Thanks, KarenWoo. How nice that you were able to spend so much time with your family there! In going through our photos and writing this, I'm realizing how much we didn't get to - so I think another trip sometime will be in order.

Neighborhoods
There�s nothing we love more than wandering through interesting neighborhoods on foot. Marseille has many, and I think we barely scratched the surface. The best known area is probably Le Panier � which will have to be in a future post, because it�s so colorful and we have several hundred photos to sort through first.

Noailles is a diverse neighborhood with a vibrant market and many trendy restaurants. It is very close to where we stayed � and while we walked through it a few times, we remarkably came away with almost no photos. Adjacent is Cours Julien, known for its street art/graffiti, local shops and nightlife (alas, we were there in the morning).



Noailles


Escaliers du Cours Julien


Escaliers du Cours Julien


Escaliers du Cours Julien


Escaliers du Cours Julien, looking down into Noailles


Cours Julien









I hope you're not tired of street art, because Le Panier is coming next.

Going to Provence for the month of March and flying in and out of Marseille and so will spend some time there and really enjoyed your post and especially your pics!

Makes me want to pack my bags! Thanks for posting.

Thanks, jan47ete and Nikki. Nikki, I still need to catch up on your trip report, because that's definitely on our wish list!

Le Panier is the oldest part of the city. It is a hilly area essentially on the north side of the port. In the Greek civilization, there were several temples up the hill. Today, Le Panier is best known for the street art and graffiti that adorn buildings and many staircases up and down through the area. The Marseille tourism site calls it an “open-air museum.” We were through this area a couple of times – once on purpose to see it, and once enroute somewhere else. I’m not sure what it's like during the summer, but we found it very quiet and peaceful.


School children learning about the oldest house in Marseille: Hotel de Cabre ~1530


























At night

Tucked within Le Panier is la Vieille Charit�, founded in 1640 as housing for the poor. Today, it houses several museums and exhibitions, including the second-largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in France. Most of the museums are free, although one still needs a ticket (this caused a bit of confusion).


La Vieille Charite interior courtyard - the corridors lead to various museums


Chapel inside the courtyard


There's also a museum of ancient Egyptian artifacts that is the second largest collection in France


Museum of Mediterranean archaeology


In the Egyptian museum

On the edge of Le Panier are Cathedrale Basilique Sainte-Marie-Majeure (La Major), an 1800s neo-Byzantine cathedral, and Eglise Saint-Laurent. The latter has been the fishermen�s parish since the Middle Ages and is the only medieval parish church remaining in Marseille. It wasn�t open when we were there, so we only saw the outside.


La Major visible from a street in Le Panier


Inside the basilica


Mosaic floors in the basilica




Eglise Saint-Laurent


Eglise Saint-Laurent

Such an interesting city! Beautifully shot.

Wonderful trip report! I've been to France almost 40 times and have avoided Marseille, except for a lunch there in 1967 (gritty then, too). I will give it another try!

By the way, "Pas de Pub" means "no ads (junk mail)".

Sandra

Ah, thanks. I'm definitely not fluent. I know "pas de" and we thought that must be a joke of some sort because there was certainly other humor around the area. It was still a recent enough post that I was able to edit. Glad you're enjoying the photos and report. We had a great time in the city - and I think it's worth another visit!

ms_go, your photo of the street art depicting about 8 people on the loooong motorbike, with the peach/pink background, looks familiar to me. So I checked my photos from last December, and sure enough, I have the same photo except the green lettering above it is not there. Looks like the artist added to his/her work. I love all your photos. You have a lot of different shots than what I have of Le Panier. You are making me homesick for France.

Great trip report, ms go! Marseille was on our list, but you have definitely made me move it way up on our list of places to go. So many places you've described (and beautifully photographed) sound and look so interesting!

KarenWoo, I have a feeling the street art evolves continuously - with the original artists and others adding to it. I only posted a few of our photos. We have several hundred

Florida1, thanks for following. I think you'd like it and hope you can get that on the travel agenda soon! And see you soon

Holiday festivities
Before our trip, the local websites were a little ambiguous about the dates of the Christmas market. The market is on La Canebi�re, the main shopping street running east from the port that dates from the 17th Century, as well as on the Place du General-de-Galle � literally steps outside our apartment and one end of it visible from our front window. The �cabins� were up, but unfortunately the market opened just a few days after we left.

The annual foire aux santons (santon fair � vendors selling Provencal clay nativity figures) was up and running for the season on the port. It is the oldest santon fair in Provence, dating from around 1800. We did see preparations for the holiday festivities, so good times coming! And we did get to see one Christmas market in Aix-en-Provence�more to come.


