Question 1

Marseille on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Once the shuttle or bus has brought you to Place de la Joliette, the cathedral, the Mucem and the Old Port are all within walking distance. Notre-Dame de la Garde, on its hill above the harbor, is the one ride worth adding. The Old Port and Le Panier: The harbor has been the city's port since antiquity and has been largely pedestrian since 2013. Le Panier, the oldest part of the city, climbs behind the town hall on the north side in steep, narrow streets. The Mucem and Fort Saint-Jean: The museum of European and Mediterranean civilizations stands at the harbor entrance, joined by a high footbridge to Fort Saint-Jean, built in 1660, and its outdoor areas are free to enter. Notre-Dame de la Garde: Bus 60 runs from the Mucem, the Quai du Port or the Quai des Belges to the foot of the basilica's steps. On foot from the Old Port it is a climb of about 45 minutes. The Château d'If: Boats leave from the Old Port for the island fortress, so check the return times before you go. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, so leave a margin for the shuttle and the walk to the gangway. Carry ID: French law requires you to prove who you are when the police ask, or at a police station within four hours, so carry your passport or a photo ID.

Question 2

Getting Around Marseille

Accepted Answer

Marseille's RTM network runs two metro lines, three tram lines and many bus routes, and one 24-hour pass covers buses, trams, the metro and the little ferry across the Old Port. You can also pay at the validators with a contactless bank card. Validate your ticket every time you board, because riding without a validated ticket can bring a fine. The 24-hour pass does not cover the boats to the Frioul islands and the Château d'If. Almost every metro station has steps, and some have several flights of stairs, so the trams and buses are easier with a stroller or limited mobility. Bus 83 serves the Catalans, Prophète and Prado beaches. Taxis are the practical choice late in the evening, when many bus routes stop running.

Question 3

What to Eat in Marseille

Accepted Answer

Bouillabaisse, the fish soup that began as a meal for Marseille's fishermen, is the city's signature dish. A traditional one uses at least three kinds of fish and comes in two parts, the broth first and then the fish. Rouille: The broth is served with rouille, a sauce of olive oil, garlic, saffron and cayenne, spread on grilled slices of bread. Where to order it: Bouillabaisse is never cheap, so choose a restaurant where it has to be ordered in advance; fish soup, soupe de poisson, is the less expensive alternative. Aïoli: The garlic sauce is served as a meal with vegetables and salt cod. Panisses: Slices of chickpea-flour dough, fried in olive oil, are a specialty of L'Estaque. Pastis: The anise-flavored aperitif, first sold by Paul Ricard in 1932, is especially popular around Marseille.

Question 4

Tipping in France

Accepted Answer

French law requires the cost of service to be built into restaurant prices, so a tip is not expected. If you want to thank a waiter, most French people simply round the bill up to the next multiple of five euros. Keep a tip for service that was out of the ordinary. The currency is the euro.

Question 5

Culture and Attractions in Marseille

Accepted Answer

Marseille's landmarks span 26 centuries, from the ancient harbor to a museum opened in 2013, and many of them are close to the Old Port. The basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, known locally as la Bonne Mère, stands above them on its hill. Notre-Dame de la Garde: The basilica was consecrated in 1864, and its bell tower carries an 11.2-meter statue of the Madonna and Child in gilded copper. Inside, ship models and other ex-votos cover the walls. The Mucem: The national museum of European and Mediterranean civilizations opened in 2013, when Marseille was European Capital of Culture. La Vieille Charité: Built between 1671 and 1749 to a design by Pierre Puget as an almshouse for the poor, it now holds museums around an arcaded courtyard with a domed chapel. The Abbey of Saint-Victor: By tradition it was founded in the 5th century near the tombs of local martyrs, and its crypts hold sarcophagi from the late 4th and 5th centuries. The cathedral: La Major, a national monument, stands on the western edge of Le Panier, with part of the much smaller older cathedral still beside it.

