Marseille

Advantages: small, friendly, good facilities
Disadvantages: none

Flying from Gatwick to Marseille (Mariagne) with BA for the first time alone, I was rather nervous about what the airport at Marseille would be like. My daughter was working in France and was meeting me at Marseille airport but would not be in time to meet the flight, so I would have a short wait. I am one of those people with not much of a sense of direction and can have my confidence easily chipped away by anything unfamiliar, but as it turned ...
...coffee with croissants while the Marseille sunshine filtered through the windows. There was a relaxed atmosphere, people were walking about with luggage trolleys, and backpackers passing through As in most airports there is a waiting area in front of a large window looking out into the runway where people can watch the the planes taking off, children had their noses smearily pressed up against the window. My daughter arrived and took me outside ... Read review

Advantages: Gorgeous Climate, Beautiful Culture, Picture moment Scenaries
Disadvantages: driving(?)

...for achieving a tan. Marseille is the second largest city in France, the region where Marseille is the capital of its region 'Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ' and is well used for shipments etc. Around August months the temperature is easily 30 degrees C. It shares a mediteranian climate of hot, humid and dry, the coldest months are January and february (11 degrees C) Marseille is of great importance to france, - look at the french national anthem ...
...During my visit to Marseille as much as i wanted to just stay and relax at the pool and soak up the lovely climate i did go out. Marseille is famous for its Opera Houses, museums and galleries. - May sound boring, but there were some good locations we went to. If your into shopping then The Centre Bourse is the main shopping centre of Marseille and contains both the History Museum as well as a series of open archaeological ruins now used as a park. ... Read review

Advantages: Cheaper than England, great food, easy to get to, friendly people
Disadvantages: High crime rate, polluted (aren't all big cities??!?) Its French (Lol)

...how do I get there? Well despite Marseille being right at the bottom of France it is still remarkably easy to get to and you do not have to rely on the plane. Firstly the obvious way to get there is by plane - British Airways, Air France and Buzz (only from Stanstead) fly there. Now if you're not too keen on the travelling by plane you can go entirely by train to Marseille. (When I went to Marseille I went by plane so I don't know how much this option will cost but I imagine a fair bit more than an airfare). To get to Marseille by train you need to get to Waterloo Station (in London) and catch the Eurostar to Paris. And then from Paris catch the TGV to Marseille. I'm not sure what the exact journey time would be if you went to Marseille that way but I think the Eurostar takes a 2 or 3 hours and the TGV from Paris to Marseille... Read review

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Advantages: An interesting Vieux Port (old port) area, good accommodation options nearby
Disadvantages: A noticeably high crime rate, not a great deal to see outside the port and coast areas

...A “reputation for roguishness and danger”, as an older edition of our guidebook states, at first seemed a rather strange claim to make about Marseille. Regrettably, however, crime rates here are among the highest in France, and our own impressions could do nothing but strengthen this view. I had first visited the city two years ago, in the summer of 1999. That time, I had stayed in a pleasant (though rather unhygienic) youth hostel far from the Vieux Port area, and had avoided any kind of mishap whatsoever. This was still true after a confused two-hour walk back to my accommodation (after the Metro had unexpectedly shut down on Sunday evening), which took me through dark alleyways of the worst description. In fact, it was only other people that ever appeared to hold a grudge against Marseille’s inhabitants... Read review

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Advantages: Scenary
Disadvantages: Bit hard, waters a bit chilly

...The beaches are relatively rocky, as there is no sand. They are very nice with some striking views, on windy days the waves can look rather terrifying. A wind blows from the south depending on the direction, also blows sand in your face, which is a bit off-putting. There’s lots of lifeguards in blue & when the red flag is up, means you can't enter the water. During the afternoon it can be a bit crowded, but the talent is good. There’s many Cafés in Marseilles along the front. One I liked had blue chairs, & also had waiter service. ‘Ananas’ is French for Pineapple juice; we drank like pigs that week! There’s surfing on offer & no one wears one-piece bathing suits in Marseilles. You can buy them for 20E on the market; I have seen them for 10E. When ever there’s a bad fire. The fire services come with helicopter & scoop water up... Read review

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