Inspired by paintings of the Riviera, I am considering visiting Marseilles. Here are my notes and links …
Notes and links
Travel
- Fly from Gatwick by Easyjet and LHR via other airlines, or
- Train via Eurostar and Paris, estimated duration ~7½ hours
Hotels
Not a serious look yet, but I have found these,
- Escale Oceania Marseille cheap, with expensive breakfasts and a small room or
- Hotel Carre vieux port, bigger room, claims a bar and lounge
- The Rocky Pop Hotel, an even bigger room, a bar and restaurant
- Or Tripadvisor’s list,
Things to do
- https://musees.marseille.fr/presentation-du-memorial-des-deportations
- https://musees.marseille.fr/musee-dhistoire-de-marseille-mhm
- Art Galleries in Marseille by trip advisor
- The Maritime Museum, by the Marseilles Tourist Office
- Also day trips involving boats &/or wine, and historic sites, both from Tripadvisor
- And advice for DIY,wine bars crawls, via the tourist office or trip advisor
My inspiration
Dufy’s painting, of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baie_des_Anges, is presumably between Cape D’Antibes and Nice. I made a note about Dufy’s painting, but do we know where he painted from.
Bay of Angels
Bay of Angels
My Map
Not very detailed yet
A comment found on the ‘net … I am from Marseille and know the area quite well. I would say 100% Nice and I wouldn’t even consider the other two. Toulon is boring, and Marseille isn’t great. Im proud of the city I come from but I would never recommend it for holidays unless you are with a local who can show you the good areas and keep you away from the unsafe areas (quite a lot of petty theft in Marseille)
I’ve been to Nice 4/5 times in the last few years with my wife, and have loved it every time. The city is beautiful, the coastline is amazing, and the vibe is exactly what you’d look for in the south of France. Also, since it is a touristy city, it has a better infrastructure for getting around and seeing the sights. In a place like Marseille or Toulon it is easier to get lost, and harder to get to the interesting/nice areas.
As for things to do in Nice you have the Promenade des Anglais to walk along, the old port, and the view point which come to mind. I also recommend you take the train from Nice station (in both directions) and there are plenty of lovely places to see: Cannes, Juan-les-pins, Antibes, Monaco, and Menton are all within 20-ish minutes from the town center. If you like walks I recommend walking along the coastline from Roquebrune all the way to Menton (4/5km total). Once you get off the train at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin there is a walking path immediately on the right that follows the coastline and all the way along you have a spectacular view of Monaco and the surroundings and gives you a great feeling of the Cote-D’azur.
And, “Haven’t stayed in either long term, but been to both for short stays. Didn’t like either. Marseille is such a shit city, run down with shady characters. Maybe Nice is ok in the off season, but in the summer it’s a complete mass tourism shithole. Would never go back there during the summer. There are many nice smaller towns around Nice though.
If you want a proper city, try Bordeaux or Montpellier. They are 1000x better than Marseille and Nice.