Question 6

History of Marseille

Accepted Answer

Marseille has been a trading port since Greeks from Phocaea settled the cove that is now the Old Port, around 600 BC. Plague, revolution and war have all left their mark on the city. Around 600 BC: Greek settlers from Phocaea, in what is now Turkey, landed in the cove they called the Lacydon and founded Massalia. 49 BC: Massalia sided against Julius Caesar in the Roman civil war and lost its independence after his siege. 5th century: By tradition, John Cassian founded the Abbey of Saint-Victor beside the tombs of local martyrs. 1524 to 1531: King Francis I had the Château d'If built on an island off the harbor to defend the coast. It later became a prison, and Alexandre Dumas used it as a setting in The Count of Monte Cristo. 1660: Louis XIV built Fort Saint-Jean and Fort Saint-Nicolas at the harbor mouth after a local uprising, with their guns facing the town. 1720: Plague arrived on the merchant ship Grand-Saint-Antoine and killed about 50,000 of the city's 90,000 people over two years. 1792: Volunteers from Marseille were the first to sing a new revolutionary song in Paris, and the crowd named it after them: La Marseillaise. 1853 and 1864: Work began on the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, on the site of a 16th-century fort and a medieval chapel, and it was consecrated in 1864 while still unfinished. 1943: In January, German forces and the Vichy authorities expelled about 30,000 people from the old quarter north of the Old Port, and around 1,500 of its buildings were then dynamited. 2013: Marseille was European Capital of Culture, the Mucem opened, and the Old Port was made largely pedestrian. To learn more ashore: The Musée d'Histoire de Marseille, at 2 rue Henri Barbusse near the Old Port, is built around the excavated remains of the ancient harbor. It is closed on Mondays, and its permanent collections are free.

Question 7

Marseille with Children and Families

Accepted Answer

Marseille gives children boats, forts and beaches, and the Old Port is the place to start for all three. Pick one boat trip or one hill for the day rather than trying to do both with younger children. Younger children: The sandy Plage des Catalans is a few minutes' walk from the Old Port and has a first-aid post, and the Plage du Prophète, also on bus 83, has shallow water. School age: Take the boat to the Château d'If, the island prison of The Count of Monte Cristo, or walk the old walls and footbridges of Fort Saint-Jean, which are free to enter. Teenagers: On the Frioul island of Ratonneau, a walk of about half an hour from the landing stage leads to Saint-Estève beach, which has lifeguards and an underwater trail in summer. Museums for free: The Musée d'Histoire de Marseille is free for everyone under 18. In the sea: Even strong swimmers can get into trouble in rough water, so stay at beaches with lifeguards and learn what the warning flags mean.

Question 8

Accessibility in Marseille

Accepted Answer

Getting from the ship into town involves a walk of 5 to 12 minutes to the shuttle stop, and the gangway can be up to 2.5 kilometers from the bus stop, so ask your cruise line how it handles passengers with limited mobility. In the city, the Old Port is largely pedestrian, but Le Panier is steep and the metro is full of stairs. Almost every metro station has steps, so trams and buses are the better choice for wheelchair users. Bus 60 stops at the foot of the steps up to Notre-Dame de la Garde. The tourist office at 11 La Canebière holds the national Tourisme et Handicap label for visitors with physical, mental, visual and hearing disabilities. My Easy Access, a free app and website, maps accessible routes and places in Marseille. In the bathing season, the beaches at Corbières, Pointe Rouge and Bonneveine have facilities adapted for visitors with reduced mobility.

Question 9

Shopping in Marseille

Accepted Answer

Marseille soap and santons, the terracotta figurines of a Provençal nativity scene, are the classic things to take home. For Provençal biscuits, look for navettes, flavored with orange flower water and shaped like a small boat. Since an edict of 1688 under Louis XIV, only olive-oil soap could be sold as savon de Marseille, and the traditional kind is greenish rather than white. Navettes are traditionally baked for Candlemas, in place of crêpes. The santon fair, a Christmas market, is held near the Canebière and the Old Port from late November. The Noailles quarter, on metro line 2 and tram line 1, is full of food shops and has a busy market.

Question 10

Beaches and the Calanques

Accepted Answer

The sandy Plage des Catalans is a few minutes' walk from the Old Port, and more beaches follow along the coast to the Prado and Pointe Rouge. Beyond them, the Calanques National Park has limestone coves that you reach on foot. Plage du Prado: A run of free beaches about 3.5 kilometers long stretches from the Prado statue of David toward Pointe Rouge, on buses 83 and 19. Pointe Rouge: It is Marseille's largest sandy beach, next to the small port of the same name. Corbières, L'Estaque: Three beaches with lifeguards lie at the north end of the city, on bus 35. The calanques: From June 1 to September 30, the national park is closed to visitors on days classified red for fire risk. Wear sturdy shoes and take water for the walk to a calanque, and do not smoke anywhere in the park.

Marseille

More views of Marseille

Good to know

What Cruise Travelers Should Know About Marseille