I will be traveling through Southern France this summer on a trip to Europe. We will be there for Bastille Day, and I heard that the best place to experience Bastille Day is in Marseille. It would be more convenient for us to be in Nice at that time, however we could be in Marseilles if we made an effort to. Is it worth it to be in Marseilles? Would it be significantly better than Nice on Bastille Day? Thanks for your help.
Posted by
in a train schedule...
267 posts
Ah, the best place to experience Bastille Day is in Paris. ;) Barring that, I would think Nice would be fine.
Posted by
Paris, France
506 posts
Jon,
Marseilles nor the south of France is known for the main celebrations of La Fête Nationale. (The French typically will not refer to the day as Bastille Day - this is the American version).
If you plan to be in the south of France during this time, I would not necessarily plan around La Fête Nationale. Why? Basically, this is the French version of Independence Day - which is good until you realize that for the French the level of patriotism is vastly different than in the US.
Typically, this is a day off from work and the main celebration is in Paris along the Champs Elysees with a huge military parade that last about 3 hours. You find yourself quickly transported and somehow think it is WWII again. This past year was a bit special because President Sarcozy had a campaign promise to keep which included a huge party on the Champs de Mars (music all day) and then a 45 minute firework display.
What will be planned for 2008 is unknown.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
251 posts
While Le F.N. is nodded at and the odd parade. The French also take any advantagelook for a day off to go and do whatever. and the bars look for any reason to celebrate. This is especially true in Nice, where it is mostly a young foreign student crowd.
Keep in mind the eastern part of the Cote d'Az is English (British), particuarly in the summer, when you will be lucky to see a French person (I exagerate but the Riviera is not fun in summer)
Marseille is a great town but for different reasons. If you are looking for nationalism try hitting up a football match thats patriotism. Or maybe even a basketball game that is so popular in the south. Nothing like a US experience.