Marseille '10 -'11
Marseille is a city in the South of France, I lived there for a year so I have a lot to tell you about where to stay, sights, clubs, restaurants, bars and travel.
Marseille and the South is home to the warmest weather in France. Temperatures are as high as 30 degrees in summer and as low was 15 degrees in winter, the heavy winds in winter make it seem colder. Marseille is a nice city, a bit dirty but there are nicer cities in the South including Cannes, Nice and Aix en Provence.
Some of Marseille's best sites are Prado Beach, Calanques, Vieux Port, Palais de Longchamp, Chateau d'If and Notre Dame de le Garde.
Sights
Prado Beach is located approximately 20-30 minutes by bus from the Vieux Port, there are a few restaurants by the beach. Prado Beach isn't too sandy but more pebbly but there is another beach further down which is more sandy. Skateboarding, rollerskating and jogging is very popular among the beach. A replica statue of Michangelo's David is adjacent to the beach which is how the beach received its name. Other sports such as volleyball are played on the beach and there is also a grassed area where football is played.
The Calanques is my favourite place in Marseille, due to its beauty and uniqueness. The Calanques is located in Luminy which is a 40-45 minute drive from Vieux Port but definitely worth the journey. The Calanques are steep valleys which are popular with hikers due to the popular vantage points available. After entering the start of the Calanque trial it is a 45 minute walk down hill to get to the end of the Calanques which is where the sea and mini beach is located. The Calanques are very popular among tourists and locals in the summer months. The hike back up is quite trying as it is all uphill but also worth it.
Palais de Longchamp is located in Marseille's 4th arrondissement and houses the city's museum of fine arts and natural history museum. It is incredibly beautiful and vast, there is also a large park behind the palais. The palais can be reached by underground, bus and tram. It is also free to enter.
Vieux Port is most iconic to Marseille. There are several boats in the port and is home to several hotels, bars, fast food eateries, clubs and restaurants. Vieux Port is also the exit point to get to the Chateau d'If it was a fortress later erected into a prison located on If island. It can be reached by boat, the journey is roughly 15 minutes. I cannot recall the price of Chateau entry and the boat journey but the boat journey is no more than €8 and there are student and adult prices for Chateau entry.
Notre Dame de la Garde is a basilica located at the highest point in Marseille. It can be reached by bus from the Vieux Port. It boasts great views of Marseille and the Froiul and islands d'If can be seen front the basilica. It is very large, beautiful and can sometimes be windy given its height. The Dame is also free to enter.
Nightlife
Most of the clubs are open on Friday and Saturday nights, some of the most popular clubs in Marseille offer several types of music are Trolleybus, Bazar, Maxi and Mystik. Mystik is located in Luminy, about 45 minutes from Vieux Port. It's quite small with a upstairs VIP area and is quite expensive of all the clubs. Trolleybus and Maxi are located in the Vieux Port. Trolleybus has different rooms offering different types of music, Maxi mostly offers RnB and Hip Hop and is more reasonable in price. Bazar is good for the summer months due to its outside area, this is probably the largest club and is located of Rond Point du Prado which is a major intersection in Marseille. The clubs don't get busy until around midnight and club entry averages at €10. Clubs don't close until 6am so get ready to party well into the night when in Marseille.
There are a sparse amount of bars in Marseille so not much to report on that front.
There is a French market on in winter selling clothes, toiletries and trinkets which should not be missed. There are also several boulangeries and patisseries selling several types of bread, croissants, macaroons, baguettes, sandwiches, salads and other delicious French delicacies.
Accommodation
Most of the hotels are located in Vieux Port, Prado and Castellane. The most expensive hotels being in Vieux Port. Some of the best being Radisson Blu, Mercure, Sofitel, Grand Hotel and Pullman, there are other smaller hotels located the further away from the port you go and home to more budget hotels being Holiday Inn, Ibis and Citadines. Hotel prices can be from £30 to £200 per night.
Travel
Marseille can be reached by air and train. British Airways, Ryanair and EasyJet all fly to Marseille from Stansted and Gatwick. Flight time is just over 2 hours. Eurostar also goes to Marseille with a change in Lille, that is a much longer journey of 6 hours but takes you directly to Marseille St Charles train station.
Marseille St Charles station also has trains to Germany, Spain, Switzerland and other parts of the country including, St Tropez, Nice, Cannes, Lyon, Bordeux and Monaco.
