Book a Flight to Marseille from €46

Notre-Dame de la Garde: Perched on the city’s highest point, La Garde hill, is Marseille’s basilica and landmark, also known as “the Good Mother”. It was built in 1864, replacing the medieval 13th century chapel of the same name. Its interior is decorated with mosaics, frescoes and works of art and its bell tower is topped with a monumental statue of the Madonna and Child. Take in the stunning bird’s eye view of the city and port and visit the museum recording the history of this emblematic church.
Address: Rue Fort du Sanctuaire, 0033 4 91134080, 

Centre de la Vieille Charité: The former almshouse located in the Panier district is the epitome of baroque. The three-storey 17th century building, with its arcaded galleries, interior courtyard and elegant chapel, was once an asylum for orphans and the impoverished. Abandoned after WWII, it was saved from demolition thanks to the intervention of the famous French architect Le Corbusier, who managed to get it listed as a World Heritage Site. Today it houses the Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology, the Museum of Art of Africa, Oceania and Amerindia, the Marseille International Poetry Centre, a cinema and exhibition venues.
Address: 2 Rue de la Charité, 0033 4 91145880, http://vielle-charite-marseille.com
  
Cathédrale de la Nouvelle Major: The cornerstone of Marseille’s imposing 19th century white and green limestone Cathedral of St. Mary, with its 141-metre long nave and soaring towers, was laid by Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew and heir, Napoleon III. The old warehouses below the church, which used to supply ships calling at the port, have undergone a radical refurbishment and since 2014 are the new waterfront urban space, full of hip restaurants, bars and shops. 
Address: Les Voûtes Marseille, Esplanade du J4  
 
Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations: Situated on Pier J4, its impressive transparencies creating the impression that it is floating between sea and sky, the MuCEM is a post-modern emblem of the city’s recent makeover. This amazing complex at the entrance to the port houses exhibitions and productions dedicated exclusively to the multicultural hodgepodge of Mediterranean peoples and cultures, from the perspective of archaeology, history, sociology, anthropology and political sciences. 
Cross the elevated walkway linking the Museum to the 17th century Fort Saint-Jean, which today operates as an exhibition centre, and you will find yourself in a delightful Mediterranean garden, the “Garden of Migration”.
Address: 7 promenade Robert Laffont (esplanade du j4), 0033 4 84351313, www.mucem.org

Château d'If: Take the ferry from the port and visit the tiny island fortress located in the middle of the Bay of Marseille. Situated on the Île d’If, an uninhabited islet used only by fishermen, the 16th century castle was built to defend the coast and was later used as a prison, most famously as the place where the hero of Alexandre Dumas’ novel, The Count of Monte Christo, was incarcerated. 
Address: Embarcadère Frioul If, 1 Quai de la Fraternité, 0033 6 03062526

L’Estaque: A pretty little fishing village north of Marseille, which between 1860 and 1920 inspired some of the most important artists of cubism, fauvism and impressionism. Take the boat from the Old Port and visit the idyllic harbour which has been immortalised by Cezanne, Braque, Renoir, Derain. 
 
Les Calanques: These spectacular Mediterranean fjords were created 12,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age. Stretching along the coast for a distance of about twenty kilometres, sheer limestone cliffs plummet vertically into sapphire-blue waters, creating a series of coves and an ecosystem with 900 species of plants, many of which are endemic. Above water, the rock crevices are home to rare animals, such as the Montpellier snake and Bonelli’s eagle. Boat tours for the Calanques leave daily from the Old Port.

Don’t miss Marseille’s atmospheric street markets: folklore at the Quai des Belges fish market, antique hunting at the Marché des Capucins. Fashion is a very serious affair in this southern French metropolis: the Maison Méditerranéenne des Métiers de la Mode (ΜΜΜΜ) has recently relocated to new facilities in the Euroméditerranée, the rejuvenated port area. Up-and-coming Marseille designers give lessons in style at the boutiques along the Canebière, in the pedestrianised Rue de la Tour, also known as Rue de la Mode, while the city’s shopping centres, such as the stylish Centre Bourse or the brand-new Terrasses du Port at the Place de la Joliette, turn a shopping spree into a travel experience.

Wander around the ateliers and trendy boutiques in the Cours Julien near the Old Port and the shops in the Panier quarter to buy Marseille soap, Provence terracotta pottery, traditional croquants marseillais (almond biscuits) and chocolate-covered nougat.

Marseille’s most famous dish is of course bouillabaisse, inspired by the soup prepared by fishermen with whatever was left over from the day’s catch and traditionally made with red rascasse and other rockfish and flavoured with garlic and saffron. Try some at the Old Port seafood restaurants looking out over the Bay of Marseille. Follow it with mussels, oysters, globefish, shrimp, stuffed or fried calamari, red snapper with basil sauce, and other Mediterranean dishes fresh from the sea. The local cuisine also includes meat dishes, such as tripe soup (pieds et paquets) and stuffed beef rolls (alouettes “sans tête”), that go perfectly with the robust Provençal wines. 

Sample the best of French cuisine at the bistros and brasseries in the old Panier district or try authentic cooking from around the world at the ethnic restaurants in the Cours Julien, a bohemian district perched above the Old Port, teeming with theatres, pubs, piano bars, music stages, and famous for its street art. On summer nights, the city’s hip crowd flocks to the chill-out bars on the revamped Esplanade J4 to kick off the evening with a glass of pastis, the classic aperitif of the south of France.

The city’s key events combine tradition and entertainment.

• French national holiday (14th of July). The celebrations organised by the Municipality of Marseille, the city that gave France its national anthem, La Marseillaise, on the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (1789), are particularly dazzling. 
• Candlemas Procession A ritual procession from the Old Port to the historic Abbey of Saint-Victor, for centuries a centre of the city’s monastic life. On the morning of February 2, the statue of the Black Virgin is brought up from the crypt where it usually rests and pilgrims make their way to the Abbey to receive the Archbishop’s blessing. After the mass is celebrated, the faithful purchase navettes, traditional biscuits shaped like little boats. 
• Festival de Marseille Held every July. Ballet from Monte Carlo, flamenco from Seville and French electronic transform the city into an open-air party.
• Pétanque World Championship Every July, upwards of 12,000 contenders from 20 different countries converge on Marseille to play the traditional game of pétanque. A form of boules, variants of which are found in Italy (“bocce”) or on the island of Amorgos in Greece, (“balles”). In the Provençal version players must throw the ball without lifting their feet from the ground (“pès tancats”).

Getting to and from the airport in Marseille

Aegean Airlines operates through Marseille Provence International Airport, located 27 km northeast of the city. The airport is relatively small but features duty free shops, numerous restaurants and cafes, banks, foreign exchange counters and car rental desks. Wi-Fi is free in all departure areas.

To get to the city, take the busses heading to the Saint Charles and Bougainville stations; train line T2 also takes you to Saint Charles. The journey takes half an hour. If you choose to go by taxi, keep in mind that they have a fixed price list. The fare to the centre of Marseille is approximately 50 euros.