Marseille
Marseille — Cassis & the Calanques by Boat, the Northern Districts, Jewish Heritage, the Sainte-Baume Pilgrimage & the Complete Practical Guide
Cassis is the most elegantly Provençal single day trip from Marseille with its own calanque boat tours; the L'Estaque suburb is where Cézanne and Braque pioneered Cubism; the Sainte-Baume cave-forest pilgrimage is the oldest Christian site in France; and Marseille is safer, sunnier, and more culinarily extraordinary than its reputation suggests.
Marseille — Calanques by Kayak, Aix-en-Provence & Cézanne, the Bouillabaisse Charter, Marseille Neighbourhoods, Savon de Marseille & the 2013 ECoC Legacy
Paddling through the Calanques reveals the most dramatic coastline in France; Aix-en-Provence is 12 minutes away by TGV; the 1980 Bouillabaisse Charter is the only French dish with its own legal ingredient list; and the 2013 European Capital of Culture transformed Marseille from a rough port city into a Mediterranean cultural powerhouse.
Marseille — Provençal Food, the Camargue & Saintes-Maries Pilgrimage, Urban Cycling, the Performing Arts & the Calanques by Night
The soupe au pistou, the oursins at the Vieux-Port, and the Grand Aïoli are as Marseillais as the bouillabaisse; the Camargue flamingos and the Roma pilgrimage are 1 hour west; the Opéra de Marseille has been performing since 1787; and the Calanques at night offer the darkest sky and the most bioluminescent sea within range of any French city.
Marseille — MuCEM, the Cours Julien, the Fish Market, Greek Massalia, City Beaches & the Mediterranean Identity
The MuCEM is France's most architecturally spectacular regional museum; the Cours Julien is Marseille's bohemian art heart; the daily fish market on the Vieux-Port is France's most theatrical; the Greek harbour walls of 600 BCE are visible in situ; and Marseille's multicultural identity — Italian, Armenian, Algerian — makes it the most cosmopolitan French city.
Marseille — the Fortifications, Hip-Hop Heritage, the Corniche Drive, Savon de Marseille Shopping, Contemporary Art & Seasonal Festivals
The Fort Saint-Nicolas was Louis XIV's gun pointed at his own rebellious citizens; IAM made Marseille France's most internationally respected hip-hop city; the Corniche Kennedy is the most beautiful Mediterranean coastal drive in France; and the Fête de la Mer blesses the fishing fleet on the Vieux-Port every June.
Marseille — the Vieux-Port, Notre-Dame de la Garde, the Calanques, Le Panier & the Château d'If
Marseille is France's oldest city and most Mediterranean soul — the ancient Vieux-Port, La Bonne Mère basilica above the city, the limestone Calanques along the coast, the steep cobbled Panier quarter, the Château d'If of the Count of Monte Cristo, and the legendary bouillabaisse.