Marseilles, France

Marseille is the second-largest city of France and forms the third-largest metropolitan area, (Paris and Lyon are larger). Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it is France's largest commercial port and the capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région,

The Old Port or Vieux-Port is the main harbour and marina of the city. It is guarded by two massive forts (Fort St Nicolas and Fort Saint Jean) and is one the main places to eat in the city. Dozens of cafés line the waterfront. The Quai des Belges at the end of the harbour is the site of the daily fish market.

Things to See & Do

* Old Port area
* Phare de Sainte Marie, a lighthouse on the inlet to the Old Port
* The Centre Bourse and the adjacent rue St Ferreol district - the main shopping area
*Museums and historical buildings
* Abbey of Saint Victor

General information

Cruise Season - Feb to Dec
Currency - Euro (€)
Language - French
Land Area - 240.62 km²
Population - 1,605,000 approx
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC + one hour
International Country Telephone Code - + 33

Port Location - The port is located in the Old Port area of the city.

Travel Links - Marseilles-Provence International Airport (IATA: MRS) is located about thirty kilometers from Marseilles. Buses and taxis connect in less than 30 minutes. (Shuttles every approximately 20 minutes). There are many domestic flights to Marseilles from several areas nearby, Corsica included. International flights are concentrated on Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, but the arrival of low cost airlines, connecting to several European cities in Marseilles has made more places available from Marseille.

The main train station is Marseille St. Charles. Marseille has TGV lines to Paris (3 hours), Nice (2 hours) and to Brussels (5 hours). Eurolines has many connections all over Europe. From Marseille there are at least direct connections to Barcelona, Prague and Tangier. The bus station is next to the main train station, the St. Charles Station at Rue Honnorat. There is also an Eurolines office on the 3 Allée Léon Gambetta; If you walk down the big stairs on the southside of the station, follow the road until you come to a squarelike intersection. The office is on your right hand.

Marseille has a big harbour. There are direct ferry routes from Marseille to Ajaccio, Bastia, Porto Torres, Porto Vecchio and Propriano. There are several piers at the harbour, so it is advisable to check well in advance from which pier you are departing.