Le Vieux Port

Welcome to the Vieux Port, or the Old Port, the literal and figurative heart of Marseille. You are standing in a place where history has been continuously written for over two thousand six hundred years. …

Begin your walk at the Quai des Belges, the wide quay at the head of the port. Every morning from eight am to one pm, this area transforms into the Marche aux Poissons, the traditional fish market. …

As you walk along the northern quay, or Quai du Port, you will pass one of the few historic buildings to survive the destruction of World War II: the Hotel de Ville, or Marseille City Hall. Built in the mid-seventeenth century,…

At the northern entrance of the port stands the imposing Fort Saint-Jean. Built in sixteen sixty by Louis the Fourteenth, the fort was intended not just to defend against naval invaders, but to keep a watchful eye on the…

Leading directly away from the head of the port is La Canebière, the most famous street in Marseille. Often compared to the Champs-Elysees in Paris, this one-kilometer-long boulevard was once the center of the city's high society…

The southern quay, or Quai de Rive Neuve, offers a different atmosphere from the northern side. It is lined with historic warehouses and buildings that once served the port's industrial needs. …

At the very mouth of the Old Port, perched on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean, sits the Palais du Pharo, or Pharo Palace. This elegant building was commissioned by Napoleon the Third as an imperial residence for his wife,…

As we conclude our journey around the Vieux Port, take a final moment to look out across the water. This harbor is the reason Marseille exists. …