off and play 'pétanque' on summer nights.

On the sparsely vegetated island of If is the infamous prison, Château d'If, which is best known as the penal setting for Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. François I built the fortress here to defend Marseille and its port in the 16th century, and the site later housed a state prison.

Directly south of Marseille, and to the west of Cassis, is the wild coastline of the Massif des Calanques. Some of France's most beautiful and dramatic scenery can be found along this 12-mile (19km) stretch of coastline; the sea has cut gorges, up to a mile (two km) deep, into the limestone. Dazzling white limestone cliffs overhang the sea and attract rock climbers and deep-sea divers.

One of Marseille's most scenic buildings is the Palais Longchamp. Built during the Second Empire, it is the grandiose conclusion of an aqueduct that once brought water from the Durance to the city.