Where to Stay in Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

What is Marseille known for?

Marseille is known as France's great Mediterranean port, second-largest city in the country after Paris. The basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde crowns the hill above the harbour, a landmark seen from across the city. Football fills the Stade Vélodrome, and the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations anchors the waterfront.

As the prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône and the largest city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Marseille sets the tone for the whole coast, its markets, its music, and the roar of match days at the Vélodrome. The sea runs through all of it.

What are the main landmarks in Marseille?

Marseille's landmarks gather around the port and the hills above it. Notre-Dame de la Garde, the basilica on the highest point, is the city's signature sight. Down at the water, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations and the Villa Méditerranée mark the modern waterfront.

In the old town, La Vieille Charité and the Marseille History Museum hold the city's past, while the Jardin des Vestiges preserves ancient harbour remains. The Stade Vélodrome roars on match days.

What is the history of Marseille?

Marseille grew up around its old harbour, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea near the mouth of the Rhône river. The city's oldest layers survive close to the water, where the Jardin des Vestiges preserves the remains of an ancient harbour and the Marseille History Museum tells the story alongside it. La Vieille Charité, a great stone courtyard, has stood for centuries in the old town above the port.

The Abbey of Saint-Victor and the older churches mark long stretches of the city's religious life along the same shore. Stone remembers more than words. Modern Marseille is the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and the largest city of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.

It remains the second city of France, and the country's busiest Mediterranean port. Long the great southern counterweight to Paris, it joined with Aix-en-Provence and the towns around it in 2016 to form the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis. Notre-Dame de la Garde still crowns the city's skyline, high above the port.

From the ancient quays to that hilltop basilica, the sea has shaped nearly every chapter of the city's long past.

Where is Marseille?

Marseille lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, near the mouth of the Rhône river, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Hills rise steeply behind the city, and the highest of them carries Notre-Dame de la Garde. The old harbour cuts into the centre from the sea.

As the prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône, Marseille commands the coast between the Rhône delta to the west and the rocky shore to the south. Water and rock frame it on every side.

What is the climate of Marseille?

Marseille sits squarely in the warm Mediterranean climate belt. Summers are hot and dry, with long stretches of clear sky over the Mediterranean Sea, and the light draws crowds to the coast. Winters stay mild by French standards.

Rain, when it comes, is brief and heavy rather than steady. Sea breezes and bright sun mark most of the year on this stretch of the Provence coast.

How do you get to Marseille?

Marseille is one of the easiest cities in the south of France to reach. Fast trains run down from Paris to the coast in a few hours, and the line continues along the Mediterranean toward the Italian border. Flights land just outside the city.

As a Mediterranean port, Marseille also sends ferries across the sea. Local roads climb over the hills and follow the coast in both directions from the old harbour.