Things to do in Marseille

Rating: 8,5/10 (945 votes)

Marseille is the capital of Provence and the unofficial capital of the French Riviera. As one of the largest cities in the country, Marseille is a modern metropolis with a multicultural history and traditions. The city's rich architectural heritage and great recreational opportunities in other profiles make Marseille one of the most visited cities in France. There are many things to do in Marseille, even on a short vacation.

Marseille

Buy seafood at the market near the Old Port

Actually, Old Port itself - this is a full-fledged excursion facility in Marseille, one of the symbols not only of the city, but of the entire South of France. Not far from the centuries-old buildings, there is still a large market where locals and tourists buy various types of fish. Among the guests are popular delicacies and other seafood in the form of sea urchins and shells, which are taken from the bottom of the sea by local fishermen.

Old Port

Find Faro Garden

In fact, Faro Garden, located at The palace of the same name, built on the personal order of Napoleon III, is an excellent example of a landscape park of the late 19th century. Now the Garden is given over to a recreation area for children and adults - there is a large play area. Between the palace and the Garden there is a large lawn where family picnics are allowed, and nearby is an archaeological site where traces of the ancient Phoenician civilization have been found.

Palais Faro

Drive to Notre Dame de la Garde

Located on the highest hill of Marseille, Notre Dame de la Garde is considered one of the most popular attractions in the city, and local guides confidently declare that the shrine has no competitors ... The lower and upper churches of the basilica appeared near the city in 1876, and since then this place has been considered the main house of prayer, despite the abundance of other churches in Marseille. The temple is considered the patron saint of Marseilles sailors and fishermen.

Notre Dame de la Garde

Try real bouillabaisse

Marseille ear - bouillabaisse is a dish which every tourist who purposefully arrives in the southern capital of France wants to try. Initially, it was prepared from the cheapest fish, which was not bought in the fishermen's shops, therefore it was considered a poor stew for a long time. Now bouillabaisse is considered the hallmark of many restaurants in Marseille, and special recipes have allowed the price of a plate of such fish soup to be raised up to 200 euros.

Enter one of the nightlife clubs

Marseille's nightlife is filled with crazy rhythms of dance clubs and other themed establishments, where it is better not to go alone. The fact is that modern clubs, where local youth like to relax, have long been chosen by migrants from Africa and the Middle East, who not only spend time here, but also work. Most often, tourists go to rapper performances, as well as to massive parties that gather up to several thousand people in one hall.

Explore the Santon Museum

Marseille and Provencal Santons is a folk craft known throughout Europe, along with the Russian Dymkovo toy. They are santons - small clay figures of people. Initially, they depicted saints and biblical characters, but since the 18th century, the export value of clay figurines began to grow, and now national musicians, famous people and other characters are guessed in their bright figurines. You can buy one of the copies of the figures on display at the museum.

Santones

Drink aniseed vodka

Provence's signature alcoholic drink - pastis, or simply, anise vodka is an indispensable attribute of every Marseille bar and some cafes. Drinking it on an empty stomach and without snacking is highly discouraged - there are a lot of recipes for making this vodka, and it differs significantly from Russian. By the way, some bars in Marseille operate on a partial self-service system - here you can independently choose snacks for drinks.

Sail to the If castle

Legendary prison on the island of the Friulian archipelago, famous for" Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas, was once the most mysterious and eerie place in all of Europe. Murderers and other especially dangerous criminals, as well as persons disliked by the French crown, were exiled here. Now it is perhaps the most popular excursion site in the city, and Edmond Dantes' camera commemorates one of the most outstanding works of French literature.

Chateau d'If

Visit one of the music festivals

The festival life of Marseille is quite eventful. Thousands of artists, musicians and artists of various genres come to the November" Bazaar" to take part in a bright competition program and just be spectators. Diaspora Music is considered one of the largest ethnic music festivals in the world. The only thing to remember is that tickets for some events are sold out two months before the start.

See the local regatta

Speedboat and modern yacht racing in Marseille is one of the national traditions. They are held within a strictly allotted time frame, some of the heats have the status of competitions of a high professional level. In addition, other competitions in various disciplines of water sports will start in Marseille from mid-July to mid-August. Which also gain a fairly large number of viewers from all over Europe.

Enter the central quarters of the city

A questionable way for a number of guides to spend time in Marseille will help tourists to see those facets of the big cities, who are trying to hide the local authorities. It is unsafe to walk in some areas at night, but during the day you can see Arab streets, immigrants from Africa and children playing football in the middle of the courtyards. There is an open trade in hashish in a number of quarters - it is strongly not recommended to go there.

Buy souvenirs at one of the markets

One of the main souvenirs Provence - lavender soap is only a small part of the souvenir trade in Marseille. Here, they often buy various flower liqueurs and liqueurs, which are bottled in front of customers in bottles of different sizes. Products made from sea shells are also very popular with tourists.

We also recommend reading Dangers in Japan

Topic: Things to do in Marseille.

Author: Kelly Costine

Things to do in Marseille (Topic)