The carousel isn't really part of the holiday festivities, but it is right in the middle of the Christmas market, and right outside of our apartment


Foire aux santons et aux cr�ches de Marseille


Santons - minimal paint


Santons with more paint


Putting up the tall Christmas tree at the Vieux Port

Beautiful photos. I haven't been to Marseilles yet, but plan to someday!

Thank you, rosetravels. I hope you get to visit Marseille.

Day trips
In 2006, we spent some time in Provence, based in Saint-Remy. We visited Arles, Gordes, Roussillon, Les Baux-de-Provence, Isle sur la Sorgue � probably a few other places. There was a food poisoning episode involved somewhere along the line. We missed a lot.

On this trip, we filled in a couple of gaps with two day-trips: Aix-en-Provence and Avignon. Both destinations have TGV stations, but they are a way out of town and would have required a taxi or train transfer to get to the centers. Instead, we took the slower TER (regional) trains which go into the city centers. I honestly can�t remember the fare details, but there is a one-day pass that allows unlimited travel on the specific TER line that is much more reasonable than buying regular direct tickets online. We got these through the ticket agents in the station.

By the way, another of Marseille's notable architectural features is the grand staircase up to the train station, flanked by statues that represent destinations to which people sailed from Marseille�s port.


Staircase up to Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles


Statues represent destinations to which people sailed from the port

Aix-en-Provence (~35 minute train ride each way) was probably the busiest place we visited on the whole trip. We did go on a Saturday, when all the markets are open � plus the seasonal Christmas markets and activities. We basically made a loop around the center city, hitting the markets and a few other sites. Most notable with the cathedral, which is built on the site of a 1st Century Roman forum. Because it was built over a number of centuries, it has a mix of Baroque, Gothic and Romanesque architectural elements. Additionally, the eight Roman columns in the baptistry date to the 5th/6th Century. It was a pretty chilly day, and we eventually settled into the excellent Brasserie des Artes for lunch.


Aix was well into the Christmas spirit already


Christmas theme at the Saturday flower market


One of the many historic fountains around Aix


Look up for little details




Tapestry museum on the Place des Martyrs de la Resistance


Cathedrale Saint Sauveur - the baptistry is particularly old


Roman columns in the baptistry date to the 5th or 6th century


Away from the Saturday crowds


Fontaine des Pr�cheurs


Elyse greeting patrons at her restaurant


Now to the farmers' market


A brief stop at the Christmas market


Passage Agard

Your photos of Aix are really making me homesick for France! Our daughter lived in Aix for 2 years when she first moved to France so we visited quite frequently. I love Aix! The architecture, the Old Town, the fountains, the plazas, the markets, the shops. Place d'Albertas is my favorite square in Aix with its photogenic fountain and gorgeous architecture.

Thanks, KarenWoo. It is a gorgeous city. I can see why you miss it.

Avignon is further away, ~1:40 from Marseille by TER train. Our primary objective was to see the Palais des Papes, as well as the Pont d'Avignon (officially Pont Saint-Benezet). Avignon was the seat of Catholic popes from 1309 to 1377, and it remained under papal rule until the late 1700s. While Aix was buzzing with people on Saturday, Avignon was pretty quiet on Monday. Aside from a large and energetic school group, we encountered relatively few people inside the palace or around the city center. We also enjoyed walking around to see the gardens and medieval architecture � although that was somewhat tempered by the weather. This was the one day of our trip that involved a little rain.


In contrast with bustling Aix, Avignon was very quiet


The plaza in front of the Papal palace


Imposing walls and main entrance of the Palais des Paper (decorated for Christmas)


View to the town from an upper floor of the palace


Papal gardens


Old wooden gargoyle


Some of the original tiles




A small bit of the original frescoes - photography prohibited in the more elaborate painted rooms


Pont d'Avignon - formally Pont Saint-Benezet - from the city walls


City walls


The Rhone from the bridge


Chapel of Saint Nicolas on the bridge


The bridge from the Jardin des Doms above it


Notre Dame des Doms d'Avignon (there's a lot of construction right now)


Back in the city center, statue outside the Opera Grand Avignon (he looks kind of bored)

MsGo, why did the ancient Greeks place that red arrow pointing to
Never mind.
This is a very interesting report involving a place that needs some positive reportage. I am glad to hear that you and MrGo had a good time there and in Aix too.
So many fine fotos. My faves include the santons, the Aix statue plus both Marseilles arches (le Panier plus the double one). Do you ever get those highlights of yours done in gicl�e or matted and framed or picture-plaqued? Dcd has shown some of his best imagery here (birds, not himself) that has been somehow fixed onto some metal surface, a new technique.
Where to next?

