Marseille (France)

...first time we passed through Marseille on the TGV, and naturally it whetted our appetite to return for a proper visit. Admittedly, the city does not look attractive from the train as you enter, but what big city does? They all seem to save their grittiest industrial zones, their grimmest apartment blocks and their graffiti captions for the trackside. And few cities, however rough and tough their reputations, are without interest and character on ...
...from excessive tourism. Marseille is no more on the regular French tourist trail than, say, Glasgow or Liverpool is on the British, but like them it's none the worse for being neglected, and there is plenty to see there, as we discovered this year when we went back to take a closer look at it.


~ History and background ~

Marseille is France's second biggest city and busiest port. It has been a major port since ... more

"Ladies and Gentlemen, in a few minutes the train will stop at Marseille. Keep a close eye on your luggage in case of thieves."

It was noticeable that this warning had not been considered necessary at Lille, Lyon or any of the other places we had stopped on our way down through France. We kept a close eye on our luggage, but no local rascals attempted to abscond with it, and we went safely on to Nice, where again no warning against theft was apparently needed.

That was several years ago, the first time we passed through Marseille on the TGV, and naturally it whetted our appetite to return for a proper visit. Admittedly, the city does not look attractive from the train as you enter, but what big city does? They all seem to save their grittiest industrial zones, their grimmest apartment blocks and their graffiti captions for the trackside. And few cities, however rough and tough their reputations, are without interest and character on closer acquaintance.

Indeed, such reputations can often enhance the interest, at the same time as preserving the city from excessive tourism. Marseille is no more on the regular French tourist trail than, say, Glasgow or Liverpool is on the British, but like them it's none the worse for being neglected, and there is plenty to see there, as we discovered this year when we went back to take a closer look at it.

~ History and background ~

Marseille is France's second biggest city and busiest port. It has been a major port since pre-Roman times, when the Greeks bestowed the name Massalia on the trading post they founded on the site of the modern city. In the middle ages, Marseille sprang into prominence as a staging post and supply base for the Crusades. Since then, it has been France's main gateway to the Mediterranean and, after the completion of the Suez Canal, to all points east. As such, it was the closest point of contact with French colonies in Africa and Asia, and there is an admixture of many ethnic groups in its populace, especially North African.

Such places tend to evolve their own personality, and Marseille has always been noted for maverick rebelliousness and resistance to authority. It is no accident that the anthem of the French Revolution is known as the Marseillaise. The city was one of the red-white-and-blue touchpapers that lit the revolutionary conflagration, although within a year or two it was trying to break away to form its own city-republic. Under Napoleon, it wanted to restore the deposed monarchy; under the restored monarchy, it wanted to bring back Napoleon. It was the scene in 1871of a Communard uprising, something that came close to being repeated under Communist leadership in 1947. Today far left and far right both have significant support in the city.

Hand-in-hand with political contrariness has gone a reputation for criminality. In Marseille the word milieu (generally meaning environment, background or social circle) is used specifically to mean the world of the gangsters, often but not exclusively of Corsican origin. "The French Connection" is not the only film to trade on the city's notoriety as a centre for drugs trafficking and organised crime.

~ First acquaintance ~

Emerging from the central Saint Charles station, Marseille looks no grimmer than many other French cities. A little drab and dusty perhaps, understandably so when the station approaches are being rebuilt, and we were there at the height of a summer heatwave. A little shabby and seedy in places - in the streets near the station dubious-looking characters are selling oddments of merchandise, old and new, from suitcases or makeshift stalls - but it is easy to ignore their blandishments. This is the Quartier Belsunce, the old Arab quarter, but we are soon through it and into the business district behind the Vieux Port.

The Vieux Port is the ancient centre of Marseille, the inlet that formed the original harbour. It is no longer used by serious shipping. New docks, container and ferry terminals have been constructed along the coast to the north, leaving the Vieux Port to cope only with pleasure craft, of which there are plenty. The masts of myriad yachts jut up from the moorings like the bristles of an upturned brush. Twin forts guard the entrance to the harbour, built, it is said, as much to keep the turbulent Marseillaises in order as to protect them from seaborne foes. High on a hill to the south, the basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde looks down on the old town.

The overall effect is not exactly picturesque - the Vieux Port is too busy and noisy with traffic along the quayside for that - but already one can see that there are more attractions to the place than it is sometimes given credit for.

~ Sites and sights ~

Not much of Marseille's ancient history is visible to the visitor, except in museums, of which there are several. A few sections of rampart along the sea-wall allegedly date back to prehistoric times, but it is impossible for the inexpert eye to distinguish them from the more recent. Neither of the two 17th century forts - St Jean and St Nicholas - at the harbour entrance is generally open to the public, although the occasional art exhibition at the former gives some access to the interior.

