What is it about Marseille?

[anniversay/grad trip]

I have been pouring over these boards to try and plan our day in Marseille for our upcoming September cruise aboard the Epic. Being it is the last day of our cruise, the thought was to go into the Old Town, browse around, take the little train tour and have a seaside lunch at a quaint cafe. I cannot for the life of me get anyone to respond in a positive way about this port of call.

I am looking for recommendations....restaurants, shops to buy French soaps, must sees, transportation recommendations (is the ship sponsored transfer the way to go??)....

 

Please, anyone who did get off the ship, and did not take a ship sponsored (or privately booked tour) please respond.

[6rugrats]

I am not sure there are any "must sees" in Marseille; that's probably why you are getting no positive responses. That said, the tourist train is cute and you can ride up to the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde , which is interesting.

 

You can purchase "french soap" almost anywhere. Since you are not finding the information you seek, suggest you go to the Marseille forum on tripadvisor.com and ask or simply do a search, or look in a guide book.

Edited July 10, 2012 by 6rugrats

[cberge]

I have been pouring over these boards to try and plan our day in Marseille for our upcoming September cruise aboard the Epic. Being it is the last day of our cruise, the thought was to go into the Old Town, browse around, take the little train tour and have a seaside lunch at a quaint cafe. I cannot for the life of me get anyone to respond in a positive way about this port of call.

I am looking for recommendations....restaurants, shops to buy French soaps, must sees, transportation recommendations (is the ship sponsored transfer the way to go??)....

 

Please, anyone who did get off the ship, and did not take a ship sponsored (or privately booked tour) please respond.

Most people do not view Marseille as a port they are going to explore,stay in,shop in etc. and I would say you will not find to much about it...it is used as a gateway to parts of Provence .I am putting here a link that may be of help for staying in Marseille.

Visitor's Guide to Marseille

[Hlitner]

"What is it about Marseille?" A great question that we suspect many residents have been asking themselves for ions. We have been all over France, really enjoy the country and its fascinating culture, but cannot find much good to say about Marseille. Most French cities have a personality, joie de vivre, charms, etc. For some reason Marseille just seems to lack all of the above. It is not a horrible place (DW and I have spent a few days exploring the city and suburbs) but just pales when compared to other places (Aix en Provence comes quickly to mind) in the region. Sure, you can spend your post day in Marseille, find a decent cafe/restaurant, take the boat over to the Chateau d"if....roam the streets, etc....but you will not find anything memorable. We explored the city in order to prove others wrong....and came away thinking "why did we waste a day in Marseille." We are not even sure that the French like Marseille :)

 

We know that many here on CC seem to swear by the Rick Steves guides (we often recommend them ourselves) so perhaps they have something in their book that would make one love Marseille.

 

Hank

Edited July 10, 2012 by Hlitner

[anniversay/grad trip]

Thank you for replies....I may re-think our day in Marseille and consider a tour of one of the nearby cities....any suggestions based on our planned day (quaint seaside lunch, shopping etc)

[buggins0402]

Thank you for replies....I may re-think our day in Marseille and consider a tour of one of the nearby cities....any suggestions based on our planned day (quaint seaside lunch, shopping etc)

 

We were ok with Marseille on our cruise - but we've done land in the area. I thought about going to Cassis and researched how to take a bus there - but it was November and thought it wouldn't be worth the added aggrevation for that time of year (mid-grade on difficulty for a DIY). Mentioned Cassis because you mentioned quaint seaside lunch. Maybe Hank can provide more information about Cassis - we didn't get there on our land trip - that's why it interested me.

 

One thing I can say if you stick with Marseille and want a nice seaside lunch - get recommendations on TripAdvisor. Ours was ok for ambience (in old harbor) but food was probably better on the ship's buffet. Actually thought Vieux Port was lovely and if your only looking to relax, it might just mean checking for the perfect restaurant on TA.

Edited July 10, 2012 by buggins0402

[Hlitner]

Thank you for replies....I may re-think our day in Marseille and consider a tour of one of the nearby cities....any suggestions based on our planned day (quaint seaside lunch, shopping etc)

 

We would suggest passing on the "seaside" lunch and just heading to Aix en Provence for the day. For lunch you would want to choose one of the perfectly located cafes/restaurants located on the famous Cours Mirabeau. IMHO Aix is everything that Marseille is not!

