The Port of Marseille, France
ABOUT
Marseille was founded around 600BC by Greek settlers from Phocaea. Originally called Massalia it is the oldest city in France, as well as one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited settlements.
Marseille has a complex history that includes periods of prosperity, decline, and revolt. It has been captured by Julius Caesar’s troops, then later captured by the Visigoths and then sacked by Umayyad Arabs. It has suffered the Black Death, the Great Plague and became a focal point in the French Revolution. Volunteers from Marseille first sang the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, in Paris.
In the 19th Century Marseille experienced a second golden age as a Mediterranean trade stronghold. Whilst in the 20th Century Town planners demolished much of the city’s heritage.
Today the city is proud of its history of independence and revolt. Its trade is not limited to tourism but has its roots with the sea, seafaring and fishing. It is the 5th largest European Port in cargo tonnage.
In 2024 population was approximately 871,000
Currency is the Euro.
THINGS TO DO
With such a long and somewhat tempestuous past, Marseille has plenty to see and do.
Just a stroll around the quayside and marina is lovely on a sunny day. Taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the area – sometimes the fish market can be a little pungent.
Visit le Panier the oldest district of Marseille and enjoy the atmosphere of this unique place.
Visit the Notre Dame de la Garde basilica and take in its breathtaking panorama.
Visit the Abbey of Saint-Victor a fortified church on the south bank of the Port.
Or visit the Mucem Museum – 3 museums in one.
Perhaps go to the outskirts of the city to visit Palais Longchamp. It is a must see building set in parkland.
There is certainly more to see than you can do on one visit!
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO
In 2024 we called in to Marseille whilst cruising on Princess Cruises Sky Princess. It is only our second visit to the city but on our first we really did not know how much there is to see.
On that occasion it was an extremely hot day and walking around too far was not on the agenda.
Visiting later in the year as we did this time means that the heat of the summer is gone and whilst warm, its not too hot.
Since our last visit there have been some changes along the quayside. It may be that some of these were due to the sailing events of the 2024 Olympics were held here.
The big wheel at the end of the quay has now gone and the entrance to the Metro has been upgraded.
The fish market is still there each morning with local fishermen selling their catch from 8am-1pm.
On this occasion Princess Cruises Sky Princess was docked away from the in a more industrial area of the port. So shuttle buses were made available to transport passengers to the city. You will find that some cruise lines charge for this service.
The drop-off point was just to one side of the Mucem Museum. On this occasion there was a large `Teddy bear’ nearby which acted as an extra landmark.
Following the trail of people we walked along the quayside past the huge area covered by the Mucem Museum and around the outside of the Fort Saint Jean.
Marseille Metro
Our intention on this particular visit to Marseille was to visit the Palais Longchamp. A little pre-planning had shown that the local Metro (subway or underground) was a good option to get there.
So we headed to the station located near to the Hotel de Ville on the quayside and which is called Vieux-Port.
Ken has a smattering of French and took a little time to work out the stop that we required, how to purchase tickets and which platform to go to. The stop we needed was Cinq Avenues (Longchamp) and was only 4 stops along the line 2 (blue line).
There are various ticket prices available and these start at €1.50. For future visits we would undoubtedly look at purchasing the 24-hour XL pass. At the time this was priced at €5.40 and is valid across the Transmetropole Network.
There is a very useful website produced by the local Tourist Office. It gives information about the whole of the network and how to use it. It does include prices which will be updated as appropriate.
One thing to bear in mind. The Metro is used constantly by locals and tourists alike. Whilst access is relatively straight forward, you will find that there is not much time to get off at your particular stop. So be prepared!
Palais Longchamp
Coming out of the Metro station we saw the entrance to the Palais Longchamp Park. Unfortunately the gates were closed on our arrival. Signage however took us around the outer wall of the park and to the front of the complex.
We are so glad we did. It meant that our first glance of the Palais Longchamp was that of its impressive frontage.
It is quite difficult to put on paper the sheer magnificence of this area. Except perhaps to say WOW.
The complex celebrates the arrival of water in Marseille. Water had always been a concern in the city, even more so after the cholera outbreak in 1835.
A series of underground passages, aqueducts and bridges brought the supply 95Km. It also took 15 years to complete the water tower and completed in 1869 with the construction of the Palais Longchamp
The Palais Longshamp is an architectural complex linking two museums by a monumental covered colonnade. These are the Museum of Natural History in the right wing and the Museum of Fine Arts in the left wing.
We will make no apology for the amount of photographs we have displayed here. The complex is too large to get into single shots and too beautiful not to photograph.
There was another surprise waiting for us at the top of the Palais Longchamp complex. Go through the tower area and the other side there are the public gardens. It is in total contrast to the main buildings of the Palais Longchamp. They were inaugurated in 1869.
Originally there was also a zoological garden on this site. Constructed in 1956 it housed a wide variety of animal species. It closed in 1987 but some of the cages are still visible today.
We saw only a small part of the 5 hectare site but it was a pleasant place to stroll, or sit and take in the views. It is from here that you can head down through the park towards the Metro Station if you wish. It is marked at the bottom edge of the map (A).
There is also a public toilet complex here. It is somewhat hidden from view and very, very basic – so be warned.
Our visit to the Palais Longchamp was very worthwhile and on a fine day is thoroughly enjoyable. The main grounds of Palais Longchamp are free to enter. Entry to the museums do incur a small charge.
We would happily go back to explore the museums in this area and to see this wonderful complex once more. However there are other places to explore in Marseille next time we are here.
In the meantime, we recommend you visit the Palais Longchamp and consider going there independently via the Metro system.
Below are some other memories of our day in Marseille.
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