The most interesting military relic that can be visited is on an offshore island - the Chateau d'If - though it is more famous for its penal than its military role. Like a prototype Alcatraz, the Chateau d'If was a high security prison right up to the 19th century. It also found fictional fame by featuring in Dumas' novel "The Count of Monte Cristo"; indeed, the island fort rather overdoes the Monte Cristo connection in its exhibits and displays. Still, perched on its bare sun-bleached rock, it looks impressively bleak even in mid-summer, and it is well worth a €10 (£7) return fare for the twenty-minute boat ride and €5 (£3.50) entrance fee. The boat also stops at the adjacent Frioul islands where you can alight at no extra cost, but there seemed little to do there except sit at cafés or walk on treeless headlands, so we stayed on board.

Back onshore, there are several churches of interest in or around the Vieux Port. The Notre Dame Basilica is more noteworthy for its prominent position and its panoramic view than its interior, which has little to offer except some neo-Byzantine mosaics. The view, though, more than justifies the 530ft trudge up from the quayside. You can break the arduous ascent by stopping on the way at the vastly more ancient Basilica St Victor, gloomy within but which sits atop a labyrinthine crypt with catacombs. Similarly, the Cathedral de la Major, behind the commercial jetties to the north of the Vieux Port, looks impressive from the sea but has less to offer than the truncated remains of the "Old Major" cathedral in its shadow.

Among secular buildings, the Palais du Pharo occupies a landmark position on a promontory to the south of the Vieux Port, and is surrounded by a pleasant park. Here, amid tamarisks, maritime pine and fig trees one can relax and enjoy views both out to sea and into the harbour. Built by Napoleon III it was completed in 1870, just in time for his downfall. Used as a centre for conferences, seminars and exhibitions, its interiors are reputedly elegant and sumptuous, but alas in my brief stay in Marseille I never went inside.

Fans of more modern architecture will find one of its most significant monuments in Marseille' southern suburbs. This is the Cité Radieuse, le Corbusier's pioneering attempt to realise his vision of modern high-rise living. Built just after World War Two, it is, in fact, the first municipal tower block, and if it looks unexceptional today that it only because it has been copied many thousands of times in cities around the world, usually even less successfully. The surrounding garden with its mature trees does much to soften the stark concrete outline, in salutary contrast to the bald grass patches amid sterile paving that characterise so many British council estates. Its modern French counterparts, clustered around the banlieue of La Castellane to the north-east, were the scene of some severe rioting last summer; after all, Marseille could hardly let riots take place elsewhere in France without contributing. This area I saw only from the train, and have lived to tell the tale.

~ Wandering round ~

Most of Marseille is safe enough to wander round, given normal precautions, and wandering around is, of course, the best way to see any city. The old port district, known as le Panier ("the basket") is slightly disappointing, in that the original warren of mediaeval streets was erased during the war by the Nazi occupiers, who suspected it, probably correctly, of being a hotbed of the resistance. Redeveloped, it is pleasant enough for a stroll, but unexceptional. Some good markets are, I'm told, to be found in the area - including one devoted entirely to garlic - but not on the day when I was there.

I did see the Fish Market on the quay of the Vieux Port, its twenty or so stalls doing a brisk business in live ingredients for the many local sea-food specialities, but although colourful it was not on the scale I had imagined. Somehow, I suspect it's a shadow of its former self. Nearby, thrusting back through the town from the Vieux Port is the start of La Canebière, a broad boulevard that is Marseille's most prestigious - perhaps only prestigious - thoroughfare for shopping, entertainment, fashionable restaurants and upmarket hotels.

Further afield, there is a public park at the Palais de Longchamp, which includes an art museum and observatory, and another at Borély, which includes a botanical garden.

When we visited it, we found Borély Park entirely given over to a Pétanque (boules) tournament, apparently the Mondial (world championship), with hundreds of matches being played, on every open space and along every pathway, in defiance of fixed signs declaring "Jeux de ballons interdit" (Ball Games Forbidden). At the time, we were slightly sceptical as to its world status, but the next day we found that the progress of the tournament took up almost as much space in the sports pages of the local press as did the FIFA Football World Cup. The latter, in the birthplace of Zinadine Zidane and home of Olympique de Marseille, the only French club side ever to win the European Cup (admittedly under dodgy circumstances), was certainly not a matter of indifference. Public screens were erected in the parks and outside the Hotel de Ville in the Vieux Port and, when France beat Brazil in the quarter-finals, the celebrations went on with singing and horn-honking late into the night.

