Marseille on a Sunday

[High C's]

Can anyone tell me what will be available on a Sunday when we dock in Marseille? We're looking at doing a ship's tour, either to Aix or the small fishing village (sorry - the name escapes me). But is it safe to assume that the shops and restaurants will be closed?

 

If so, I think I'd rather stay on board and enjoy the ship.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[English Jane]

A few restaurants will be open but not the shops. I would very much recommend Aix - it is quite beautiful.

 

Jane

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[alliesworld2002]

Ooh good question!! I had not thought of that when booking our excursions. We will be in Marseilles on a sunday as well. We booked the Arles and Les Baux excursion thru RCCL. Hopefully what they promise will come thru!

[deniuh]

We are on RCCL Voyager of the Seas on 10/7/06 - and stopping in Marseille on a Sunday as well. Let me know what you do in Marseille. My husband and I are at a loss as well. We are 29, and 31. Thanks!

[English Jane]

You have two options ...

 

Option 1

Take a shuttle into town through a rather unattractive dock area, it takes about 15 minutes. You will be dropped by a scenic little harbour. You can walk around the immediate area, there are a few market stalls selling fresh fish, locally produced soap and the like. The shops are not open on a Sunday but the bars in the harbour area are.

There are some interesting buildings one or two blocks back, any further and you will find the area quite poor, run down and depressing - I'm sad to say that it is also the home of a large number of North African immigrants - I mean sad that the poor areas always seem to be those where immigrants live.

There is a beautiful church above the town that you can see from the harbour but you would need to mobile and active to get to that without a vehicle, a taxi might be an option. After an hour or two at the most you will probably be ready to get back on the ship.

 

Option 2

Take an organised excursion, or organise one yourself, to the fabulous surrounding areas - beautiful and quaint Provencal villages and gorgeous scenary.

 

Hope that is helpful,

Jane

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[High C's]

Thanks for your insight, Jane. We are taking your advice, and taking a ship tour to Aix. We honestly don't know much about this area, and so we were lost as to what to pick. This tour seems to fit the bill as it takes us to an area that is picturesque, yet it is only a 1/2 day tour, which (sadly) allows us the rest of the day to pack up and get ready to depart the next day in Barcelona:(