Location: Marseille
Top Things to do in Marseille
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10 Things to Do in Marseille That You Shouldn't Miss
Travelers visit the port city of Marseille, the third largest city in France, for the meeting of style and history. The bay, flanked by Fort Saint-Nicolas, and Fort Saint-Jean shelters the Castle of If, from Count of Monte Cristo fame. Watched over by the basilica Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, the city's pedestrian zones and shopping areas (including the colorful French-African quarter) mix with historical sites.Travelers looking for a fun time go to the OK Corral, a cowboy theme amusement park.
Restaurants in Marseille
1. Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By daveDerbyUk - Derby, United Kingdom
Don't walk up catch the number 60 bus to the top from the old port and enjoy stunning views from the church it's very striking inside and out and when you've done walk back down to Castellane down steps etc which is signposted all the way which is a nice part of Marseille
2. Parc national des Calanques
Overall Ratings
5 based on 2 reviews
Créé le 18 avril 2012, le Parc national des Calanques est le 10e parc national français et le seul périurbain en Europe, à la fois terrestre et marin. Situé au cœur de la métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, ce monument naturel comprend des massifs littoraux découpés de Calanques, plusieurs îles, ainsi qu’un vaste espace marin qui, avec le canyon de la Cassidaigne, inclut l’un des plus riches Canyons sous-marins de Méditerranée en termes de biodiversité. Situés dans l’une des zones les plus arides et ventées de France, ces paysages spectaculaires abritent près de 140 espèces terrestres animales et végétales protégées et 60 espèces marines. C’est cet ensemble unique d’écosystèmes et de spécificités culturelles que le Parc national a pour Mission de protéger et valoriser pour les résidents, usagers, visiteurs et les générations futures. Superficie cœur marin : 43 500 ha. Cœur terrestre : 8 500 ha. Les activités proposées sur ce site ne sont pas des recommandations de l’établissement.
Reviewed By CPaM68 - Houston, Texas
The Parc National des Calanques is a gorgeous national park located near the seaside village of Cassis. The landscape features breathtaking cliffs and inlets, and Beaches that can be seen by boat or on foot. We were on a day-trip out of Toulon where our cruise ship docked, and this was something that our driver thought we should see. He was right. I had never even heard of a calanque but discovered they were narrow, steep-walled inlets developed in limestone and found along the Mediterranean coast. They are beautiful. It is true that pictures don’t do the bright, turquoise water justice. People were sunbathing on the tiny Beaches and at one calanque, people were rock climbing and repelling down the cliffs. The locals go to the Parc and hike to the inlets but tourists with limited time must limit themselves to the boat tour. We choose GIE des Bateliers which offered several different boat tours based on time and the number of inlet coves you wanted to visit. One negative aspect was that the narration was only in French. Despite the language barrier, we enjoyed ourselves. I wish we would have had more time. Maybe someday we can come back and hike down to one of the coves.
3. Randonnees theatrales Marcel Pagnol Cie Dans la cour des Grands
Overall Ratings
5 based on 300 reviews
4. Calanque de Morgiou
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 433 reviews
Reviewed By dominique_hwang - Lyon, France
This is the end of the National park. There is a small fish village and a hiking trail leading tourists up to the very top of the mountain. Since it was almost sunset, instead of hiking, we just stood at the sea shore to watch the sun going down. We have this beautiful and vivid colorful sunset in this calanque imprinted in our memory.
5. Fort Saint-Jean
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By NorthernHeatseeker - UK
This was one of my favourite places we visited in Marseille. It has been really beautifully restored and has some very nice quirky architectural touches.
I took loads of photos here as there was so much to explore. My other half went up the narrow steps of the square tower and took some great pics from the top.
Definitely worth putting on your 'to do' list if visiting the city.
6. Abbaye Saint Victor
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 687 reviews
Reviewed By essex-hiker-biker - Cambridge, United Kingdom
The Abbaye Saint Victor lies on the site of one of the oldest Christian burial sites in Marseilles. The main church itself is an impressive building, clearly as much a fort as a place of worship, but it's the crypt that is the real gem. For an incredibly modest €2 entry you are transported back in time 16 centuries to the time of the very first Christians in Marseille. The crypt is filled with incredible Roman-era tombs and sarcophagi, some pre-dating the Abbey by two or three centuries. All in all one of the most amazing places I have ever visited, and definitely the highlight of my time in Marseille
7. Vallon des Auffes
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By Dafne07 - Vienna, Austria
It is nice to see but don't expect something big. It's nice to see though. You will not need more than 30 minutes to walk around.
8. Musee d'Histoire de Marseille
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 479 reviews
Reviewed By ryansumo - Manila
Must visit at the start of your Marseille trip to get a better overview of the city and its rich history. As previous reviewers have said, there are extensive artifacts from greek, roman, and pre-modern period. Unlike others, I found the audioguides absolutely well done, with a wealth of information about most of the artifacts. The garden outside was amazing as well. It's a thrill to stand among the stone remains of the ancient city and image as if you were still walking in the ancient Greek cit of Massilia.
The museum staff do not speak a lick of English, but are very accommodating if you even try to speak some French.
Tip : The museum lets you step out for as much as two hours to have lunch or eat out after you enter, which is fairly uncommon for museums. We took advantage to step out for some lunch before returning. Might be tough to ask the staff about it, but say something about wanting to eat (mange) and return (retour) and maybe they'll get it.
9. calanque de Sormiou
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 633 reviews
Reviewed By Dufour D - Paris, France
Walking, by electric bike, by boat, by car (tricky), you must find any way to reach this out of the ordinary paradise!
It's not easy to reach there but it's worthy!
You need to go up a mountain then way down the hill to reach it.
If you are willing to walk around 1 hour + on one way , then do it.
If not, you can reach it by car under one condition which is to book at Le Chateau restaurant, give them your car platte number, and then reach there and pay 4.5 euros for the parking.
Yes, I know it's not straight forward but it's worth it.
I won't say more and will let the photos talk.
10. La Meridionale
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 627 reviews
La meridionale runs 3 crossings every night between Corsica and Marseille, serving Ajaccio, bastia, Propriano and the phocaean city. Aboard its manageably-sized ships, you’ll find a warm welcome, comfortable cabins and delicious corsican-inspired cuisine. With la meridionale, you’re already in Corsica !
Reviewed By Rex T - Lyon, France
We sued the Meridionale going to Corsica and back on our honey moon!
We didn't like the service as their was some level of discrimination! Nevrtheless, we had purposed to enjoy our honeymoon and the good service we got from Radisson Blu at Corsica and Hotel Dieu at Marseille made us endure the cruise!
The toilets were very dirty and we were surprised that they gave us the double room without cleaning it poroperly! It felt quite filthy my wife had a very hard time taking a bath in it!
To make matters worse, the vibrations on the side of the rooms we got, sleeping 2 on one big bed, was so noisy we could not sleep! It's sad that the only way to stop the vibrations would be to shut down the engine! We endured the night crossing and we hope never to use it again! Next time, plane may be better or possibly another cruise ship!
Our experience was bad! really bad!
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