Cuisine of Marseille

The food of Marseille is an interesting mixture of all of the cultures that have touched the city. The most well known dish here is bouillabaisse, a rich fish and seafood stew, flavored with saffron. Bouillabaisse actually originated with the Greeks and is still made by ship’s cook with the daily catch to feed the crew. Other specialties of the region include pistou, a basil-flavored soup, couscous, and Italian-style pasta dishes.

Restaurants and cafes abound along the Marseille waterfront. In addition, many ethnic restaurants, particularly African and Italian, can be found throughout the city. Romantic restaurants with a view of the Mediterranean can be found perched up in the mountains that ring Marseille.

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

Nightlife in Marseilles

Marseilles has a dynamic live music and club scene. Check out Sortir, every Wednesday in La Provence (website: www.laprovence-presse.fr), the local daily paper, for listings. Also worth buying is l’Officiel des Loisirs, out every Wednesday too. Otherwise Vox Mag is a free fortnightly publication with listings, available from La Fnac, Virgin and many venues.

The best areas for nightlife in Marseilles are the Vieux Port and Place Thiars, and the Escale Borely, a relatively new waterfront development south of the town center (a 20 minute ride on the bus no 83), right by the sea. Also worth checking out is Le Cours Julien, a square lined with cafes and restaurants in the La Plaine area.

Bars: Many bars in Marseilles are also ‘glaciers’ (ice cream parlours). In fact, going out for an ice-cream is almost as popular as going out for a drink, at least in the hot summer months. For an aperitif head for the Bar de la Marine, 15 quai de Rive Neuve, 7e, made famous by local author Marcel Pagnol. Le Suffren, quai des Belges, 6e, is one of the many other bars overlooking the Vieux Port, perfect for people watching and especially pleasant at sunset. Le Cafe de la Plage, Escale Borely, avenue Pierre Mendes, 8e, is a swanky cocktail bar facing the sea near the Prado beaches, popular with a hip young surfer crowd.

Le Manureva, 1 avenue de la Pointe-Rouge, 8e, is an ultra trendy bar in the chic part of town (it’s decorated like a luxury yacht inside), ideal for a pre-club drink or two. Homesick visitors can try the Red Lion, 231 avenue Pierre de Mendes France, 8e for some draught beer, English speaking staff and some fish and chips. MP Bar, 10 rue Beauveau, 1e is the most popular of Marseilles’ gay bars, open from early evening until sunrise. Bars a vin (wine bars) are popular at the moment. Try Le Bistrot a Vin, 17 rue Sainte, 1e.

Casino: There are no casinos in Marseilles.

Clubs: Le Trolleybus, 22-24, quai de Rive Neuve, 7e has been going strong for years and is still one of the most popular clubs in Marseilles, with techno, house, hip-hop, jazz, and salsa, depending on the day of the week. The Cafe de la Plage, Escale Borely, avenue Mendès-France, 8e, is where all the trendy young things strut their stuff… it offers dancing and karaoke with popular music selections. The New Cancan (3 rue Senac, 1e) is the city’s largest gay-friendly club, while Le Millenium, route de Cassis, 9e, is one of the biggest clubs in town, and plays mainly house music. La Maronaise, Anse Croisettes, Les Goudes, 8e, is frequented by some of Marseilles’ beau monde (including well-known soccer players and television personalities) who come here to enjoy the amazing view and the impressive seawater pool (open Apr-Oct only). Entry to some nightclubs very much depends on the whim of the bouncers on the day, but dressing the part helps, so make an effort.

Live Music: check out Espace Julien, 39 cours Julien, 6e , for everything from French music to jazz to hip hop and local talent; Dock des Suds, 12, rue Urbain V, 2e for world music, and Friche Belle de Mai, 23 rue Guibal, 3e . Pele-Mele, 8 place aux Huiles 1e, is a many-faceted bar/disco/cafe that occasionally hosts live music. The Cite de la Musique (Auditorium), 4 rue Bernard du Bois, 1e (also Bastide de la Magalone, 245 bis, boulevard Michelet) is the home of several local music associations and features concerts of all kinds, from jazz to baroque music. La Cave a Jazz, rue Bernard-du-Bois, 1e, is, as its name indicates, the place to go for jazz music.

Marseilles Sightseeing

Marseilles’ history has always been closely linked to the sea, and likewise many of its sights, from the obvious starting point of the Vieux Port, Marseilles’ old port, to Notre Dame de la Garde (the church offering protection to sailors and fishermen) high on the hill overlooking the city, have some kind of connection to it. La Corniche and Les Plages (the beaches) near the Prado are popular, and for a bit of history and culture a walk through le Panier area (the oldest part of town) and a visit to the Vieille Charite are a must. If the sun gets too much, there are several museums worth checking out, and the beautiful Abbaye St Victor too.
Tourist Information

The tourist office has a good selection of leaflets in English covering the major places of interest in Marseilles and the surrounding areas, as well as maps. There is another, smaller tourist office just opposite La Vieille Charite, in Le Panier district.

Passes

The Marseille City Pass includes free transportation (including a tiny sightseeing train and boat trip to the Chateau d’If), free entry to 14 museums and free guided tours. It is available for one or two days. Passes can be purchased from the tourist office or participating outlets.

Getting around in Marseille

Public Transport

Régie des Transports de Marseille (RTM) provides public transport throughout the city and some of the suburbs. There are two metro lines (blue and red) and over 80 bus lines. The metro runs from 0500 until 2100 every day and from 0500 until 1230 from Friday to Sunday and when there is a football match at the Velodrome Stadium. Buses run from around 0500 until 2100 every day, consult the RTM website (above) for exact timetables for various bus routes.

Tickets can be bought in any metro station, at the RTM office on 6 rue des Fabres, or any shop displaying the RTM sign in their window. Major roadworks are currently under way to build a new tram system, which will become operational in 2006.

Day passes are available, as well as the Carte Liberté, valid for five to 10 trips. Tickets have to be validated, or you might incur an on the spot fine. You can travel on the same ticket for up to one hour. After that, another ticket must be validated.
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Getting in Marseille

By Air

Marseille Provence Airport is located 25km (16 miles) north of Marseilles, in Marignane. The airport is the fourth airport in France for passenger traffic, with 5.3 million passengers per year. It is home to some 25 regular airlines, with connections to 83 cities in 32 countries.

Major airlines: Air France is the national carrier . The airport is also served by Alitalia, British Airways, CSA, easyjet, Iberia KLM and Lufthansa, among others.

Approximate flight times to Marseilles: From London is 2 hours; from New York is 11 hours; from Los Angeles is 20 hours; from Toronto is 13 hours; from Sydney is 24 hours and from Paris Orly is 50 minutes. (All flights are via Paris, from London.)

Airport facilities: There is a bank and several ATMs, as well as a post office. Cafes, restaurants and newsagents can be found in both terminals. Duty-free shopping is available in the International Terminal, as well as a range of other shops, some selling regional produce. Left-luggage facilities are available. There is a Business Centre in Hall 4 of the Domestic Terminal.

Transport to the city: There are shuttle buses to Marseille St Charles train station (journey time – 30 minutes). Taxis are available 24 hours a day and can be ordered in advance .

By Rail

Societé Nationale de Chemins de Fer – SNCF is the national rail carrier. There are some 200 trains calling at Marseilles daily, including 15 trains to Paris. Generally, trains are on time. As throughout France, train tickets must be validated prior to boarding.

The train station, Gare St Charles , is the hub for regional and national rail travel. (more…)