Aaron Ellis

Marseille Travel Guide, France Environment Aaron Ellis

Marseille Travel Guide, France Environnent. European Tourist City. Grit and grandeur coexist seamlessly in Marseille, an exuberantly multicultural port city with a pedigree stretching back to classical Greece and a fair claim to the mantle of France's second city. Once seen as somewhat dirty and dangerous, and lacking the glamour of Cannes or St-Tropez, this black sheep of the Provençal coastline has blossomed in cultural confidence since its 2013 stint as the European Capital of Culture. The addition of a brace of swanky new museums is just the outward sign of an optimism and self-belief that's almost palpable. Marseille's heart is the vibrant Vieux Port (old port), mast-to-mast with yachts and pleasure boats. Just uphill is the ancient Le Panier neighbourhood, the oldest section of the city. Also worth an explore is the Re?publique quarter, with its stylish boutiques and Haussmannian buildings, and the Joliette area, centred on Marseille's totemic Cathédrale de Marseille Notre Dame de la Major.