Stayed on the port and was able to wake up to the beautiful views of the port for 2 days. The area itself during the holiday season was decorated beautifully and the walk was very nice and not too chilly. They have many restaurants and hotels in the area and if you continue to walk out the port area, they have some good shopping and churches to visit. Marseille also has a double decker hop on hop off tour. read more

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Strolled along the waterfront admiring the tourist vendors, fish mongers, brassieres, seafood restaurants @ tourists. FroM here we had views of churches & passing tour buses. read more

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All too brief visit to old harbor area during cruise so just a few phots. Deserves a longer visit next time. The harbor area has the usual tourist attractions and boat rides available. Interesting Mirror Roof structure. See photos and read internet for details. read more

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We had high hopes for this area but all in all it was disappointing. Before you visit, check the calendar. Sunday's and certainly Times of the year you will find almost everything closed. So it's kind of hard for me to review this as this is how we found it: closed. But still, it was a nice place to walk around and despite the rumors we felt very safe. Without anything opened, we could only kill a few hours, the periphery seemed mildly threatening and we went back to our cruise ship early. For us, a rare move! read more

Vieux-Port de Marseille - The doors to heaven. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Marseille, 13

My friends and I had the opportunity to have an overnighter in Marseille before going on to Avignon and I'm so glad we took it. Since our airbnb was just a couple of blocks from the central waterfront area (near the ferris wheel), we were able to see quite a bit in a short amount of time. We enjoyed a long walk along the shore, venturing as far as Cathédrale La Major and a bit inland around that area, which was home to a lot of artists and locals. Luckily the weather was quite nice while we were there and we found a nice restaurant in which to have bouillabaisse for dinner. The next day we took the subway and walked up a substantial hill to see the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, which had wonderful sweeping views of the whole city and beyond. We enjoyed our short stay in this area; it seems to be a popular destination for weekenders from Paris as well! STEPH JUDGEMENT: Charming seaside area with many attractions for tourists. read more

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Vieux-Port, or Old Port, used to be the primary port in Marseille until they built the new ports that now house the cruise terminals. Now the Old Port houses private boats, a large Ferris wheel, a daily fish market, and smaller markets with souvenirs. We walked down to the Vieux-Port from Notre Dame de la Garde and explored the area around the port for a few hours before returning to our cruise ship. The Ferris wheel costs 7€ per person and takes you around 2x, which was more than enough. You get a really nice view of the Old Port and a slightly different view of Notre Dame de la Garde. There are also a bunch of merchants selling fish at the daily fish market as well as souvenirs at the other stands. There are lavender merchants as well as other merchants selling cookies, magnets, and even tote bags. In particular, there was an artist selling hand-painted magnets and miniature easels. We ended up spending the most time and money at this stand because it was so unique and made for a great souvenir - for us and our relatives back home. read more

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Best views & fabulous seafood! Enjoy the walk around the harbor & the old port! Walk, talk, eat & enjoy! read more

The vieux port (old port) of marseille is truely something special. You can enjoy great views, they host markets and special events, you can go onto ships and just stroll around. Sometimes it smells a little bad but it's a must see if you visit this city! Also, of course *duhhh*, it's for free! Close to it you can find the muceum and a little further a small beach and a park with a stunning lookout! So off you go, it's worth it. read more

Vieux-Port de Marseille - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Marseille, 13

The old port that once been the major trading hub between Africa and France is now a major tourist trap. All the hotels, alleys and cafes are full of us foreigners - you wouldn't find many locals here. The marina is used for private boats, and area around it is very cleaned up, spruced up and polished up. There is one thing to come to the Port tho - the views of the city and the marina are still pretty spectacular. Add the breeze from the sea, and you got yourself good afternoon walk. One word of advise - if you want to take picture, stop, step aside and do so, because if you're walking, you gotta watch the road - there is poo everywhere. read more

Vieux-Port de Marseille - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Marseille, 13

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I went there with my family just for a day, during our Mediterranean Cruise. What a lovely surprise! Loved to walk around, eat good food and see the fishermen selling fresh fish in the old port. read more

Vieux-Port de Marseille - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Marseille, 13

