On Marseille's northern outskirts the little port of L'Estaque is renowned as an epicentre of the impressionist, Fauvist and cubist movements. A trail follows the footsteps of Renoir, Cézanne, Dufy and Braque around the port and shabby old town. On the water’s edge, buy some chichis frégis (sugar-coated doughnuts) and panisses (chickpea-flour cakes) to munch.
Bus 35 from Joliette runs to L'Estaque several times an hour.
20.45 MILES
East of Aix rises Cézanne’s favourite haunt, the magnificent silvery ridge of Montagne Ste-Victoire, its dry slopes carpeted in garrigue (scented scrub),…
12.09 MILES
The calanques (coves) of the coast surrounding Marseille became France's 10th national park in 2012, preserving their astonishing beauty and harbouring an…
5.23 MILES
Ships have docked for millennia at Marseille’s birthplace, the vibrant Vieux Port. The main commercial docks were transferred to the Joliette area in the…
Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde
5.9 MILES
Occupying Marseille’s highest point, La Garde (154m), this opulent 19th-century Romano-Byzantine basilica is Marseille's most-visited icon. Built on the…
13.34 MILES
Aix established one of France's first public museums here, on the site of a former Hospitallers' priory, in 1838. Nearly 200 years of acquisitions …
5.01 MILES
'The Basket' is Marseille's oldest quarter – site of the original Greek settlement and nicknamed for its steep streets and buildings. Its close, village…
Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée
4.91 MILES
The icon of modern Marseille, this stunning museum explores the history, culture and civilisation of the Mediterranean region through anthropological…
13.29 MILES
The Caumont is a stellar art space housed inside the Mazarin quarter’s grandest 18th-century hôtel particulier (mansion). While there are three quality…
1. Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain
4.52 MILES
The FRAC for Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur moved to this modern centre in La Joliette, with its striking plate-mail façade, in 2013. It hosts temporary…
4.54 MILES
The old maritime neighbourhood of La Joliette, moribund since the decline of the 19th-century docks, has been revitalised by bars, shops and restaurants…
3. Cathédrale de Marseille Notre Dame de la Major
4.83 MILES
Standing guard between the old and new ports is the striking 19th-century Cathédrale de la Major. After its foundation stone was laid by Napoleon III in…
4. Musée d’Archéologie Méditerranéenne
4.83 MILES
Founded in the mid-19th century, and housed in La Vieille Charité since 1989, this small archaeological museum explores Mediterranean and Near-Eastern…
5. Musée d’Arts Africains, Océaniens & Amérindiens
4.84 MILES
These three collections of 'exotic' art have been installed in the handsome Vieille Charité since 1992. Well worth a visit, the museum explores the…
4.86 MILES
In the heart of Marseille's Le Panier quarter is this grand and gorgeous almshouse, built by Pierre Puget (1620–94), an architect and sculptor born just a…
4.9 MILES
This niche museum is housed in the city’s former sanitary station, operational from 1948 until 1971. It’s essentially a graphic art museum exploring…
4.9 MILES
This eye-catching white structure next to MuCEM is no ordinary ‘villa’. Designed by architect Stefano Boeri in 2013, the sleek white edifice sports a…
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