Marseille

Marseille is the 2nd largest city in France, the country’s premier port,founded in 600 B.C by the Greeks, and one of the oldest cities of Europe.It has a vibrant city center, but many of the old monuments were destroyed  during the several wars that affected the city. All the fantastic things that you can do have made the city become the European capital of Culture.

The city has some museums that you can visit to rest from the hot days ( It gets REALLY HOT), but what many travelers prefer to do is simply wander the eccentric streets of the city. One of the main streets is La Canebière, that leads to the Vieux-Port where you can find a great variety of crafts shops and restaurants. From the port, boat trips can be taken to the historic fortress on the Ile d’If or to one of the two forts that dominate the harbor, the Fort St Nicolas and Fort Saint Jean. Furthermore, worth seeing are the city’s cathedrals and the medieval St. Laurent Church or some of its Roman ruins and medieval architecture. or even visit some of the islands near the coast that have lighthouses or castles as the one described in the novel The Count of Monte Cristo. Finally its beaches are wonderful to spend some hours and relax or swim in the Mediterranean sea and one of Marseille’s best natural attractions are the Calanques, a series of small inlets with astonishing blue water and huge cliffs.