The districts of Marseille are 16 districts with 111 neighborhoods belonging to them.
Description of the main areas of Marseille
- 1st district: famous for the Old Port - here guests will find fish restaurants and a fish market that starts working every morning (you should get a fresh catch from fishermen, and herbs, snails, seashells “for good luck” from other merchants). Alternatively, you can go on a boat trip on a pleasure boat or excursion boat. As for the evening walk, tourists will be able to see and photograph a beautiful sunset in the Old Port.
- 2nd district: popular due to the Cathedral (built at the end of the 19th century; the height of the towers and domes is 60-70 m; the striped wall decoration is due to the fact that the masters used green and white marble). Inside, tourists will see numerous sculptures and bas-reliefs, beautiful mosaics, a large altar, walls made of beige and reddish marble (the cathedral is open for tourists every day, except Mondays, and depending on the day, the week is different).
- 7th district: there is the Abbey of St. Victor (noteworthy is the sculpture called "Black Madonna"; every year on the Feast of the Meeting, special candles of green wax are lit - a symbol of hope and the beginning of a new life) and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Guardian (it is crowned with a 60-meter a rectangular bell tower, the top of which is decorated with a statue of Our Lady and Child; visitors should admire the mosaic panels on the ceilings; the upper part of the cathedral is intended for services, and the lower part is a repository of artifacts and a vaulted crypt).
Attractions in Marseille
Vacationers in Marseille are advised to take a map of the city, explore the Longchamp Palace (it has two museums; the palace is adjacent to a fountain complex, an observatory where guests will be offered to look through telescopes, and a zoo, which no longer has animals, but old pavilions have survived), visit Borely Park (has a lake, a rose garden, a statue of Diana, a rocky waterfall, picnic fields, playgrounds for young guests) and Prado Beach (in different parts of it there are conditions for kiting, windsurfing and other water sports).
Where to stay for tourists
Travelers should not settle in the northern regions (they are considered dysfunctional) of Marseille because of the emigrants from North Africa living there (almost all of them are unemployed). A convenient place for tourists to stay is the center, and the most picturesque place is the Old Port area (take a look at the “Radisson Blu Hotel Marseille”).
Quietly and safely you can live in the 8th, 10th, 11th and 12th districts - here vacationers will find shopping centers and all types of public transport (there are hotels such as “Hotel Peron” and “Pullman Marseille Palm Beach”).
If you want to stay close to the beach strip, then you should look for a hotel near the Prado beach (here you can stay in the hotels “Hotel Sylvabelle” and “Golden Tulip Villa Massalia”).
