Whenever I re-tell the stories of our first European cruise, I seem to forget that we stopped in France. Why, I have no idea. When I was planning the tours for our trip, I was torn about what to do in Marseille. Should we stay in this old fishing port and explore, or should we take a day trip to Provence which is doable for a cruise excursion from Marseille.
We stayed in Marseille and we are very glad that we did. I found there was a small tour company that gave free walking tours during the week around the city. It sounded intriguing so I wrote the company to find out if they did private tours (we didn’t want to be with a crowd). After several emails with Sebastian we were set.
We met our guide a short cab ride from the ship in Vieux Port under the mirrored canopy. The mirror canopy is famous for being designed by UK designers.
From there we hopped on a bus and rode to the highest point in Marseille, Notre Dame de la Garde.
The Church has been there for decades. It was made into a fort and had been turned back into a church. All of the local seafaring members visit the church and leave gifts before and after their voyages. The theme in the church is all about the sea. From the outside of the church you can get a lovely view of the entire area.
From the top of Marseille we then walked down toward the sea port area (Le Panier). Along the way our guide pointed out the traditional houses that dot the streets and even an old tank that was abandoned in a neighborhood and never removed after WWII.
At the bottom of the hill was Saint Victor Abbey. Here we saw the catacombs in this beautiful old Abbey. The catacombs were dimly light, but the relics were nicely displayed with explanations of each item. I have included a few here.
From Saint Victory Abbey we continued our walk down towards the seaport, passing little shops and small houses. As we wandered around with our guide, he brought us to a part of town that had many juxtapositions. The site of a shopping mall where you could see excavations with relics of an ancient roman city, and where the entire area had been bombed during World War II. Only one building remained after the bombing that was moved from one side of the street to the other.
Then we walked past the new modern museum in Marseille in the seaport.
We ended our day with a lovely lunch in a little café in Le Panier with our guide. We chatted for a while and then it was time to find a cab, go back to the cruise ship and sail to our next port of call. We both agreed, there is more to see in Marseille and the surrounding areas in this part of France. Note to self, we need to go back.