I am done. the MM TR

Thanks, zebec! I was just recalling your photo of Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree from your previous London report. I watched part of a Porcupine Tree concert blu-ray while on the treadmill today, and it made me think of that photo. Same tour, I think.

We have had a few photos printed on metal, like dcd does. The only problem is, we seem to do a poor job of mounting them on the wall, and when they fall (as they inevitably do), they get bent. We've also had a few printed on glass (Fracture), but fortunately none have fallen. All of these Marseille photos are taken with an iPhone, and those don't always lend themselves well to significant enlargement.

Time to wrap this up.

Dining
Unfortunately, we never got around to having the most notable local specialty, bouillabaisse (that takes some planning and a big appetite) – but we did eat well and have no regrets. Something else for next time. We enjoyed Marseille’s extremely diverse food scene. Oddly, at two of the restaurants we went to (both fairly popular and well-reviewed), we were the only people dining – and not on the super early side, either. We asked the proprietors what was up, and both had the same answer: It’s too cold; people here don’t go out to eat when it’s this cold (50 F). Anyway, a few photos:



Frites de panisses (chickpea fritters – a Marseille specialty) @ Caf� Bovo


Saint Jacques, cr�me d’artichaut, truffes du coin @ Caf� Bovo


This was called something like deconstructed Snickers bar @ Caf� Bovo


Saumon gravlax @ La Pagaille


Filet de boeuf @ La Pagaille


Millefeuille @ La Pagaille


Riojanitos (chorizo au vin rouge) @ Iberico


La Mercerie is a popular spot in Noaille, just a couple of blocks from our apartment


Parmentier d’agneau (lamb) @ La Mercerie


Who doesn’t like pizza – @ Le Verso (Avignon)


Syrian feast @ La Levant


Knafeh and baklava @ La Levant


Rigatoni “Benedetto Cavalieri” sautes au figatellu et champignons @ La Cantine

Weather/packing
I’ve alluded to the weather above. It was dry with the exception of some sprinkles during our afternoon in Avignon. The afternoon high temperatures ranged between 50 and 60 (F), but a few of the days had fairly high winds. We’ll take brisk and windy over precipitation any day.

That said, we could have – and should have – packed better. There was a Uniqlo store around the corner from our apartment, where we picked up a hat/gloves for me and a sweater for mr_go. It was all I could do to resist buying a down jacket. I already have several and should have brought one to start with, because everyone else was wearing them.

I can’t speak to what it’s like in the summer, but if you’re willing to put up with a little chilly weather and beaches aren’t a priority, then low season seems to be a great time to visit.

Our trip was a bit truncated. We lost the last (sixth) night of our stay in Marseille due to a Lufthansa schedule change on the Marseille-Munich flight that would have left us with 40 minutes to connect in Munich. Technically, 40 minutes is a legal connection at MUC, but we’ve been through there enough to know that everything has to go just right. So, I negotiated with United (which issued our tickets) to change our reservation to fly to Munich the evening before our transatlantic flight. We spent the night at the airport Hilton. Good thing - passport control was a mess the next morning. There’s no way we would have made a 40-minute connection.

In conclusion...

Five nights – too much?
Absolutely not. We left wishing we had more time.

Was it dangerous?
It’s a big city. There are areas you probably shouldn’t go, and you should always watch your possessions. Just like Chicago. We did not feel uneasy walking around any of the areas we visited.

What would we have done differently?
Make sure we’re clear on which days the museums are open and closed. Pack warmer clothing. Spend time in more neighborhoods.

Would we go back?
Yes, we definitely will.

Great report. I'm taking notes! 😀

Excellent report.

Marseille is the "murder capital of France" but this only concerns drug dealers in the "northern arrondissements" where visitors absolutely never go. That adds of to 21 people this year, so compared to a lot of other cities in the world it is not exactly alarming. (Yes, there was a rare shooting on the Vieux Port this year, but it was also between drug dealers.)

Marseille is glorious. It is not a lesser destination in Provence. Your report shows that with abundance.

FYI, Port Frioul is not instead of Les Calanques; it is one in the same, just a different location than the national park area next to Cassis. I have hiked both, and the experience is identical. Les Calanques stretch that whole part of the coast.