Rade de Marseille

We visited Marseille in June 2013, which was the perfect time because in 2013 Marseille was the European Capital of Culture, new museums were opened and historic buildings have been renovated. According to the description of the T-list entry, the proposed area includes the entire coastline of Marseille, from the artist village of L'Estaque and the old docks from the 19th century in the north to the Promenade de la Corniche and the ancient quarters in the south, and also the offshore islands such as the Ile d'If. The central area is the Old Port (Vieux Port) with its fortifications and the surrounding districts with several historic buildings.

We arrived in Marseille by train from Arles (one hour). It is only a short walk from the Saint Charles station to the Vieux Port, which is the city centre and the most popular tourist spot in Marseille. It was very pleasant to stroll along the rectangular Vieux Port. Today it is a yacht harbour, but there is also a fish market at the front end and you can see the small fishing boats. Right next, at Quai des Belges, is one of the new buildings for the Capitol of Culture: a pavillon of reflective stainless steel, actually just a canopy, open on all sides and supported by slender pillars. Its mirrored surface nicely reflects the pedestrians underneath, the quay, and the water. It was one of the projects for 2013 that the traffic was largely removed from the quay and the …

It's very pretty, and there is an atmosphere: with beautiful boats, Notre Dame de la Garde, seafood, local products market on Sunday morning, beautiful creeks. The water is turquoise, you can see even fish. Beware of restaurants that are very "touristy".

What a beautiful port, the fortifications, the chapel, basilica, and the promenade. This is most definitely a scenic site on the Mediterranean worth preserving. World heritage status for another historic centre in France may be a long shot, but you can never count France out! I enjoyed my visit, but I don't expect to see this port on the world heritage list anytime soon.

Visited Components:

• Abbey of St. Victor
• Basilique de Notre Dame de la Garde
• Cathedrale de la Major
• Fort Saint-Jean
• Fort Saint-Nicolas
• Hotel de Ville
• Hotel Dieu Marseille
• Palais du Pharo
• Port of Marseille

The highlight of my visit was the Basilique de Notre Dame de la Garde, which is perched on a hilltop that overlooks the entire port. The interior of the basilica is stunning. My visit to the Rade de Marseille was methodical in the fact that I covered almost every corner of the port, and most of the key sites. Mixed with perfect weather and interesting history, I enjoyed my time here.