Marseille

I loved Marseille. The harbor was very picturesque. We took a boat trip out to an island that was the basis for one on Alexander Dumas' books = The Man in the Iron Mask or the Count of Monte Cristo. The boulabaisse (sp) was wonderful! Do eat in a quality restaurant and NOT one of the cheaper places. Then, wwe went on to Cannes, Nice, and Monte Carlo. If you are going North to Arles, don't miss Avignon (sp), home of the Popes for 70 years. And, the Roman ruins at Neimes (sp). Will you see the Lorie Valley and the great chateaus on your river Cruise?

Enjoy!!

Marseille is the 2nd largest city in France.
the hardboard is cool, but I can't tell you much about teh city itself. We just stopped for about 30 minutes and took some pics of the hardboard. i am sure if you google it you will find an online city guide.
As the other poster said, Loire valley is very cool, a lot of huge castle to visit along it.If you can stop along the river trip, go and visit a few. And don't forget about thw wine. You can go directly to people's homes and buy wine.
We also stayed for a nite in a small city called Grimaud. It's close to Marseille, before you get there. It's one of the collest cities I've ever been to.The city has a web site,
http://www.grimaud-provence.com/english/index.htm

Thanks for the information about Marseille. Did you happen to stop at Cassis?

sorry, but I don't know what Cassis is.

One afternoon isn't long enough of a visit to tell you much about Marseille, but I enjoyed seeing the waterfront and the cathedral which is situated on the highest point in the city so the view is marvelous. What struck me the most was how much of a north African flavor the city has and how diverse the population is.

I drove through Cassis but didn't have time to stop. However, my brief look confirmed what I've read about it: very picturesque. I'd welcome the opportunity to go back to explore the town and take a boat ride through the calanques or a hike in the area.

We stayed in Marseilles and found it dirty and depressing and wished we had gone elswhere. On the Med coast, or near, we stayed in Narbonne, which we loved. It is a small place, a canal runs thru it (great for walking,biking) , there is nice market and good amenities.

We flew into Marseille, but immediately picked up our rental car and headed for Provence. However, we did take a day trip to Cassis as RS suggested to ride the boat to visit the interesting limestone formations along the coast called calanques. They were interesting and I always find boat rides pleasurable if the weather is nice. The harbor was pretty also. East of Cassis we drove to Nice, and we drove up on some very high cliffs that permitted beautiful views over the seas and of Cassis.

I used Rick's book to plan our stay in Cassis- we did your plan sort of in reverse, coming south from Avignon/Arles and then Aix to Marseilles and then the train from Marseilles to Cassis (very close). There seem to be people who love Marseilles and people who don't, but all seem to agree that the harbor area is where to focus your sightseeing.If your cruise deposits you early in the morning, you could probably "do" that area and have lunch and then get on the train for Cassis. We spent two nights- I think one would be plenty- you could make a full day of it with a tour or hike of the Calanques and hanging out at the little harbor (there are some touristy shops and lots of restaurants and the beach is nice, albeit rocky). Then you could head north...

We just returned from 3 weeks in France. We had spent our last 2 nights in Marseille (during RUGBY world cup!!!) We stayed on the Old Harbor which really is a beautiful little area. Our Hotel had a view of the harbor which was lovely; The Cathedral above the city is breathtaking - as are the views from there. The city itself leaves something to be desired; however, it appears that the city itself is undergoing massive amounts of restoration and building so perhaps in the next year or so there may be improvements. We were very glad to have experienced Marseille as we are true seafood lovers! Great restaurants and boullabaise....

We are also looking for a hotel in Marseille for a night or two. Any suggestions? Anyone ever stayed at La Residence de Vieux and have any feedback? We are taking the river cruise the opposite way from Arles to Chalon, also in June '08.
We also need a small, boutique hotel in Paris for a couple of nights so are looking for suggestions there.

Thanks for any advice you can give.