 

Hank

[kickballpro]

We ate at Vieux Point? Not sure if its spelled right. But I can't recommend it.

 

I watched a Travel Channel show with Samantha Brown and figured out that the city is known for its nightlife, which I wasn't going to be there for and:

 

1. Soap (I bought several bars. Smells great, looks great, nice gift for a co-worker)

 

2. The Notre Dame Cathedral (Another European Church!! But this one has an amazing view)

 

3. Bouillabaisse (The Soup is famous in this town)

 

 

Marseille was my least favorite port. It has the most expensive shuttle and you get the feeling that they need to have tourist, but they aren't exactly happy you're there.

Edited July 12, 2012 by kickballpro

[anniversay/grad trip]

We ate at Vieux Point? Not sure if its spelled right. But I can't recommend it.

 

I watched a Travel Channel show with Samantha Brown and figured out that the city is known for its nightlife, which I wasn't going to be there for and:

 

1. Soap (I bought several bars. Smells great, looks great, nice gift for a co-worker)

 

2. The Notre Dame Cathedral (Another European Church!! But this one has an amazing view)

 

3. Bouillabaisse (The Soup is famous in this town)

 

 

Marseille was my least favorite port. It has the most expensive shuttle and you get the feeling that they need to have tourist, but they aren't exactly happy you're there.

 

Thank you...I am getting the feeling it may be our least favourite as well, but I want to at least say we were there rather than stay onboard.

[kickballpro]

Thank you...I am getting the feeling it may be our least favourite as well, but I want to at least say we were there rather than stay onboard.

 

Keep an open mind. We did have a great experience in France. I'll never forget the view from the church. I love my soap!!! Its just that Barcelona, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Sicily, Dubrovnik, Venice, etc.. are all so magnificant that it made France a little ho-hum in comparison.

 

Marseille was pretty incredible as well. Its just, if I have to rank the ports, its not AS amazing as the others.

[Francophile]

No one has mentioned a small boat cruise among the calanques, the little bays and cliffs along the coast east of the city. Truly remarkable, beautiful places that can best be appreciated from the water. You can catch a boat cruise from the harbor and it's worth every penny. What about Corsican restaurants or looking for the best bouillabaisse in town? Turn on your radar and enjoy.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Its our least favorite because twice, we had incidents. The first, we were deliberately given wrong change in a restaurant (and we knew better and insisted on having it corrected). The second, we had a robbery attempt by "road pirates" at a red light, a crowd of people who broke into our van, thought the person in the front was a large woman, until he put his fist in the robber's face.

[Hlitner]

Whenever I hear these anti-French stories I can't help thinking about our own country. Of course tourists never have problems in the US, they are never shot, raped, robbed, etc. It just would never happen here. And we have never ever heard of car jackings in the US. About 2 years ago a 14 year old female cruiser was shot and killed just outside Coki Beach in St Thomas but you do not hear many folks saying they would not go to St Thomas because people get shot!

 

So, I will quickly present another opinion of France. We have spent many months driving throughout France (from the Spanish and Swiss boarders to the southern coast and Italy) and never been car jacked, never been robbed, usually get the right change, have met many wonderful French people, and a few who were less then wonderful. We have had great food, not so great food, amazing wine, and some lousy wine (yeah, it can happen even in France). From the point of view of an American who loves to travel all over the world...we think that if a cruise passenger has an "attitude" problem with the French they should either stay on the ship or home! We have too often seen the UGLY American and he/she is alive and well (and often on cruise ships).

 

In the interests of full disclosure, we once had some gypsy kids try to pick our pocket (actually a fanny pack) in Arles (we easily foiled the attempt). If this had happened in a place like Detroit we probably would have been shot and then robbed :(

 

Hank

[Eileen G]

We enjoyed Marseille even though we didn't get to do what we planned. Here is an exerpt from my review:

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.

[cruisemom42]

Whenever I hear these anti-French stories I can't help thinking about our own country. Of course tourists never have problems in the US, they are never shot, raped, robbed, etc. It just would never happen here. And we have never ever heard of car jackings in the US. About 2 years ago a 14 year old female cruiser was shot and killed just outside Coki Beach in St Thomas but you do not hear many folks saying they would not go to St Thomas because people get shot!

