Memorable & Fascinating Trip to the port city of France Marseille. Top things to do.
Marseille is the area of France that comes in the department Bouches-du-Rhône and the capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. This is southern France, it is located on the Mediterranean coastline. It’s one of France’s most historic and beautiful cities.
My starting point for this trip was Nice, France, and the distance between Nice and Marseille, France is just 200km. I took the train from Nice Ville to Gare-de-Marseille-Saint Charles. TGV INOUI is a very comfortable train for almost 03 hours of journey. Also, you can enjoy the scenic view along the journey to reach Marseille. Marseille Saint Charles train station is a main railway station, as well as an intercity bus station. This is almost 2 km from the Old Port. I had 3 days and 2 nights in Marseille which is good for a short trip. I walked towards my hotel from the train station but you can also take the subway or bus which is easier and you can also buy a train pass/ticket from the train station itself.
Another beautiful place that you can plan to add to this itinerary is Cannes, a city located on the French Riviera. If you explore more on the French Riviera there are so many places to party, stay or look around. Each place located on French Riviera is pristinely beautiful so I am sure you going to have the fabulous vacation of life.
Well for now there are a few places I strongly recommend visiting if you are in Marseille. Tried to add a few pictures as well to give you glimpses of the place.
Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde
Notre Dame de la Garde is a Catholic basilica in Marseille, France and this is a famous symbol of the city. Also one of the most visited tourist destinations. It took nearly 😮 40 years to complete the construction of this Church. The Church is visible from almost everywhere in the city center. The engaging architecture of this Church will not only seize your attention in daylight but even when it’s dark because Notre Dame shines differently with lights on it. Notre Dame de la Garde is beautiful inside as well as outside. Here are some pics.
Interior of Notre Dame de la Garde
Now comes the most beautiful part of visiting this place. THE VIEW. It’s a stunning view of the blue ocean surrounding Marseille city. Check out the pictures below.. 👇
To reach the basilica by walking it takes around 5 mins from south of Vieux Port or you can take bus No. 60 that stops at the basilica. (That’s what I did). No entry fee for this place. But you may want to keep the Church timing in mind as it closes at 06:00 PM in the evening. It’s a must-visit place if you are in Marseille France.
Advice: If you are going in summer it’s super hot in August and crowded as well. You can plan during off tourist season to avoid long queues and crowds. Also always keep an eye on your bag and phone and wallet beware of pickpockets.
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“Ocean is more ancient than the mountains and freighted with the memories and the dreams of Time.”
H. P. Lovecraft
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Visiting Old Port
The Old Port of Marseille or Vieux-Port de Marseille is at the end of Canebière Street the major street of Marseille. This place is a city center. All boats, cruises, and ships are in this area. Around this place are multiple eating restaurants and hotels so this place will be mostly crowded but as it’s a center so most of the places are easily accessible from here. Adding some pictures
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Calanques National Park
So here comes the best part of my entire trip to Marseille. Calanque is must must visit, I can’t insist more. It’s a unique rock formation around the Mediterranean Sea. There are different shapes and sizes and each one of them stands out differently in the sparkling blue ocean.
You need to plan in advance, as you can plan to go by boat or you can also plan to hike. You can also plan to stay around this area for a couple of days to enjoy the pristine white sand beach and blue water.
Most of the information is available in this Link to plan your journey and stay.
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Sunset point – La Corniche
Watching Sun going down into the deep blue ocean and creating colored effects on the surface of the water; nobody would want to miss that. Its tranquility, Most peaceful and enjoyable. There are multiple spots where you can enjoy the sunset but the most famous one is La Corniche Kennedy. If you walk a bit ahead on the same road there are multiple locations where you can capture the sunset.
There are multiple evening cruises as well that you can take for sunset time and enjoy the view.
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Marseille boat Cruise
The boat cruise is an easier way to get around the Calanques if you want to see the stunning views of the ocean. There are numerous options to pick from, You can take a day tour or you can take as short as a 3hours tour. The landscapes of the Mediterranean coast are picture-perfect. You can also plan a personal boat and spend some time on the Frioul islands in white sand and blue water.
Bay of Marseille looks beautiful all the time I am sure you will not be disappointed.
Closing this blog here as I cannot put everything in one blog.
Let me know in the comment section if you are also planning a trip to Marseille or already had one, Hope you find this blog informative, and let me know if you need some more details.
Thanks 🙏 for reading…!!!
Super 👍