Marseille: the nautical side of France

What to do: 

1. Take a ferry boat ride 
Instead of driving, our B&B host Suzy recommended us to take a cruise from Ponte Rouge to Vieux Port in Marseilles.

short walk along the coast from our B&B

multi-storey parking only for boats. there are more boats than cars here

Cruise from Ponte Rouge to Vieux Port

Cruise takes about 20min and give a scenic view of Marseille from the sea

the destination Vieux (old) port

2. Visit the old port (Vieux-Port)

See the iconic sight of Marseille with hundreds of boats

square at old port

Glimpse of the old port from afar

3. Visit fort Saint-Jean and MuCEM (the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations)

the 2 are connected by an overhead bridge

old alongside new

4. Visit the Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde
An unique nautical themed cathedral. It is located at the highest point in Marseille, which makes it visible from anywhere in the city, as well as offering a fantastic panoramic view of the entire region.

from around Marseille you can always see the Notre-Dame de la Garde

the basilique exterior

interior of the cathedral

lots of nautical stuff

 

Lovely view from the cathedral

View of Marseille

5. Go to the beach on the east coast
The calanques extend from south-east of Marseille and amongwhich Sormiou is a short drive away. Getting there requires a short hike through a pine forest so good shoes are recommended.

Lovely sunset while walking back to B&B

6. Take a ride in the hilly city and follow the taxi movie series route 
When I was still in school, one of my favourite French movies was Taxi – an action comedy.

The Taxi series were set in Marseille and the scene of Daniel zooming through the hilly streets of Marseille with the backdrop of boats stuck in my mind. I just had to make the husband drive through the narrow slopes through the city to experience that.

Steep streets in Marseille

7. Visit fishing port and eat bouillabaisse  

One of the most consistently recommended is Chez Fonfon located at the fishing cove Vallon des Auffes. Read more under where to eat.

Little fishing port surrounded by restaurants selling the latest catch

Lovely sunset caught after dinner at Chez Fonfon

8. Visit Le Panier
Coined as the Montmarte of Marseille, it is the bohemian-artsy-vintage side of town.

What to eat:
What else but bouillabaisse!

From Wiki: "Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. Bouillabaisse originally was a stew made by Marseille fishermen using the bony rockfish which they were unable to sell to restaurants or markets. There are at least three kinds of fish in a traditional bouillabaisse.

What makes a bouillabaisse different from other fish soups is the selection of Provençal herbs and spices in the broth; the use of bony local Mediterranean fish; the way the fish are added one at a time, and brought to a boil; and the method of serving. In Marseille, the broth is served first in a soup plate with slices of bread and rouille, then the fish is served separately on a large platter."

Due to its popularity and appearance of "fakes", the "Bouillabaisse Charter" was drawn up by a group local restaurateurs who were convinced the tradition was becoming debased by the tourist traps. To enjoy authentic bouillabaisse, it is recommended to visit one of the Charter members.

Among which Chez Fonfon is one of the pioneers and has pretty good review.s. I had to reserve 3 weeks in advance but worth it as food was delicious!

Chez Fonfon

Seafood paired with wine from Bandol

Bouillabaisse baby

Where to stay:
Our B&B at Marseilles - La Palmeraie.
We initially booked a double room but due to it been double booked, we were upgraded us to a suite! The host Suzy also gave us lots of tips on Marseille and surrounding which were really useful.

Our upgraded private suite away from the main house

Our suite consists of a living room with TV, bar counter with microwave and fridge, bedroom and bathroom with tub and hydrotherapy shower!

the shower has 8 heads with different pressure

In addition, breakfast consists of a wide variety of homemade jam by our host Suzy! We also had a treat of homemade crepe for breakfast on the first morning.

Assorted homemade jam by Suzy at breakfast table