 

So, I will quickly present another opinion of France. We have spent many months driving throughout France (from the Spanish and Swiss boarders to the southern coast and Italy) and never been car jacked, never been robbed, usually get the right change, have met many wonderful French people, and a few who were less then wonderful. We have had great food, not so great food, amazing wine, and some lousy wine (yeah, it can happen even in France). From the point of view of an American who loves to travel all over the world...we think that if a cruise passenger has an "attitude" problem with the French they should either stay on the ship or home! We have too often seen the UGLY American and he/she is alive and well (and often on cruise ships).

 

In the interests of full disclosure, we once had some gypsy kids try to pick our pocket (actually a fanny pack) in Arles (we easily foiled the attempt). If this had happened in a place like Detroit we probably would have been shot and then robbed :(

 

Hank

 

Hank, I've read a great many of your posts over the years and this has to be one of my favorites.

 

I cannot agree more, especially having just spent time in this area (Marseille, Arles, Avignon and assorted day trips).

[Eileen G]

Here is a link to my pictures of Marseille:

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=1e98e90214e77bf9#cid=1E98E90214E77BF9&id=1E98E90214E77BF9%212559

[Nigella]

Keep an open mind. We did have a great experience in France. I'll never forget the view from the church. I love my soap!!! Its just that Barcelona, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Sicily, Dubrovnik, Venice, etc.. are all so magnificant that it made France a little ho-hum in comparison.

 

Marseille was pretty incredible as well. Its just, if I have to rank the ports, its not AS amazing as the others.

 

Please don't judge the whole of France on one port. There is nothing at all ho-hum about this amazing country, just unfortunate that many cruise lines insist on including Marseille as a port.

I'd advise anyone who is docking in Marseille to plan to get out of the city in order to see the stunning places that are so close by.

[Nigella]

Whenever I hear these anti-French stories I can't help thinking about our own country. Of course tourists never have problems in the US, they are never shot, raped, robbed, etc. It just would never happen here. And we have never ever heard of car jackings in the US. About 2 years ago a 14 year old female cruiser was shot and killed just outside Coki Beach in St Thomas but you do not hear many folks saying they would not go to St Thomas because people get shot!

 

So, I will quickly present another opinion of France. We have spent many months driving throughout France (from the Spanish and Swiss boarders to the southern coast and Italy) and never been car jacked, never been robbed, usually get the right change, have met many wonderful French people, and a few who were less then wonderful. We have had great food, not so great food, amazing wine, and some lousy wine (yeah, it can happen even in France). From the point of view of an American who loves to travel all over the world...we think that if a cruise passenger has an "attitude" problem with the French they should either stay on the ship or home! We have too often seen the UGLY American and he/she is alive and well (and often on cruise ships).

 

In the interests of full disclosure, we once had some gypsy kids try to pick our pocket (actually a fanny pack) in Arles (we easily foiled the attempt). If this had happened in a place like Detroit we probably would have been shot and then robbed :(

 

Hank

 

Thanks for this balanced opinion.

I'm very well travelled and the only place something bad happened to me during my travels was in the US in the mid 1990's...I don't go around saying bad things about the USA as a result of that. It can happen anywhere.

France is a wonderful country - rich and diverse in every respect, from cuisine tothe different landscapes, to history to the people. Definitely agree about the "attitude" problem which is something the French (I'm not French) seem to have a very good radar for and will pick up on it immediately. If you go with a bad attitude they can tell straightaway. If you're on a cruise that calls to a French port and you have some pre-determined bad attitude about France and/or the French, stay on your ship.

Edited July 14, 2012 by Nigella

[alpal1993]

I am just so excited to have this wonderful experience to travel to the Med and visit all of these places that I have just read about for so many years.Just to arrive in port and set foot in France will be amazing.My husband and I are so greatful for the chance to actually do a Med cruise.I am sure I will love what ever we do.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I have traveled all over France several times. In fact, it is my favorite country. Marseille is the only city we ever felt uncomfortable.