~ Eating and drinking ~

Eating and drinking is never difficult in France, and Marseille is no exception. Just in the centre, apart from La Canebière and the line of eateries along the Quai du Port, there is a busy little pedestrianised precinct just off the Vieux Port to the south which consists of practically nothing but cafés and restaurants. A few are expensive, but most are quite reasonable. We had an excellent three course meal at the Brasserie L'Annexe in the central Place Thiars, which, including aperitifs, wine, tax and service worked out at €30 a head, barely over £20.

Marseille's cuisine is, of course, noted for its fish dishes, particularly bouillabaisse, bourride and soupe de poissons, but there is much more to it than that. "Pieds et paquets" makes a tastier meal than you'd expect from the trotters and sheeps' bellies that are its ingredients, while soupe au pistou is vegetable based, like a thin ratatouille with beans added. Dishes of wider Provencal provenance also abound, as do those of Italian or North Africa origin.

If you want to pretend to be a native, drink pastis - the amber-coloured aniseed-flavoured aperitif that turns milky white with ice and water added - before a meal and local rosé wine with, but no one will be fooled unless you can also speak the patois.

~ Places to stay ~

Any number, of course, of all types and at all price levels. We limited our options by deciding that, in the height of summer, we wanted a swimming pool, and eventually overcame our prejudice against chain hotels by settling for the Novotel Vieux Port at €132 (£95) a night for a double room. Apart from the pool, it offered a pleasant terrace with a view of the entrance to the harbour, and is an easy walk from the old town sights and eateries.

If you didn't care about easy access to the old town, the Hotel Bompard, in its own grounds a mile or two around the corniche to the south and at a similar price, looked interesting. Such beaches as exist at Marseille are along this stretch of coast, but they are small and seemed very over-crowded when we were there, as admittedly one might expect on a Sunday afternoon in mid-summer. But you wouldn't go to Marseille as a seaside resort in any case.

For an out-of-the-ordinary experience, you could also, incidentally, stay at the Le Corbusier Hotel located within the Cité Radieuse tower block. Double rooms are very reasonable at €85 (£60) and you have access to the rooftop swimming-pool ("no more than a paddling-pool really", according to my wife when she read this draft). Had we known about in advance that you could stay there, we might have been tempted, although it is some way out from the centre in a not particularly attractive part of town.

~ Getting around ~

Marseille has two metro lines that will take you quickly and efficiently around many of its main localities. The basic fare for all journeys is €1.70 (£1.20), but there are reductions if you buy several tickets at a time, e.g. €4.70 for four equates to 85p each. Obviously, with only two lines, not all districts are covered, but there are numerous buses at similar fares to fill the gaps, and of course you see more from the buses. There is even a hop-on/hop-off bus route around the main places of interest, on which you pay an all-day fare for as many rides as you like, but the buses seem few and far between and we never managed to catch one.

Short train or bus-rides out of Marseille will also take you on day-trips to some interesting places, for example: Aix-en-Provence (an ancient town of café-filled squares, as proud of its Cézanne memorabilia as Salzburg is of Mozart, or Stratford of Shakespeare); or Toulon, Marseille's historic naval neighbour, a bit like Portsmouth is to Southampton.

~ Getting there ~

Not being a resort, Marseille is not a packaged holiday destination. Some operators may do "city breaks" there, but we were unable to find any that suited.

Several scheduled airlines fly to Marseille from major UK airports. Also, Ryanair from Stansted and Prestwick, Easyjet from Gatwick, Bristol and Liverpool. Probably, depending on where you're setting out from, one of the latter is the cheapest way to get there.

Personally, setting out from Kent and with a decided predilection for rail, I prefer the Eurostar/TGV route. Catching the 8.29 from Ashford we were in Marseille city centre just seven hours later, with time for lunch in Paris en route. Door to door, I doubt we'd have done it much more quickly by air. Meanwhile, the train is a great deal pleasanter, or at least less unpleasant, and you see a lot more on the way.

Cheaper? Probably not; there are offers but you have to be nimble to take advantage. We ended up paying about £150 a head return, but one way was first class; given the offer structure available at the time it turned out to be barely more expensive than economy.

Or, of course, you could drive down, the slowest way and probably most expensive. It's a long way, and unless you're planning to tour around en route and to spend more than a few days, I wouldn't recommend it. You wouldn't want to leave your car unattended in some parts of Marseille, either.

~ Verdict ~

Marseille is very much its own place with its own individual flavour. If you go expecting a typically touristic experience, you might be disappointed. If you go willing to explore and discover it on its own terms, there is much to see and to enjoy. Despite its forbidding reputation, the atmosphere is not generally threatening and the people seemed friendly enough in the unaffected, down-to-earth way typical of a working city. I would definitely recommend it for a short break - perhaps three or four days - but not longer.

© torr 2006

Note: I have used the French spelling Marseille throughout, rather than the more familiar English version Marseilles, simply because the former is how Ciao already had the city listed.

 

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