Over View
Marseille is the oldest city in France, founded by Greek sailors around 600 BC. As the country’s second-largest city and largest commercial port, it serves as the gritty, vibrant gateway to the Mediterranean. It has a distinct personality—rebellious, multicultural, and fiercely proud, with a culture that feels as much North African and Italian as it does French. The heart of the city is the Vieux-Port (Old Port), where fishermen still sell their catch every morning under the watch of the stunning Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica, which sits high on a hill overlooking the city. Marseille is famous for bouillabaisse (a complex fish soup), the manufacture of traditional olive oil soap, and its access to the Calanques—a breathtaking national park of white limestone cliffs and turquoise waters just outside the city limits.
