Marseille on a Sunday

[cruiser100]

We will be docking in Marseille on a Sunday & have already been to Aix & do not want to travel far. We thought of wandering around the old port & having lunch there but most restaurants seem to close on Sunday. Any suggestions?

[edinburgher]

Hi, you dont say when you will be in Marseille nor how long you will have there nor your interests, so its difficult to say what might suit you best.

 

 

I know the area pretty well as I visit friends there, but its fair to say that I'm not familiar with Sundays as they are usually at their summer house in a resort close to Marseille and dont take the car out on Sundays as its too busy!

 

That said, you have much to choose from. Marseille is the main transport hub for the area. If you dont know the actual city at all, then I suggest you go to the excellent Marseille Tourist Office website. Click for the English version and the more you look, the more you find. These days Marseille is much more tourist orientated and you will find info on seeing the town yourself, organised city tours, taxi tours, public transport etc. My absolute "not to be missed" would be Notre Dame de la Garde (the symbol of Marseille) for the truly awesome views of the city and sea, the Canabiere, and the Old Port. From the old port there are very short boat trips to a couple of offshore islands, and its the Chateau d'If you should head for. You maybe know the story of the Count of Monte Cristo.

 

You will probably also see boat trips on offer to the Calanques, the rocky inlets along the coast. These are very popular but from Marseille its fairly long as the Calanques are along the coast near to Cassis. Cassis also offers these boat trips and because they are located next to the town, its a shorter trip and more enjoyable. Its also a good excuse to visit Cassis itself. Cassis is the "St Tropez" of the area. Hugely popular, very pretty, bursting at the seams with visitors throughout summer. Its great. You can get there from Marseille by train (approx 20mins, maybe only €4 or €5. I suggest Cassis 1/2 day, Marseille 1/2 day.

[edinburgher]

Going north from Marseille theres several towns worth visiting.

 

 

Theres Arles, and Nimes. Both approx 1/2 hour by train from Marseille and theres Avignon a little further at just under an hour.

 

Look at the sncf site for train timings, prices etc. Its very user friendly. Just look for the bit to click which gives you the English section. You will get all the info you need on there. To get prices you need to click an outward train from the selection, then a return from the selection. You journey choices with prices will pop up. You should use Marseille Gare St Charles as your starting point (theres several in Marseille) St Charles is the main station, centrally situated next to the Canabiere.

 

You could look at the Tourist Office website for each town to see which you might like best. Again, I have no idea about Sundays. However, Sundays are popular for general markets and some of the biggest are held on Sundays. See if any of these towns have a Sunday market. The mix of produce, flowers and general items is worth a look, and Provencal goods and souvenirs are usually cheaper. Maybe the tourist offices could tell you by email if theres nothing on the site.

 

 

Further along from Cassis theres several beach towns, including La Ciotat, Bandol and Sanary sur Mer. The last 2 are nicer than the first. Again you can get there by train. Theres actually an amazing drive you can do called La Route des Cretes. (the route of the peaks) It goes from Marseille and you can descend into Cassis and La Ciotat. You would need a car for this.

 

Its the area around Bandol which produces much of the rose wine and theres a beatiful circuit you can do (but only by car) through acres and acres of vines to visit the really stunning towns of Le Castellet and La Cadiere d'Azur.

This area is not uniformly pretty, but there are pockets of real beauty and interest if you know where to look.

Hope this inspires and helps!

[goldenprincess53]

Are there any nice beaches in Marseille? We are planning to visit Aix en provence in the am (via train or bus); return to Marseille in early pm to visit Cathedral and Old Port. If time permits, perhaps relax with a foot dip in the sea and walk along beach.

[mappa2]

edinburgher - we will be in marseille in early october on the holland

america "westerdam". we would like to go to cassis.

how do you get to the train (or bus) from the dock?

 

 

thanks,

 

larry

[harveybeaver]

Edinburgher - Many thanks for your extremely useful advise which has given me much to think about.

 

Cruiser 100

[edinburgher]

I am sorry but I know nothing about the cruise port in Marseille, having only ever arrived there by car, train or plane. I found some info on it by doing a search using words such as Marseille cruise port, Port of Marseille etc, just as I do for any port anywhere and info popped up in the results.

 

 

However, I also had a quick look on the Marseille tourist board site. www.marseille-tourisme.com (click for English) and I dont know if you missed it or not when you were on, but if you pass your cursor slowly from left to right along the line which starts "Welcome" when you pass it over "Tourist Destination", the sub headings include one for CRUISES with info on the port. Your question isnt actually answered, but you could easily email the tourist office. Their email address pops up here and there throughout the site. Theres also "useful clicks" at the top of the home page. They even suggest walking tours. And like I said, theres various other ways to see the city too. Its all on the site. Just take time to explore it.

 

For more info and ideas, I also like www.virtualtourist.com Just enter Marseille in the destinations box and all sorts of useful ideas and tips pop up. They are written by people who have themselves gone there.

 

And on this forum, if you go to the SEARCH THIS FORUM box above the first thread in Europe (this one) and key in Marseille, there quite a number of previous posts and replies pop up. You can read through them. There may be info on the port in there. If not, you could start a new thread and ask for info on the port/city options. Perhaps there a port authority or ships shuttle.

 

The internet is a valuable tool and a great source of info. Its surprising what pops up in the results if you search using words such as "walking tours of Marseille" or whatever. Just play around with words until you get what you want. With a scanner and/or printer you can take your info with you.

 

And as its totally impractical to take several guide books on a cruise, I borrow guide books from my library and extract the info I need from them. The scanner is put to good use!

 

Sorry, but beaches in the city I know nothing about, although the tourist office has info. They water around Marseille may not be as clean as it might be further along the coast. Anyway, the Med is not the cleanest water in the world. The main seaside towns with beaches are further along the coast, (I mentioned these already) but Cassis has a tiny one.

 

The main station (Gare st Charles) is easy to find. With your back to the Old Port, head north up the Canebiere and theres a big church at the far end. Approx 2/3 of the way up the C. head left along Bvd Dugommier until you reach the station. The station is a big building with steps up to it. You might even see some street signs to the station on the way. And dont forget to validate (French word is "composter") your train tickets BEFORE you get on. Tickets are checked and on the spot fines issued if you forget. Lack of English or being a tourist doesnt always help. The French are fond of fines and tend to be dismissive of excuses. Travelling with a ticket which is not validated is the just the same sin as travelling with no ticket at all. Look for the machines close to the ticket windows or on platforms or close to platforms. Push your ticket into the machine. It should come out stamped. You might well see other people using them. The same rule applies in Italy.

 

 

Enjoy. Marseille is very up and coming these days and its image is changing for the better. More and more new compoanies are opening up, more people are moving there, property prices have been on the rise the last few years, and theres lots of renovation and new build. Its also becoming more of a tourist destination with people going for 2 or 3 days or spending a couple of days there when arriving or leaving the city on their way to somewhere else. Like I said, its the main hub for the area.