Marseille Hotels

Vieux Port

Marseille appears to bask in its good fortune. Not only does it enjoy the tender caresses of warm Mediterranean waters, it also experiences particularly fine weather during the summer months. The picturesque harbour, Vieux Port, has been the city's focal point for more than 2,000 years. Now populated by restaurants, cafés and bars, and boats and yachts that bob up and down gently in the water, Vieux Port is a delightful pace to enjoy a stroll, particularly as the sun begins to fall.

Le Panier

Just north of Vieux Port is Le Panier, the city's Old Town which is incredibly photogenic with its slanting streets and appealingly ramshackle buildings. Here you'll find a delightful mélange of lanes which reward close inspection, yielding artisan sellers and workshops, and terraced houses festooned with drying washing.

La Canebière

The long and straight La Canebière, a historic high street opened in 1666, links Vieux Port and the modern city. Along its length you'll see the Opera House which impresses with its fusion of 18th-century neo-classicism and 20th-century Art Deco.

Notre-Dame de la Garde

A group of hills dominate Marseille, one of which features the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde. Whether you take the bus, tourist train or walk to the top of the hill, you'll be delighted by this neo-Byzantine vision, which was completed in 1864. And from here you'll have the best views possible of Marseille as it lies before you. Venture inside to witness the sumptuous interior and be sure to check out the crypt and museum.

Shopping in Marseille

Centre Bourse and Centre Bonneveine both provide a good range of shops, while the elegant Les Terrasses du Port has three floors of big-name retailers and brands, including Lacoste, Adidas, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors and many others.  You may also wish to visit Les Voûtes, which is home to 40 trendy boutiques.

Eating and drinking in Marseille

Chez Ida serves delicious food and generates oodles of atmosphere. Tucked away in Rue Ferdinand Rey, it's very popular with the Marseille's citizens, and visitors are made to feel more than welcome. Small but perfectly formed, O'Bidul concentrates on quantity and quality. Cook, waiter and owner Frances is something of a one-man show and he'll do everything he can to make sure you enjoy the experience. If you need something quick, tasty and satisfying, then pay a visit to La Bougnette for what is probably the best pizza in Marseille.