Marseilles

[Mailgirl]

I will be on the Carnival Magic and be in the Marseilles Port on 09/24. What is the easiest way to get to Notre Dame?

[ilovhywd]

I recommend taking the ship's shuttle bus to the main port area where you will easily find the petite sightseeing "trains". Buy your tickets at the little booth and take the train up to Notre Dame. You save your ticket which enables you to take any train back down to the main area, so you can stay as long as you wish.

 

This is easily the most beautiful church I have ever seen. Notice the paintings of birds and flowers on the ceiling.

[Mailgirl]

Thank you, very much for the information.

[Eileen G]

We were just on the Magic. Here is what we did in Marseilles.

 

Our first port of call was Marseilles the third largest city in France. We had planned to take the Blue Coast train for a scenic ride. We left the ship at 8:15 to catch the 9:34 train. You have to take a shuttle (12 eurosRT) into the city. There was a long ticket line and then of course we had to wait for the shuttle. The ride was almost 30 minutes. We walked to the metro to take it to the train station but missed the train by 10 minutes. Oh well time for plan B. We took the metro back to the water front and took the #83 bus along the coast to the beaches. We walked to several beaches that were adjacent to each other and went for a swim at the nicest one. After we took the bus back to the waterfront we took the #60 bus up to Notre Dame de Gard. This was a beautiful church high on a hill overlooking all of Marseilles. After we took the bus back to the waterfront we walked to Fort St Jean. It was closed for renovation but it was still a beautiful walk. There is a small park up some stairs that give beautiful views of the harbor. We also walked a short way to the Cathedral Major St Lavant. Unfortunately it was closed on Monday but the outside was amazing. We then took the shuttle back to the ship. The bus had a lot of trouble navigating the small streets and even got stuck once.

Marseilles pictures:

http://cid-1e98e90214e77bf9.photos.l...0%20Marseilles

[AngloinProvence]

If you're going to Notre Dame, do try to take in the Saint Victor Abbey as well. It's in the same part of town, just a little way further down the hill, one of the oldest churches in Marseille and very atmospheric. The last time I was there (in the spring), the ancient crypt was closed but it's still quite lovely. More info: http://www.marseille-provence.info/marseille-marseilles/what-to-see-tourist-attractions/140-the-churches-of-marseille.html

 

There are several other interesting things to see around here: a famous santon-maker, Marcel Carbonel, at 49, rue Neuve Sainte Catherine, 13007 Marseille -- also a santon museum. More about santons (provencal Christmas crib figures): http://www.marseille-provence.info/arts-and-culture/traditions/99-the-santons-and-cribs-of-provence.html. Also the Four des Navettes, which makes traditional Candlemas cookies perfumed with orange flower water. The Cafe de L'Abbaye is great for a very cheap Marseille-style lunch.