[Zqueeze1]

Whenever I hear these anti-French stories I can't help thinking about our own country. Of course tourists never have problems in the US, they are never shot, raped, robbed, etc. It just would never happen here. And we have never ever heard of car jackings in the US. About 2 years ago a 14 year old female cruiser was shot and killed just outside Coki Beach in St Thomas but you do not hear many folks saying they would not go to St Thomas because people get shot!

 

So, I will quickly present another opinion of France. We have spent many months driving throughout France (from the Spanish and Swiss boarders to the southern coast and Italy) and never been car jacked, never been robbed, usually get the right change, have met many wonderful French people, and a few who were less then wonderful. We have had great food, not so great food, amazing wine, and some lousy wine (yeah, it can happen even in France). From the point of view of an American who loves to travel all over the world...we think that if a cruise passenger has an "attitude" problem with the French they should either stay on the ship or home! We have too often seen the UGLY American and he/she is alive and well (and often on cruise ships).

 

In the interests of full disclosure, we once had some gypsy kids try to pick our pocket (actually a fanny pack) in Arles (we easily foiled the attempt). If this had happened in a place like Detroit we probably would have been shot and then robbed :(

 

Hank

 

Wow! Talk about living in a hypersensitive world! Although your comments were written a while ago, I can't help but comment on the fact that I cannot figure out how the original comment can be misconstrued as being anti-French. I believe the original poster referred to the city of Marseilles as being their least favorite place, not a whole country. It would have been mine also due to the negative experience, but that does not make me anti-French?

[TravelingDiva1]

Here is a link to my pictures of Marseille:

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=1e98e90214e77bf9#cid=1E98E90214E77BF9&id=1E98E90214E77BF9%212559

 

Although this was posted almost a year ago, thanks for sharing your pictures. The church is gorgeous and now I'm convinced it's a must see!

[slidergirl]

I may be totally off base here, but this is my take on how Americans feel about Marseille.

One of the big movies in the 70s was The French Connection. Marseille was huge in the 70-80s for major drug trafficking. Not a place you wanted to be in. Maybe Americans never got over that and still, consciously or not, have that creep into their brain about Marseille.

Not every port caters to the cruise tourist. Marseille just happens to be one of them. Like some others have said, many consider it a jumping off point to go wandering through Provence. Look at Naples: same feeling, I think. Dirty, crime-ridden, Italian crime families. It's a jumping off point to go to Pompei and the Amalfi Coast. Look at Hilo, Hawaii: sleepy town, no real tourist infrastructure, jumping off point to visit Volcanos Nat'l Park and the macadamia nut farms. Not all ports will offer a "wow" factor within a mile of the ship. But, they may give you an insight into what the locals are like instead of insulating yourself in touristy things.

[Francophile]

This American liked Marseille quite a lot, although I went by choice and not as part of a cruise. It has its own indomitable spirit and is a grand immigrant center with a certain charming energy that I find very attractive. It's dangerous to assume anything about Americans since we are a large, diverse, and quarrelsome country. :0)

[CruiseIreland]

We had a lovely day in Marseille on our Epic cruise two weeks ago. The port is very large and stretches along the coast a long way. The authorities provide a free shuttle from Fridays through Mondays. This shuttle drops you at the gate near the Cathedral (la Major not Notre Dame de la Garde). From there it is a nice, short walk along the shore to the Museu Mediterranean, which links into Fort St. Jean via a metal walkway. You don’t have to pay to enter the museum public areas and use the walkway. It is a short stroll from there into the Vieux Port. A short way along the waterfront you will come to the Petit Train. This train will take you along the seafront and up to the highest point in the city, Notre Dame de la Garde. Spectacular views and a beautiful church. The train will call back here regularly. Note: you must get off the train especially if there are a lot of people waiting. You must go to the back of the queue to get back on. To walk back to the shuttle point from the tourist train stop, head up the steps opposite and steer straight for the cathedral. It’s worth calling in there. The shuttle stop is outside a hangar J1. On other days, you can walk out of Marseille port by following the green line to the gate, not nearly as far as the shuttle drop off point. From outside the gate you can get a bus into Vieux Port 9number 82,82S – according to the map, bus 49 or 35 will take you back in the direction of the port gate).

 

Sorry for the lack of editing but it's difficult on the ipad. Ken