Diana and Moises Mercado

Please recommend us what to do in Marseille or surroundings for about 6 days, and then in Paris for the same time next September.

Thanks a lot!

maureen

There are lots of wonderful areas to see outside of Marseilles if you can rent a car for that part of your trip. I would recommend Avignon, St. Remy, Arles, and the hill towns of Provence to the North. Or head south and drive through the Cotes du Rhone (a less commercialized Napa Valley) and visit some of the towns on the Riviera like St. Tropez. This whole area is gorgeous. Regarding Paris, no matter what you do you'll love it and there will always be a million things to do on your "next visit"

Ed

Rent a car and visit La Baux near St. Remy also
Roman ruins just south of St. Remy. Visit Salon
de Provence. They have a great museum. Musee de l'
Empirei. First empire things, Napoleon, etc.
Magnificent. Also wineries, St. Tropez, Nice,
and Monaco if possible. Ed

Neal Sanders

Six days in Marseilles would tax even the best tour guide in the world, so I hope you're renting a car! There's an interesting Roman and pre-Roman excavation and restoration in central Marseilles by the harbor but, apart from that, the city is not tourist-friendly. To the contrary, it is the French industrial heartland (sort of Detroit on the Gulf du Lion). The two above notes have excellent recommendations for places to go. To them, I would add Nimes and the Pont du Gard, Aix en Provence (especially on the morning of market day), and the Fontaine de Valcluse. Everything in this note and the two above is within a two hour drive of Marseilles. Also very near to the city is the Camargue, which is kind of the French wild west. It's a fascinating area, especially if you're at one of the sites where the wild ponies gather. In addition to the Fodors France, you may also want to look at the excellent Cadogan guide to Provence and the Cote d'Azur, which covers the region around Marseilles quite well.

DRucks

Take a drive to Bormes-les-Mimosas. It is a typically attractive Provencal hill village, alive with mimosa and camomile, and offers excellent views from its ruined castle. Once you arrive, park your car, and take the walk using the signposts "Circuit Touristique" and you will have a wonderful afternoon. Before leaving Marseille, make a reservation at the restaurant Lou Portou for your evening meal. You will wind your way through town, going up, up, up to the top of the village. Enchanting, and you will want to return another time. An added note, if you were to be staying in the area of Bormes-les-Mimosas, you would want to reserve a room at Les Roches at Le Levandou.A Relais and Chateau property, it is virtually "on the rocks" and our room had a balcony over the water, absolutely breathtaking with a full moon rising (late Sept-early October last year). The hotel recommended Lou Portou,at the top of the village Bormes-les-Mimosas. We toured the village the next day in daylight because we loved what we saw as we drove up to the restaurant. I would also recommend an afternoon at Cassis, another town in the area. You will wind your way downward to the seashore. Find an open restaurant and order a meal of the local catch, or anything that came from the sea. It is marvelous. Unforgettable. Don't just stay in the city of Marseille.

DRucks

Take a drive to Bormes-les-Mimosas. It is a typically attractive Provencal hill village, alive with mimosa and camomile, and offers excellent views from its ruined castle. Once you arrive, park your car, and take the walk using the signposts "Circuit Touristique" and you will have a wonderful afternoon. Before leaving Marseille, make a reservation at the restaurant Lou Portou for your evening meal. You will wind your way through town, going up, up, up to the top of the village. Enchanting, and you will want to return another time. An added note, if you were to be staying in the area of Bormes-les-Mimosas, you would want to reserve a room at Les Roches at Le Levandou.A Relais and Chateau property, it is virtually "on the rocks" and our room had a balcony over the water, absolutely breathtaking with a full moon rising (late Sept-early October last year). The hotel recommended Lou Portou,at the top of the village Bormes-les-Mimosas. We toured the village the next day in daylight because we loved what we saw as we drove up to the restaurant. I would also recommend an afternoon at Cassis, another town in the area. You will wind your way downward to the seashore. Find an open restaurant and order a meal of the local catch, or anything that came from the sea. It is marvelous. Unforgettable. Don't just stay in the city of Marseille.