Located in the southern part of France, the port of Marseille is basically divided into two areas: the Grand Seaport and the Old Port. While the first represents the commercial port of the city of the Southern Region, the second has taken on a purely tourist connotation over the years: in fact, an intense and profitable pleasure boating activity takes place inside it.
The Grand Maritime Port (which is divided into two basins, one of which to the west of the city) does not have an exclusively commercial vocation. At its numerous piers, protected from the waves by a long breakwater, in fact, ferries and cruise ships dock, connecting Marseille to Algiers, Porto Torres, Porto Vecchio, Propriano, Ajaccio, L'Île-Rousse, Bastia etc.
The port of Marseille can be reached in various ways. If you are already in the historic center of the city, you can reach the Porto Vecchio and the ferry and cruise terminal on foot.
Alternatively, to move around the city you can also rent a bike or take public transport.
If you opt for the latter solution, know that you will be spoiled for choice. In fact, Marseille has developed a dense and efficient transport network (metro , bus , tram) that connects the center to the periphery. The company that manages city mobility is RTM (Régie des Transports de Marseille).
For more information on all the services provided by the RTM, on the costs of travel tickets and timetables, we invite you to consult the official website and download the application on your mobile device.
The airport serving the city is Marseille-Provence. Once landed, to reach the center of Marseille you can choose from a series of solutions.
Train
A free shuttle will take you to Vitrolles train station. From here, take the TER train which will take you to Marseille (gare de Marseille Saint-Charles).
Bus
A shuttle departs from Terminal 1 which connects the airport directly to Saint-Charles Central Station.
Taxi
Certainly the most convenient (but also the most expensive) solution among those we have listed. For info, take a look at the airport website.
The Saint-Charles railway station, the main one in the city of Marseille, is not far from the port area (Grand maritime port and Porto Vecchio); therefore the route can also be done on foot. However, it is also possible to reach the airport by means of public transport managed by the RTM.
In the immediate vicinity of the port area, you will find the suggestive Porto Vecchio and the historic center to welcome you: along their streets there are a whole series of commercial activities that will not fail to attract your attention (and above all to stimulate your desire to give you the shopping).
If you want to fully enjoy your stay in Marseille, we recommend that you forget the car and prefer public transport. The city, especially during the summer, is very busy and it is also difficult to find parking; therefore using the machine is not exactly the best choice you can make. Without this premise, we now turn to list the monuments and the places must visit during your stay in the city.
One of the first places you will see once you arrive in Marseille is the Old Port (Vieux Port in French), where the fish market and the marina coexist harmoniously. The image of Porto Vecchio has been completely re-evaluated - and in some ways enhanced - by the important restyling works carried out by the archistar Norman Foster when the city, in 2013, obtained the recognition of European Capital of Culture. The symbol of this "rebirth" is the Ombrière-miroir, a cover in the shape of a "mirror-umbrella".
Not far from the Vieux Port we find a series of places of worship: the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore (better known as La Major ), the old 12th century Cathedral and the Abbey of Saint-Victor. Overlooking the city from above there is the church most loved by the Marseillais: we are referring to the basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde, known as the "Bonne Mère".
Returning to the city center, you absolutely cannot give up (especially if you like walking) a walk to La Corniche, the promenade dedicated to US President John F. Kennedy. The same goes for La Canebière: the main artery of the historic center, it is about a kilometer long and was inaugurated in 1666 by the Sun King.
Another place that deserves attention is the Vieille Charité: located in the characteristic and historic district of Le Panier, the complex (which once housed beggars and poor people) is home to two museums: that of Mediterranean Archeology and that of African, Oceanic and amerinde.
In the same district there is a flagship of Marseille and of the whole of France: the MuCEM. This museum center - the only one of its kind in the world - is entirely dedicated to the civilizations that overlook the Mediterranean basin.
You can't say you've been to Marseille if you haven't taken a boat trip. Thanks to the ferry boat that leaves from Porto Vecchio, you can admire Fort Saint Jean and Fort Saint Nicolas. If that's not enough, you will also have the opportunity to reach the nearby Frioul Islands: If, Ratonneau and Pomègues.
The most famous of the three is certainly If, on which there is a castle-prison where Edmond Dantès and the abbot Faria, protagonists of the famous novel "The Count of Montecristo", written by Alexandre Dumas, were detained (albeit only in literary fiction).