The Vieux-Port, or Old Port, is quite picturesque with lots of beautiful boats lining the docks. It has, however, been terribly commercialized, but, thankfully, it still retains some of its old charm and beauty. Yes, you will find BK and McDonald's here and street performers (the kind that request money from the audience before performing), but it is still somehow charming. The restaurants around here are all tourist traps. If you want to eat, I recommend walking a few blocks in either direction back from the port where you get more authentic and reasonably priced cuisine. There are lots of souvenir shops if you are in search of that. There is also a ferris wheel that gives stunning views of the ocean and port, which I highly recommend riding on at night. It's about 12 euros per person, much cheaper than the London Eye and more scenic. I'd recommend walking here like we did from our Air BnB if you can. There is a major bus station here so that is another option for travel to and from Vieux-Port. read more

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This is one of the most famous ports in the world, having been a location in many movies namely the French Connection (which I haven't seen yet). This port opened in the 6th century BC so it's been in existence a long time. It's lined with numerous boats and ferries as is many other port cities along the French coast/Mediterranean. Also, there are many seafood places that line the port itself that are a little pricey and are possibly Michellin/Zagat rated. In other words, a lot of sit-down places that take forever to eat. If you're in a hurry or don't want to spend a lot of money, you're better off walking on the adjacent street. There are lot of kebab places and other stuff that are much more affordable. This is the most populous area in Marseille and it was packed even in the winter season. Offices for Hop on, hop off are located around the port while the official tourism office is on the street leading up to the port. It's really a beautiful area. It's got a ferris wheel/other carnival like stuff for the kids and there were holiday shops lined up under the wheel as well. It's a must see if you're in Marseille due to its history and prominence and I highly recommend going around and checking out the scenery for yourself! read more

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I would say this is the center of Marseille, and there are a lot of people here. The Old Port is surrounded by a ton of restaurants as well, and there are benches scattered around the port for sitting, resting, and people-watching. There are lots of boats in the harbor, and it's a nice place to relax if you've been walking around a lot. read more

Marseille is a charming city. Vieux port is a nice view with a lot of shops and restaurants nearby. Make sure you do a boat ride to the other small islands. read more

The Vieux-Port is great. Lots of hotels, shopping, and places to eat. I loved Marseille! It's a great city and I can't wait to return! Many people speak English and are more than welcoming. I felt very relaxed in the View-Port. read more

i thought i was in tunisia or algeria. marseille really is different from the rest of france. (often called "la Cite Phoceenne" because it was founded by Phoenician sailors) read more

The Vieux Port is usually a lovely place to hang out in, but the works being done lately are deterring both tourists and locals given that the usually challenging traffic situation is even worse now. If you want to visit the Vieux Port, just make sure you don't bring your car or a lot of money. The car will prove useless and the money could easily disappear if you're targeted as a tourist: either by quick pick-pocketers that abound in this area or by the wannabe-fancy-but-not restaurants bordering the left side of the Vieux Port serving a Bouillabaisse that would offend any local connoisseur. Keeping that in mind, the left side of the Vieux Port itself is quite pretty, and full of bars and cool hang-outs that are quite lively at night, and worth a visit. Also, if you're on side of the Vieux Port and you want to head to the other, but you're too lazy to walk the whole u-turn, there's a free boat taking passengers from one side of the port to the other. read more

Marseille has reintroduced trams to the streets leaving many of the Boulevards now semi pedestrianised with underground parking. The old port area now has a little more space to walk, early mornings are best for the market stalls and regular fish stalls can be found near the ferry departure point for the Chateau D'If. It is possible to move around the restaurants and cafe's on the harbour front to follow the sun from dawn till dusk, sipping Pastice and coffee accompanied by the appropriate meal of the hour. With the re-invigoration of the cities main port the larger ferries and cruise liners now dock closer to the old port and are now within a 20 to 30 minute walk of this area. It is possible to spend at least half a day exploring this area with its side streets and avenues leading off, and from here get transport connections to the islands, fishing trips, the beaches to the east, up hill to the church Notre Dam De La Garde, famous as the spiritual home for many sailors as they enter and leave port on long journeys. read more

This is the hotspot in Marseille. Not really any where else that is lit and safe at night. Lots of street vendors and hustlers trying to sell you stuff. Good deals on Marseille soaps, however, only buy soaps that are 72% oil - everything else is fake. A little gem we found on the port was a small juicer vendor, who blends ice and your favourite fruits for $2.20 (euro). I had the peach and my wife had the grapefruit. It was sooo good that we went back the very next night again just for the drink. Walking around on the main streets was fine, however, we saw many RATS running around. Be careful if you are walking on lonely streets at night - plenty of shady characters all over the place. read more