Marseille

Mediterranean metropolis, Marseille, a cosmopolitan city cultivates contrasts! We go from the hyper activity of the city centre, to the old-fashioned charm of the old districts, from the clamour of the Orange velodrome stadium to the softness of the sand heated by 300 days of sunshine a year, from its new fashionable places magnified by the greatest international architects, to the Calanques of Marseille-Cassis, classified as the 1st peri-urban national park in Europe. Marseille does not leave anyone indifferent!

Walking around, you experience the history of the city (the oldest in France with 2600 years of history) through its architecture: the Ancient Greco-Roman port, the Abbey of Saint-Victor heritage of the Middle Ages, the City Hall, the Rue de la République with its Haussmannian elegance, the complex of Le Corbusier called in his time the "house of the Fada" or the Mucem of Rudy Ricciotti and the FRAC (Regional Fund of Contemporary Art) of Kengo Kuma. The city is hosting more and more international sporting, cultural and institutional events: European Capital of Culture in 2013, then, host city of the Euro 2016 football tournament, European Capital of Sport in 2017, MANIFESTA 13 in 2020, Rugby World Cup in 2023, Olympic Sailing and Football Games in 2024 ... Welcome to Marseille!

Marina De Marseille-Paris 2024 Populous Luxigon

Stadium that will host the RWC2023 matches

• Orange Velodrome: 67,000 seats

Sites not to be missed

• Notre Dame de la Garde: This 19th century religious building, also called "the Good Mother" is considered the guardian of sailors and fishermen perched on a hill. Symbol of Marseille, the site gathers each year more than 2 million visitors.

• Château d'If : Former prison made famous by the novel by Alexandre Dumas, the Count of Monte Cristo, the castle, classified as a historical monument is a must visit 20 minutes by boat from the Old Port.

• Cité radieuse Le Corbusier: the "Cité Radieuse" of le Corbusier built between 1947 and 1951 is 337 apartments, a hotel, a restaurant, a school, shops, a center of art and design on the panoramic roof terrace. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided tours: www.marseille-tourisme.com (External link)

Specialties

• La Bouillabaisse: a traditional culinary specialty consisting of a fish soup accompanied by bread croutons spread with rouille (a kind of mayonnaise with garlic and saffron), potatoes and pieces of fish. Once a dish for fishermen, it is now a gourmet dish! The pastis: alcoholic aperitif typically Marseilles that evokes the sun, pleasure, conviviality, life in the cottage! It is part of the "aniseed" that is consumed before the meal from the 19th century. It helps digestion, stimulates the appetite and cures stomach disorders! The most famous in the world, is that of the House "Ricard".

Bouillabaisse © OTCM

New

• Underwater Museum: installation "multi-artists" of 10 monumental works is located off the beach of Catalans at 5m depth. This unusual museum, accessible to all by snorkelling, is an artistic, scientific, educational and environmental feat.

• The big opening for 2022 : the Cosquer Cave
  A little history :in the 1990s, the diver Henri Cosquer found in the Calanques at a depth of 37 meters a cave decorated with more than 500 Paleolithic drawings, later dated between -27,000 and -19,000 BC.

Projet réplique grotte Cosquer ©Kléber Rossillon

Because of the difficulty of accessibility the cave will be closed to the public. In June 2022, a replica of the cave will open at the Villa Méditerranée, next to the mythical National Museum the MuCEM. In addition to the reproduction of the drawings of the time, the visit will include many areas : a boarding in a station inspired by the world of scientific exploration underwater, a film on the incredible story of Henri Cosquer during his discovery of the cave, life-size reconstructions of animals now extinct represented in the cave, the landscape of the Calanques 30,000 years ago, and a space dedicated to the climate and rising sea levels.
www.grotte-cosquer.com/en/ (External link)

Escapades

• The Calanques: the wooded massifs of maritime pines, aromatic plants and turquoise waters of the Calanques National Park offer an ideal playground for lovers of walking, diving, climbing or natural heritage.

• La Treille: a pretty neighborhood/village east of Marseille. A haven of tranquility just a stone's throw from the city center. The Garlaban hills offer hiking trails, especially in the footsteps of the Provencal writer and filmmaker "Marcel Pagnol" who had strong ties to La Treille.

The city's professional club

• The Club: Provence Rugby

This Pro D2 club located within the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis was founded in 1970. It is one of the top 30 French clubs. The club whose color is black, played against the "All Blacks" in 2007 during the World Cup organized in France. www.provencerugby.com (External link)

Good addresses before or after the match

• The Irish Pub O'Bradys is a Marseilles institution to drink a beer not far from the Orange Velodrome Stadium and with of course the broadcasting of the matches! Good atmosphere guaranteed. www.obradys.com (External link)

• La Boutique le Coq Sportif: at 17 rue Paradis, you'll find the "le Coq sportif" clothing shop, which dresses the French rugby team. Also in the same street, Eden Park and Serge Blanco will complete the shopping list of rugbymen.

Access

• by train: Only 3 hours by TGV from Paris and 1 hour 40 minutes from Lyon from the Saint-Charles station.

• by plane : 1h15 from Paris Orly via the Air France shuttle every 30 minutes, and 3 or 4 flights per day from Charles-de-Gaulle airport.

• by road : Located on the South East/South West motorway axis (2h from Nice by car or bus).

Representative of Marseille Tourism

Cyrille SABOYA
Marseille Tourism
csaboya@marseille-tourisme.com
www.marseille-tourisme.com/en/travel-trade/ (External link)