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Plan your Holiday – Things to do in Marseilles

March 9th, 2009 No comments

Marseilles is the second city in France with reference to population. It is the largest port on the Mediterranean as well as the financial centre of the Provence-Alpes-Cote.

Although Marseilles does not have the instantaneous allure that Paris has, you will still love the city if you try to really explore it. You can amuse yourself at the African markets; go to the cliffs falling into the sea, or see Panier and the Corniche. Marseilles has numerous sights for tourists who are willing to make the effort to really discover the city.

When in town, make sure you see the Vieux Port- the old harbor. You can view the fishermen selling the fish they catch via auction. Additionally, if you disembark on the port in the evening you will never forget the view. Notre Dame de la Garde is a big church that looks over the city. In past times, the fishermen used to get their boats sanctified here. If you go here, you can still find some boats in the area. The Cours Julien is a place where you can unwind and visit the book stores, playground, or even get a coffee in a caf. It’s an extremely fashionable hangout place in town.

The Corniche is a road next to the sea that has lovely views of the water as well as the Calanques and the Chateau d’If. The Place Castellane is a large fountain pizza with many cinemas and restaurants surrounding it. It is a very nice place to go and spend an evening at. Furthermore, after watching a movie, you can easily get snacks and food from here.

The Boulevard Longchamp and Palais Longchamp are a castle and a walkway. Since the palace is small, it doesn’t take a lot of time to see it. Nevertheless, it is absolutely worth a visit at least once.

Another place you should visit is Borely park which is just three hundred meters from the sea. The oldest part of town called the Panier is absolutely beautiful. the place has old buildings, museums, monuments, and exhibitions that are being held all year round. You can occupy yourself by visiting these places, and hence get an idea about the city’s history.

If you are in Marseilles for longer, you should definitely watch a local football match. The team “Olympique de Marseille” used to be European champions, but had shown substandard performance in the last few years. Regardless, the feel in the stadium is still exhilarating and certainly worth the trouble of finding a ticket.

Sights to go look at out of town are the Chateau d’If which is an extremely small island and was really a prison before. It is famed as a result of its association with the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo”. The Calanques are fjords which are impressive, and have wonderful views.

Marseille is a beautiful place to visit, and absolutely has enough to keep its visitors busy with even if it is not as renowned or marketed as Paris.

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