Marseille ((see the map) is the second-largest city of France and forms the third-largest metropolitan area, with 1,516,340 inhabitants at the 1999 census and 1,605,000 inhabitants in 2007 (Paris and Lyon are larger). Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it is France's largest commercial port. Marseille is also the capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région, as well as the préfecture (capital) of the Bouches-du-Rhône département. Its inhabitants are called Marseillais.

Places of interest

Marseille is listed as a major centre of art and history. The city boasts many excellent museums and galleries. There are many ancient buildings and churches of historical interest. Most of the attractions of Marseille (including shopping areas) are located in the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th arrondissements.

These include:

    * The Old Port or Vieux-Port, the main harbour and marina of the city. It is guarded by two massive forts (Fort St Nicolas and Fort Saint Jean) and is one the main places to eat in the city. Dozens of cafés line the waterfront. The Quai des Belges at the end of the harbour is the site of the daily fish market. Much of the northern quayside area was rebuilt by the architect Fernand Pouillon after its destruction by the Nazis in 1943.
    * The Phare de Sainte Marie, a lighthouse on the inlet to the Old Port.
    * La Vieille Charité in the Panier, an architecturally significant building designed by the Puget brothers. The central baroque chapel is situated in a courtyard lined with arcaded galleries. Originally built as an alms house, it is now home to an archeological museum and a gallery of African and Asian art, as well as bookshops and a café.
    * The Centre Bourse and the adjacent rue St Ferreol district (including rue du Rome and rue Paradis), the main shopping area in central Marseille. (The other two major shopping complexes in Marseille are at la Valentine and le Grand Littoral.)
    * The Musée d'Histoire, the Marseille historical museum, located in the Centre Bourse. It contains records of the Greek and Roman history of Marseille as well as the best preserved hull of a 6th century boat in the world. Ancient remains from the hellenic port are displayed in the adjacent archeological gardens, the Jardin des Vestiges.
    * The Palais de la Bourse, a 19C building housing the chamber of commerce, the first such institution in France. It also contains a small museum, charting the maritime and commercial history of Marseille, as well as a separate collection of models of ships.
    * The Musée de la Mode, a museum of modern fashion which displays over 2000 designs from the last 30 years.
    * The Musée Cantini, a museum of modern art near the Palais de Justice. It houses artworks associated with Marseille as well as several works by Picasso.
    * The Pierre Puget park.
    * The Hôtel-Dieu, a former hospital in the Panier, currently being transformed into an InterContinental hotel.
    * The Abbey of Saint-Victor, one of the oldest places of Christian worship in France. Its early fifth century crypt and catacombs occupy the site of a hellenic burial ground, later used for Christian martyrs and venerated ever since. Continuing a medieval tradition [7], every year at Candlemas a Black Madonna from the crypt is carried in procession along rue Sainte for a blessing from the archbishop, followed by a mass and the distribution of "navettes" and green votive candles.
    * The Hotel de Ville (the Town Hall), a baroque building from the seventeenth century.
    * The Museum of Old Marseille, housed in the 16C Maison Diamantée, describing everyday life in Marseille from the eighteenth century onwards.
    * The Cathedral of Sainte-Marie-Majeure or la Major, founded in the 4th century, enlarged in the 11th century and completely rebuilt in the second half of the 19th century by the architect Jacques Henri Esperandieu. The present day cathedral is a gigantic edifice in the Romano-Byzantine style. A romanesque transept, choir and altar survive from the older medieval cathedral, spared from complete destruction only as a result of public protests at the time.
    * The 12C parish church of Saint-Laurent and adjoining 17C chapel of Sainte-Catherine, on the quayside near the Cathedral, recently reopened after restoration. [8]

Outside of Central Marseille

    * The nineteenth century Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, built by the architect Esperandieu, is an enormous Romano-Byzantine basilica in the hills to the south of the Old Port. Accessible on foot (a steep climb!), by bus or by minitrain, the terrace offers spectacular panoramic views of Marseille and its surroundings.
    * The Stade Vélodrome, the home stadium of the Marseille football team "OM", Olympique de Marseille.
    * The Gare Saint-Charles, the main railway station. Below it is the royal Porte d'Aix (1784-1837), a giant triumphal arch, at the crossroads to Aix.
    * The Unité d'Habitation, an influential experimental building designed by the Swiss architect Le Corbusier in the late forties
    * The Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Natural History Museum are housed in the two wings of the nineteenth century Palais Longchamp, also designed by Esperandieu. Built on a grand scale, this italianate colonnaded building rises up behind a vast monumental fountain with cascading waterfalls. The jeux d'eau marks and masks the entry point of the Canal de Provence into Marseille.
    * The Grobet-Labadié museum, opposite the Palais Longchamp, houses an exceptional collection of European objets d'art and old musical instruments.
    * The parc Borély, a park off the Bay of Marseille with botanical gardens.
    * The Musée de Faience, a ceramics museum in the Chateau Pastré near the parc Borely.
    * The parc Chanot, an exhibition centre.
    * The Pharo Gardens, a park with views of the Mediterranean and the Old Port.
    * The Corniche, a picturesque waterfront road between the Old Port and the Bay of Marseille.
    * The Museum of Contemporary Art, devoted to American and European art from the 1960s to the present day.
    * The local beaches at the Prado, Pointe Rouge, les Goudes, Callelongue, and le Prophète.
    * The Musée du Terroir Marseillais in Chateau-Gombert, devoted to provencal crafts and traditions.
    * The calanques and Marseilleveyre, a wild mountainous coastal area of outstanding natural beauty, accessible from Callelongue, Luminy, Sormiou, Morgiou and Cassis. Access is by bus or car and then on foot; there are also boat trips from the Old Port.
    * The islands of the Frioul archipelago in the Bay of Marseille, accessible by ferry from the Old Port. The prison of Château d'If was the setting for the Count of Monte Cristo, the novel by Alexandre Dumas. The neighbouring islands of Ratonneau and Pomègues are joined by a man-made breakwater. The site of a former garrison and quarantine hospital, these islands are also of interest for their marine wildlife. There is a small collection of shops, cafés and restaurants next to the ferry terminal.