Image: Anthony Lanneretonne
Out and about in France’s second-largest city.
More than 2,600 years ago, Phocaean sailor Protis traversed the Mediterranean in search of land on which to build a new city. As legend has it, his arrival at Lacydon cove coincided with a party where a local Celto-Ligurian girl, Gyptis, was choosing her husband. She picked the handsome foreign explorer, and their nuptials laid the foundation for Massalia.
Known as Marseille since the fifteenth century, France’s oldest city is now one of its most intriguing, a visual feast of ocher clay roofs, white limestone cliffs, and turquoise sea. Even Parisians who once looked askance at their southern neighbor are now decamping for its irresistible mix of cultures and contrasts. Though it’s France’s second-largest metropolis, Marseille feels more like a collection of villages – it has 111 of them, each with its own personality.
There, Provençal tradition blends with multicultural flavors fed by centuries of migratory waves. Add southern joie de vivre, and it’s hard not to fall for Marseille’s singular charm. Below, how to spend a port call exploring, eating, and shopping in France’s most Mediterranean city.
Mucem’s facade.
Anthony Lanneretonne
9:30 a.m.
From place de la Joliette (a 15-minute drive or shuttle from the cruise terminal), it’s a 15-minute walk to the Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean, aka Mucem. Opened in 2013, when Marseille was designated a European Capital of Culture, the venue celebrates the city as a gateway to the Mediterranean. The latticed concrete cube is an architectural attraction in itself: Climb the exterior walkways for photo-worthy views of its ornamental design and the sea. From the rooftop, traverse the skinny pedestrian bridge to Fort Saint-Jean: The former home of the French Foreign Legion is one of two seventeenth-century fortresses built to protect Marseille’s harbor. Amble its arched walkways and towers before popping inside for a video exhibit on the city’s history.
11 a.m.
Fifteen minutes away by car is Notre-Dame de la Garde, a Roman-Byzantine church nicknamed la Bonne Mère (“the Good Mother”) for its giant golden Virgin and Child statue. At the top of a hill near the Vieux-Port, the church’s 360-degree views include the island prison, Château d’If, immortalized in The Count of Monte Cristo. Its facade bears bullet holes from the WWII battle that liberated Marseille; glittering mosaics crafted by Italian immigrants adorn the interior. The wooden boats suspended from the ceiling are ex-votos, offerings from locals to thank la Bonne Mère for her protection.
Beyond bouillabaisse at La Boîte à Sardine.
Anthony Lanneretonne
1 p.m.
For lunch, head to La Boîte à Sardine in the city center. This nautically kitschy restaurant dishes the freshest catch in town. Fishmonger Fabien Rugi sources seafood from local fishers, which chef Céline Bonnieu transforms into dishes such as ricotta-and-lemon sardines, sausage-stuffed squid, and monkfish ravioli. When paired with white wine from nearby Cassis and Fabien’s banter, lunch here proves there’s more to Marseille’s seafood scene than bouillabaisse.
Start the night with a glass of Champagne at History.
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3 p.m.
Stroll down La Canebière, the city’s main drag, to Noailles, a neighborhood that’s home to the countless cultures that contribute to Marseille’s rich diversity. Rue Longue des Capucins brims with fragrant North African food stalls. It ends at rue d’Aubagne, where Jiji la Palme d’Or sells Tunisian ceramics, slippers, and home-decor items. Farther along, the oldest hardware store in France, Maison Empereur, is a treasured institution – and a souvenir-shopping heaven. Traditional olive-oil soap, Opinel knives, navy-blue aprons, and torchons (tea towels) fit easily in suitcases. Refuel with boat-shaped navettes, the local orange-flower biscuits, in the store’s charming café.
Return to La Canebière for a ten-minute walk to the port. Along the way, the majestic Palais de la Bourse houses the world’s oldest Chambre de Commerce. Its exterior is sculpted with boats and the names of famous explorers, and a vintage diving bell by local company COMEX is mounted in front. The Vieux-Port once welcomed ships loaded with goods and people from around the world; now it’s a gathering place for locals. On sunny days, catch people breakdancing under the giant mirrored Ombrière, a public art piece that doubles as shady shelter. A bronze plaque in the pavement commemorates Marseille’s founding in 600 BC and how it “radiated civilization across the West.”
5 p.m.
Chart your course to the Vieux-Port’s La Caravelle for apéro, French happy hour. One floor above street level, the Hôtel Belle-Vue’s bar is tucked away from the tourist traps lining the port and decorated with vintage model boats and maps of France’s Mediterranean coastline. A born-in-Marseille pastis is de rigueur here, but a minty perroquet or an almondy mauresque is an acceptable substitute. Make like a Marseillais and snack on panisses (chickpea fritters), tapenade, and tinned sardines. La Caravelle’s eight-seat balcony boasts one of the best views in town.
7:30 p.m.
Walk across the Vieux-Port to Mouné for Lebanese fare. Affable Serje Banna welcomes diners in French, English, Armenian, or Arabic. His partner, Naj-la Chami, cooks a full complement of modern Lebanese cuisine. In addition to the creamiest hummus, there’s warak arish (stuffed grape leaves), fatteh (pita, spiced chickpeas, and garlicky yogurt), and freekeh (smoked cracked green wheat). Pair them with beer, natural wine, or arak from the couple’s homeland. Head back to the ship full from a day in Marseille.
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