Marseille is the second largest city in France. It was founded centuries ago by the Greeks and still serves as an important Mediterranean port. It is also a beautiful multicultural city, full of attractions and good food. Marseille’s interesting places and attractions are centered around the Old Port, making it easy to explore the city.
The most interesting attractions in Marseille are:
- Notre-Dame de la Garde – a neo-Byzantine basilica on la Garde hill, which towers above the city. From the observation deck surrounding the basilica you can admire the magnificent panorama of Marseilles in 360 degrees.
- The Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM) and the Fort Saint-Jean – a modern museum building integrated in an interesting way with a historic fort.
- The Abbey of Saint-Victor – one of the earliest places of worship in Europe.
- The Panier quarter – a district of Marseille, which, before the Second World War, was the city’s Old Town. Destroyed by the Germans it was rebuilt and today is a district for artists.
- Palais Longchamp – this building is located in a city park just outside the city center. It was built to celebrate the construction of a channel to bring water to the city.
- The Unité d’Habitation – the famous residence of architect, Le Corbusier.
Stade Vélodrome – an attraction for football fans. The home stadium of the Olympique de Marseille club. - The Cathedral of Sainte-Marie-Majeure – a huge cathedral right next to the port.
- The islands of the Frioul archipelago – here, on the island of If, the Count of Monte Cristo, the main character in the book by Alexandre Dumas, was imprisoned. You can visit the fort that was built on the island, and a cell prepared in accordance with the description in the book.
Marseille offers many more attractions. It’s worth spending a whole weekend in this city! Even more so since it is the capital of Provence and lies close to some beautiful villages.
Read more about this place in the article: Marseille
