Book Olympic Air Flights to Marseille

Sightseeing in Marseille

The signature landmark of Marseille is the beautiful Neo-Byzantine Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde, which since 1864 “oversees” the city from its highest hill. A truly impressive building, with a colossal statue of Virgin Mary with the Divine Infant at the top of its tall belfry. The Basilica interior is also worth a visit, as it is adorned with beautiful mosaics, vibrant frescoes and works of art. The view you will enjoy from its surroundings is breathtaking. You can also visit the museum that unfolds the story of the emblematic temple.
Address: Rue Fort du Sanctuaire, 0033 4 91134080.

The old almshouse Centre de la Vieille Charité is considered as the most beautiful baroque building in the Panier district. It has been declared a World Heritage Site thanks to the renowned French architect Le Corbusier, as it is an impressive 17th-century three-storey building with beautiful arched sides and a large courtyard. The building survived the World War II bombings and today houses, among other things, cinemas, exhibition spaces, the impressive Mediterranean Archaeology Museum and the African, Oceanic and Native American Art Museum.
Address: 2 Rue de la Charité, 0033 4 91145880, http://vieille-charite-marseille.com 

On the esplanade between the old harbour and the Joliette district stands the La Nouvelle Major Cathedral. It is the 19th-century St. Mary’s Cathedral, founded by the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte and characterised by a combination of white and green limestone, immense towers and a 141-metres-long aisle. At the base of the church, near the sea, a new urban space has been created in the old warehouses that once supplied ships on the quay. The area now features modern restaurants, bars and shops.
Address: Les Voûtes Marseille, Esplanade du J4.

As part of the architectural redevelopment of the J4 quay, the post-modern Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations was created. The building with its impressive transparencies, looks like it is floating on the sea. It is a unique complex at the entrance of the port, which brings together exhibits and projections on the multicultural civilisation of the Mediterranean peoples in terms of archaeology, history, sociology, anthropology and political sciences. Crossing the suspended bridge that connects the Museum with the fortress of St. John  (Fort Saint-Jean) of the 17th century - currently an exhibition area - you will find yourselves in a beautiful Mediterranean garden, the “Garden of Migration”.
Address: 7 promenade Robert Laffont (esplanade du j4), 0033 4 84351313, www.mucem.org 

Take a boat ride from the port to visit the Château d 'If, the fortress on the smaller island of the Frioul archipelago, in the middle of the Gulf of Marseille. The castle was originally built in the 16th century as a defensive structure and later became a prison, like the Alcatraz in California. It rose to fame by Alexander Dumas and his 1844 novel “The Count of Monte Cristo’’, as the protagonist is imprisoned there.
Address: Embarcadère Frioul If, 1 Quai de la Fraternité, 0033 6 03062526.

Discover Marseille

Start exploring the city from its trademark, the Old Port (Vieux Port), with the unmistakably Mediterranean atmosphere. In the area you will find many restaurants offering the local speciality, the bouillabaisse. Walking the Quai des Belges in the early morning, you will see the fish market with the freshest catch of the Mediterranean and the steel mirror - pavilion by architect Norman Foster, a discreet intervention in the area made in contemporary style.

Walk along Longchamp Avenue, in the 4^th District of the city, which takes you to the namesake palace with the exceptionally arranged gardens. The impressive building houses the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Walk along the old district of Le Panier (the basket), which many call “Montmartre of Marseille”. The area begins behind the town hall, where you will also see the Maison Diamantée ("Diamond House"), one of Marseille's oldest houses. This is where the cultural heart of Marseille beats, in this neighbourhood of peach-coloured buildings, built on the ruins of the ancient market of this ancient Greek colony. The area is full of old buildings, small shops, restaurants, galleries, squares, and the bustle of the beautiful Le Canebière boulevard will lead your steps around this picturesque neighbourhood.

Take a trip to one of France's most beautiful natural landscapes, the famous Mediterranean fjords, LesCalanques. Created 12,000 years ago, after the end of the Ice Age, they consist of sharp cliffs and a twenty-kilometre coastline with emerald waters and a rich ecosystem. To get to Calanques you can take one of the boats departing daily from the old Port.

The markets of the city

Marseille is full of markets (marchés) such as the Quai des Belges fish market and the Des Capucins market which specialises in antiques.

At the boutique on La Canebière Avenue you will find shops of up-and-coming local designers, as well as the pedestrianised Rue de la Tour, also known as the “Street of Fashion”.

At Cours Julien you will walk through the ateliers and sophisticated boutiques behind the Old Port.

In the Panier district you will find the famous Marseille soap, Provence pottery, traditional almond "croquants marseillais" cookies, "marseillotes" chocolate coated nougat.

Food & Entertainment

Marseille is famous for its bouillabaisse, the fish soup that the old fishermen cooked with what was left over from the day's catch. The ideal bouillabaisse is made with scorpion fish and other stone fish, with garlic and saffron.

At the Old Port you will find many fish taverns that offer, in addition to bouillabaisse, favourite seafood delicacies such as mussels, oysters, sea squirts, shrimps, stuffed or fried calamari, pandoras with basil sauce.

Meat also has its place in Marseille’s traditional cuisine, with dishes such as tripe soup (pieds et paquets), stuffed beef rolls (alouettes “sans tête”), ideally accompanied by the famous wines of Provence’s vineyard.

The all new J4 quay of the commercial port is perfect for a walk and a drink in summer evenings, where you can start your night out with the classic aperitif of south France, a glass of pastis.

Transport from the airport

To get to the city from Marseille Provence International Airport, you can take the Marseille bus lines to Saint Charles and Bougainville Stations. Alternatively, take the T2 train line to Saint Charles Station. The journey takes half an hour. If you choose a taxi, note that they have a fare list. Indicatively, the fare to the centre of Marseille is about 50 Euro.