Marseille - (Fall 2024) - Day 2

First full day in Marseille. We scheduled one of those free walking tours. They are technically free but it’s customary to give the person $10 or so at the end and it is well worth it. The ones that we have been on last several hours and the guides are very knowledgeable about the history and also give good advice about the cities.

Old Port (Vieux Port)

Fish Market at the Port

Cool mirror canopy thing

The tour started at the east end of the Old Port (or Vieux Port). It’s a bustling area not just with the tourists but also with a thriving fish market that goes on everyday as the local fishermen sell their morning hauls.

Few of the older buildings on the north side of the port not destroyed by the Nazis.

City Hall

The north side of the port has a mix of different styles of buildings mainly because many of the older buildings were destroyed by the Nazis during the WWII occupation. The above photos show the only two old buildings left in that part of the city.

Original Port Location

We were shown this area which is also a museum that we would visit later on a rainy day. This area is the original old port of Marseille in ancient times and is located a few hundred feet inland from the current port. It was found accidently when they excavated the area to build a mall. The mall is now adjacent to the excavation. A few of the walls still exist and they place wire boat models to show where the old dock area would have been.

Oldest Street in France (Rue Henri Fiocca / Grand Rue)

Leading out from the ancient old port area is what the tour guide told us was the oldest street in France.

Le Panier

Vieille Charité

*The street art is a mix of tagging and bigger murals.*

From the north side of the port, we walked up to the oldest part of the city called Le Panier. We walked up the stairs to the narrow streets and alleys lined with some of the oldest houses and buildings in the city. As with many things in the world, the cruise ship crowds can negatively impact the area. Crowds increase and prices go up. The area still has been able to retain the charm. Street art covers most of the walls and is celebrated in the neighborhood. Open space squares pop up occasionally and are great places to have some drink or eats in the neighborhood.

Cathédrale La Major

As you walk back towards the sea from Le Panier you will come across the cathedral. It’s a pretty striking site with the gleaming new looking facade and mosaic tile floors.

Views from the North end of Vieux Port

Église Saint-Laurent

The tour ended by an old church at the northwest end of the port with great views overlooking the old port.

Chez Yassine

Way too much food

Having worked up an appetite after the tour, we headed back into town to search for a dish called brik a l’oeuf. It’s basically an egg wrapped around a crispy pastry like dough. It is a Tunisian dish and you can see in the the middle of the table in the photo above.

Chez Yassine was very popular and we had to wait a bit for a table. We wound up sitting outside and ordered way too much food. Still was pretty reasonable - all this food and a jug of their lemonade for $36 (no tip).

*They really like their arches in this country.*

*This one was not far from the hotel.*

*Another section of wall from the old city sitting in the middle of new buildings.*

New Port / Le Terrace Mall

*The new port sits about a 20 minute walk from the old port. It is a much larger proper commercial container port.*

*There is a mall that fronts the port and it has a terrace where you can look out on the new port and the water.*

View of Notre-Dame de la Garde from the Old Port

*Probably the most recognizable part of Marseille is the Notre-Dame church on the hill.*

Oscar

View from the table

As the sun set

Got some drinks during sunset on the water next to the old port. This is one of those establishments where the locals would say you get “ripped off” because of the location. Even the “rip off” prices here are cheaper than drinks at home. Marseille is very affordable compared to the US.

Copper Bay

We ventured off up the hill on the south side of the old port in search of cocktails. Copper Bay was a proper cocktail establishment and the drinks were good. We actually found out that they have a location in Paris that we would visit later in the trip.

This location had a bit of a Margaritaville vibe going on. It was a quiet weekday night in the off-season when we went.