There is an underground which is used by many to get around. It is by no means as complex as the subway routes of London or Paris with only 2 lines but is very helpful as another means of transportation. The average waiting time is between 7-10 minutes when having just missed a train. There is a subway station at St Charles which can take you to Vieux Port and other destinations.
Other means of transportation is the bus which is extremely popular and can take you to pretty much wherever you want in Marseille. Be sure to buy a ticket as ticket inspectors are quite common these days on Marseille bus routes. There is also a tram as another form of transportation, this doesn't get to as many places in Marseille as the bus but still a valuable form of transportation.
Marseille and the South is home to the warmest weather in France. Temperatures are as high as 30 degrees in summer and as low was 15 degrees in winter, the heavy winds in winter make it seem colder. Marseille is a nice city, a bit dirty but there are nicer cities in the South including Cannes, Nice and Aix en Provence.
Some of Marseille's best sites are Prado Beach, Calanques, Vieux Port, Palais de Longchamp, Chateau d'If and Notre Dame de le Garde.
Sights
Prado Beach is located approximately 20-30 minutes by bus from the Vieux Port, there are a few restaurants by the beach. Prado Beach isn't too sandy but more pebbly but there is another beach further down which is more sandy. Skateboarding, rollerskating and jogging is very popular among the beach. A replica statue of Michangelo's David is adjacent to the beach which is how the beach received its name. Other sports such as volleyball are played on the beach and there is also a grassed area where football is played.
Nightlife
Most of the clubs are open on Friday and Saturday nights, some of the most popular clubs in Marseille offer several types of music are Trolleybus, Bazar, Maxi and Mystik. Mystik is located in Luminy, about 45 minutes from Vieux Port. It's quite small with a upstairs VIP area and is quite expensive of all the clubs. Trolleybus and Maxi are located in the Vieux Port. Trolleybus has different rooms offering different types of music, Maxi mostly offers RnB and Hip Hop and is more reasonable in price. Bazar is good for the summer months due to its outside area, this is probably the largest club and is located of Rond Point du Prado which is a major intersection in Marseille. The clubs don't get busy until around midnight and club entry averages at €10. Clubs don't close until 6am so get ready to party well into the night when in Marseille.
There are a sparse amount of bars in Marseille so not much to report on that front.
Shopping
Some of the main shopping streets in Marseille are located on rue de Rome, rue Paradis and rue Saint Ferreol. There are designer stores such as Dior, Herve Leger and Chanel to more budget stores such as H&M and Zara and other French known stores. There are also smaller and cheaper stores on rue de Rome selling mostly shoes and grocery products. The main department store in Marseille is Galeries Lafayette. There is a French market on in winter selling clothes, toiletries and trinkets which should not be missed. There are also several boulangeries and patisseries selling several types of bread, croissants, macaroons, baguettes, sandwiches, salads and other delicious French delicacies.
Accommodation
Most of the hotels are located in Vieux Port, Prado and Castellane. The most expensive hotels being in Vieux Port. Some of the best being Radisson Blu, Mercure, Sofitel, Grand Hotel and Pullman, there are other smaller hotels located the further away from the port you go and home to more budget hotels being Holiday Inn, Ibis and Citadines. Hotel prices can be from £30 to £200 per night.
Travel
Marseille can be reached by air and train. British Airways, Ryanair and EasyJet all fly to Marseille from Stansted and Gatwick. Flight time is just over 2 hours. Eurostar also goes to Marseille with a change in Lille, that is a much longer journey of 6 hours but takes you directly to Marseille St Charles train station.
Marseille St Charles station also has trains to Germany, Spain, Switzerland and other parts of the country including, St Tropez, Nice, Cannes, Lyon, Bordeux and Monaco.
There is an underground which is used by many to get around. It is by no means as complex as the subway routes of London or Paris with only 2 lines but is very helpful as another means of transportation. The average waiting time is between 7-10 minutes when having just missed a train. There is a subway station at St Charles which can take you to Vieux Port and other destinations.
Other means of transportation is the bus which is extremely popular and can take you to pretty much wherever you want in Marseille. Be sure to buy a ticket as ticket inspectors are quite common these days on Marseille bus routes. There is also a tram as another form of transportation, this doesn't get to as many places in Marseille as the bus but still a valuable form of transportation.
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