Excursions of Marseille

For a Half Day

Le Chateau d’If and le Frioul: Boats leave every half hour from Vieux-Port to If, some 3km (2 miles) off the coast. François I discovered the rocky island in 1516 and had a fortress built there, which soon became an infamous prison for galley slaves and ruffians, then thousands of Huguenot prisoners. Its most famous inmate, in fiction, was Alexandre Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo. It is an impressively bleak spot which commands great views of Marseilles. The Frioul (once an independent republic) is bigger and has bars, restaurants and shops. Take a hike to the Hopital Caroline, a disused hospital that was used during the plague epidemic in 1720. Allow one day if visiting both islands. There are several daily departures from the quai des Belges on the Vieux Port.

For a Whole Day

Cassis and the Calanques: The Calanques, just outside Marseilles, are a postcard perfect picture of turquoise waters, steep limestone cliffs falling abruptly into the sea, typical guarrigue vegetation and secluded coves and creeks. Add to this the smell of pine trees and the sound of cicadas and you might be forgiven for thinking you’ve found paradise on earth. The area is ideal for swimming and hiking (but beware it can get terribly hot in summer, so make sure you’ve got plenty of water with you, and apply sun cream regularly and generously), and is popular with climbers and divers. Check out Sormiou, Morgiou, En Vau or the more upmarket town of Cassis, which has plenty of restaurants and cafes for the weary hiker.

Aix en Provence: A thriving university town that has managed to keep a very Provencal atmosphere, Aix has been as popular with artists (Paul Cezanne and Emile Zola lived here, to mention but a couple of them) as with tourists, who never fail to marvel at the very civilized pace of life here. Sit at a cafe on the Cours Mirabeau (Aix’s main street) and just watch life go by for a while before exploring the maze of little streets in the old part of town. For more information www.visitprovence.com