Tourist information on Marseille, France

By population, Marseille (also spelled Marseilles) is the second largest city in France (after Paris). Located on the southeast coast of France, it is the capital and economic centre of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region and one of the largest ports on the Mediterranean Sea. Marseille is among the most ethnically diverse cities in France, owing to its high immigrant population from Spain, Italy and the countries of North African. It is this ethnic mix that gives Marseille its unique character and has made it such a dynamic, culturally rich and vibrant city.

Marseille is one of the oldest cities in Europe, founded by the Greek Phoceans in 600 B.C. Known as Massalia, it became one of the most important trading ports on the Mediterranean and saw further expansion when it came under the control of the Romans in around 50 BC. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the town was taken by the Visigoths and then, in the 6th Century, by the Frankish kings. Marseille remained a thriving port until the early 15th century, when it was sacked by Aragonese. Under the stewardship of the Dukes of Anjou, who built up the city's defences, Marseille soon regained its reputation as a major centre of trade and formally became part of France in 1482. Over the following centuries, the city was one of France's most important maritime bases, and even gave the country its national anthem, La Marseillaise, originally a rallying cry sung by volunteers who left the town to support the French Revolution in Paris in 1792. Today, Marseille derives most of its income from its New Port, one of the busiest container ports in the world, its main import being petroleum, which services the city's other large industry, oil refinery.

Marseille has had a long and distinguished association with the arts and today is a major culture centre, offering several art galleries and museums, a world-class opera house (l'Opéra, near the Old Port) and a wide spectrum of theatres and cinemas. The city has not only attracted great artists, such as Renoir and Cézanne, but has also provided the setting for many well-known films, including several by Marcel Pagnol, a celebrated writer and filmmaker who lived in the area.

The city is perhaps best-known for its Old Harbour (le Vieux Port), a popular tourist spot that is a pleasant place to walk and dine. It is approached from the famous Canebière avenue and is at its busiest in the late afternoon when local fishermen auction off their stock. Le Cours Julien and la plaine is the city's most fashionable district, with trendy cafés and bookstores, whilst the Centre Bourse and rue Saint Ferréol district is the main shopping area in the city centre. La Corniche is a road by the sea offering splendid sea views; to the south you can see the Château d'If and to the east lies les Calanques, a series of miniature fjords situated near Cassis, well worth a visit.

One of the main attractions of Marseille is the wealth and diversity of its historic architecture. Most striking are the city's religious buildings, which include: the Abbey of Saint-Victor, one of the oldest places of Christian worship in Europe; the Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, a 19th century basilica of Romano-Byzantine design, situated in the hills to the south of the Old Port; and the Cathedral of Sainte-Marie-Majeure, another stunning example of Romano-Byzantine architecture. Then there is the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), an impressive baroque building of the 17th century, and the grandiose Palais Longchamp, set in the attractive Parc Longchamp and home to a museum of fine arts and natural history museum. The Palais de la Bourse houses the chamber of commerce and a museum documenting Marseille's maritime history. Other notable museums include: the Musée d'Histoire (in the Centre Bourse), which provides a deep insight into the Greek and Roman history of Marseille; the Musée des docks romains, the old harbour from Phoenician and Roman times; and the Musée d'Archéologie méditerranéenne.

Whilst the beaches in Marseille have a reputation for being too crowded and polluted, some (for example, those between La Pointe Rouge harbour and La Madrague harbour) are pleasant locations for sunbathing and lounging around. Other interesting places to visit are: Le Panier, the oldest area of the city; Parc Borély, one of the city's largest parks, situated close to the sea; Noailles, which, with its Arabic and Indo-Chinese shops, has a pleasant North African feel; and Mazargues War Cemetry, a peaceful spot dedicated to the fallen heroes of the two world wars. To the northwest of the city is L'Estaque, a fishing port in an area that has traditionally been one of the poorer districts of Marseille but which is growing in popularity as a tourist spot. Another popular attraction is the Château d'If, a small island that was first a sea fort and then a prison (the place where Alexandre Dumas incarcerated his fictional hero the Count of Monte Cristo); it can be reached by boat from the Old Port.

Marseille-Provence International Airport is located at Marignane, about 30 km from Marseille, with excellent train and bus links to the city centre. From Marseille Saint-Charles train station, there is a good rail service to other parts of the city and surrounding districts, and also TGV connections to Paris, Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux, Aix-en-Provence and Brussels. The Métro, tram lines and buses also provide an easy way to get around the city. At Marseille harbour, there is a ferry service to the ports of Ajaccio, Bastia, Porto Torres, Porto Vecchio and Propriano.