How to Visit Marseille France

Marseille is the oldest city in France and the second-largest. Its famous port on the Mediterranean has made the city a lively cultural melting pot.

Instructions

1. Start out in the true heart of Marseille--the Vieux Port. Though commercial ships now dock in another part of town, the Old Port is still a good place to go people-watching or to find upscale hotels, restaurants and clubs.

2. Visit several museums in one location--the Centre de la Vieille Charité at 2 rue de la Charitée. This 17thy-century structure is home to museums of Greek and Egyptian antiquities, as well as the art of African, American and Oceanic indigenous peoples.

3. View Marseille from an altitude of 500 feet at the Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde at Rue Fort-du-Sanctuaire. This 19th-century church is an interesting mixture of the Byzantine and Romanesque styles. Its interior is decorated with sumptuous mosaics, while its bell tower is topped with a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary and the Baby Jesus.

4. Spend the night in a great work of modern architecture. Unité d'Habitation, at 280 boulevard Michelet, was designed as a self-contained apartment complex by Le Corbusier. Today, a portion of the rooms are rented out to visitors.

5. Feast on the signature dish of Marseilles: bouillabaise. This spicy fish stew is one of the cornerstones of French cooking. Naturally, it's available in restaurants all over the city, but not all bouillabaises are worth eating. If the restaurant offers very inexpensive bouillabaise, if the menu is mostly in English or if the place is crowded with tourists, you'd do well to go elsewhere. Be ready to pay for the freshest ingredients and your dining experience will be unforgettable.

6. Take an excursion to the seaside village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, located between Marseille and Montpellier. It is here, according to medieval legend, that Saints Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome and Mary Jacobe, possibly accompanied by Joseph of Aramithia and Lazarus, landed in a little boat after leaving Judea. They settled in the Marseille area and brought Christianity to southern France. Of course, several bogus historians claim Mary Magdalene was pregnant with the child of Jesus Christ at the time; there is no evidence to support this theory. The church at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is the site of an annual celebration by gypsies.