Marseille four day for my son the Navy Sailor
 

Hi all, my son will be stopping in Marseille for some RandR off his Navy ship soon, and I wondered what would be some good things for him to do/good places to eat/general things, he won't have a car and will be back on board the ship every night. Thanks in advance!

Marseille is the European capital of culture this year and there will be a huge number of special events -- and also a brand new museum right along the water.

Public Transportation are good in Marseille Metro, tram & buses.
There will be plenty for him to do and that will really be a question of what he likes or not. Marseille is 1.2M city..

He's just a young guy, 19, traveled with us once to Europe (Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Normandy) but is very inquisitive and loves any kind of military stuff (we themed a lot of our sightseeing around WWll). He also loves seafood! Ay tips welcomed, just to point him in a direction or two.

This is the first time I've heard of a sailor's mother organizing his shore leave. I'm sure he and his shipmates will find plenty to do.

nytraveler...you have to know me and our family! We love to travel and they all rely on me to get the best of" highlighted for us when we travel! So just continuing our tradition, by his request, mind you :), since this will be his first bivouac alone. Always rely on the fodorites for great tips, and perhaps he will do his first trip report, taking after his Mom on that score!?!

One of the main things to know about Marseille is that it is the big French city that closes the earliest. The metro stops at 22:30 and even the municipal bikes are not available all night (due to the taxi lobby). So the majority of restaurants are closed at 10 p.m.

The <i>Vieux Port</i> area remains lively later into the night.

Thanks, Kerouac...that is a good tip! Having been to Paris many times, I would just be sitting down to eat at 10!

Here is what I have so far, from lurking on other sites...comments, suggestions welcome!
In Marseille, walk to the Notre Dame Basilica. Wander around Vieux Port and try local seafood dishes. Take a batobus to Pointe Rouge.
The Calancus...Not sure if the boat excursions to the Calancus will be running in March? If not i guess the only option is the Blue Coast train to Miramas?
Day train trip to Cassis to see the town.
Ferry to Chateau D'If and isles of Frioul (prison, kind of a guy thing) for views
Food suggestions for him to try...bouillabase, moules et frites, aioli...and he loves pastries!
Possibly day trip to Allauch?
That's all I have so far!

See the beautiful stairs of St. Charles train station.It has beautiful statues.

See the Palais Longchamp,at the entrance to the Longchamp park. At the entrance is a splendid fountain with big statues and wide stairs. The Palace is now the home of the Fine Arts Museum located up the stairs on the left, and the Natural History Museum on the right.

Take the ferry to Chateau D'If (Monte Cristo's prison).

Regarding the Canalques, I have found hiking guides here that will absolutely be something he will love! That vs the boat trip will be a MuST!

And Valtor, I will add the Palais Longchamp ... Appreciate that. Should have plenty for him and his buddies to keep them busy and see great parts of Marseille as well as Cassis and the Calanques!

I did a huge itinerary for my son when he was there in the Navy, 2 years ago, and come to find out since it was his first deployment, he had to travel in a "pack" and actually, the Navy plans trips for them to go on if they so choose!!! This was his first port stop so he had no idea. He went to a winery, skied in the French Alps, and I forget what else. ABSOLUTELY had a great time. I know there was also an excursion to Paris, among other things. I had advised him to hike the Calanques, looked like a fabulous thing to do., planned it all out with maps and everything AND managed to get it to him in a package on time, .but he couldn't venture off on his own, and too hard to get the guys in a group to agree.

You mean there was no visit of the MuCEM?