Shopping in Marsailles? What else to do there?

We're in port for one day. Any suggestions for where to shop with 2 teen daughters. I think we just want to stay in the general area of Marsaille and not venture to far. Need help and ideas on what also to see there.

Thanks so much, cindyo

Marseille is a very large city (might be the third largest in France) so it has its share of shopping. The ship shuttle bus will drop you at the old port from where you can walk and shop till you drop. That being said, with a lousy dollar and a VAT taxi of about 20% you will find that most things in France cost more then buying them at home. If you stay in town you might want to take the boat out to Chateau d'If which is located on the Island of If. This was the setting for the Count of Monte Cristo and is fun for a change of pace.

Hank

MRS is not particularly good for upmarket clothes shopping, though there are some very good, innovative young designers. Probably the Cours Julien area will be the most exciting for teenagers. It's full of bars, cafes, restaurants, funky little shops, street art....

There's plenty to see in the city in terms of tourist sights. Some suggestions: http://www.marseille-provence.info/marseille-marseilles/what-to-see-tourist-attractions.html

We spent several hours walking around. There are some places to visit.

I didn't think shopping was very good.

I would instead suggest maybe enjoying a nice lunch there or at least a nice dessert.

Keith

MRS is not particularly good for upmarket clothes shopping, though there are some very good, innovative young designers. Probably the Cours Julien area will be the most exciting for teenagers. It's full of bars, cafes, restaurants, funky little shops, street art....

 

There's plenty to see in the city in terms of tourist sights. Some suggestions: http://www.marseille-provence.info/marseille-marseilles/what-to-see-tourist-attractions.html

Thank you for posting this! It is a wonderful site full of valuable information! :)

That was a great site. I saved it to my Favorites, Thanks.

There is a little tourist train that leaves from the old port that covers the town and gives a good overview of the city. We found the Notre Dame church on top of the hill an interesting stop.

"http://www.petit-train-marseille.com/"

Shopping is not that good, in my opinion. Walking around the old town just behind the bottom of the old port can be interesting as there is a large N. African presence. Outdoor markets, strange smells and sounds, etc.

That market is in Noailles -- rue Longue-des-Capucins. It's down a backstreet about half-way up the Canebiere from the Old Port. Smallish - but really great for cheap shopping if you're after exotic food, provencal fabrics, North African ceramics - you can even get cheap boules sets there. http://www.marseille-provence.info/marseille-marseilles/what-to-see-tourist-attractions/77-noailles-market-arab-capucins.html

In Marseille we arranged for a driver to collect us at the ship and take us to Aix en Provence where we met Jennifer Dugdale, an American expatriate, who introduced us to the Taste of Provence (tasteofprovence.com), a delightful walking tour of the town. It was a culinary adventure as we were introduced to the fine food purveyors, sampled their specialties and heard stories of this aristocratic town.

Our driver, Donal Branigan (donal brannigan@hotmail.com), an Irish expatriate, picked us up again after our tour and drove us through the countryside to visit two vineyard before returning us to the ship just in time to set sail.

Take the train or bus up to Aix en Provence. beautiful little village about 20 minutes away with interesting shops.

Has anyone taken the ferry to Chateau d'If? We're interested in seeing the old prison but are having trouble getting info on getting there from the cruise port.

Has anyone taken the ferry to Chateau d'If? We're interested in seeing the old prison but are having trouble getting info on getting there from the cruise port.

There are regular boats that shuttle from the old town harbor which is near where the shuttle bus from the cruise port will drop passengers. There is no need to be concerned with schedules, tickets, etc. Simply take the shuttle (or a taxi) into town and buy a ticket on the next boat. As to the Chateau, its a typical small castle where you can climb up steps to the top and look at a few exibits. When one considers that Marseille is close to many nice places in Provence we would not consider Chateau d'If a highlight of the region.

Hank

Not sure if Aix counts as a village --- it's a substantial city with 150,000 population! But it is quite compact and easy to walk around. There is a very regular bus shuttle service from MRS to Aix (and trains too) -- the journey takes around 30 minutes. More about Aix: http://www.marseille-provence.info/aix-en-provence.html

I agree that the Chateau d'If is a bit underwhelming -- it hasn't really been set up as an historic location and last time I went (last autumn) the exhibits were tired and tatty. It is certainly worth a visit if you're interested in the Count of Monte Cristo, though, and the boat trip itself is rather lovely. You can combine it with a visit to the Frioul islands (the boat stops there too on the same route).

There is a little tourist train that leaves from the old port that covers the town and gives a good overview of the city. We found the Notre Dame church on top of the hill an interesting stop.

"http://www.petit-train-marseille.com/"

Shopping is not that good, in my opinion. Walking around the old town just behind the bottom of the old port can be interesting as there is a large N. African presence. Outdoor markets, strange smells and sounds, etc.

+1 for the little tourist train.

Marseille is famous for its soap -- lovely fragrances and very mild on the skin. I love to stock up on various brands of Marseille soaps when I visit there. Durance brand, which has its own store a couple of blocks away from the old port, is perhaps my favorite. (For those traveling to Aix, there used to be a branch of Durance in the little shopping lanes in the old city. However, a quick check of the web site isn't showing this location any more.)

One word of warning: I can guarantee that your luggage will be opened by TSA if you transport anything more than one or two bars of soap home. There must be something about the way whatever "waves" pass through soap that must be very similar to waves passing through explosive material. I've had lots of laughs with TSA inspectors who have had to open my luggage because of my soap purchases.

You can spend a lovely, quiet day in Marseille by riding the train, strolling around the port area, and eating bouillabaisse along/overlooking the water.

Another shopping possibility, although not in Marseille: Souleiado prints silk and cotton fabrics with typical Provence prints and, then, makes merchandise out of the fabric. They also print their signature patterns on china. Nice is the only port where you'll find a Souleiado store, but there are plenty of locations along the Riviera and in Paris.

If you want to investigate further, go to the web site souleiado.com and click on the link at the bottom of the page "ou Trouver nos Boutiques." (This means "Where to find our boutiques") The list of all the stores will appear. Incidentally, this web site has no English version but pictures and a little trial and error will let you search it successfully.

In Marseille we arranged for a driver to collect us at the ship and take us to Aix en Provence where we met Jennifer Dugdale, an American expatriate, who introduced us to the Taste of Provence (tasteofprovence.com), a delightful walking tour of the town. It was a culinary adventure as we were introduced to the fine food purveyors, sampled their specialties and heard stories of this aristocratic town.

 

Our driver, Donal Branigan (donal brannigan@hotmail.com), an Irish expatriate, picked us up again after our tour and drove us through the countryside to visit two vineyard before returning us to the ship just in time to set sail.

This sounds so wonderful. We will be a group of 8 who will be docking in Marseille on a Sunday (April15,2012) Is this something that 8 of us can do on a Sunday?? I think most markets are closed.

That market is in Noailles -- rue Longue-des-Capucins. It's down a backstreet about half-way up the Canebiere from the Old Port. Smallish - but really great for cheap shopping if you're after exotic food, provencal fabrics, North African ceramics - you can even get cheap boules sets there. http://www.marseille-provence.info/marseille-marseilles/what-to-see-tourist-attractions/77-noailles-market-arab-capucins.html

So, after taking the shuttle from the ship to Vieux Port it is a walkable distance?

Thanks in advance

+1 for the little tourist train.

 

Marseille is famous for its soap -- lovely fragrances and very mild on the skin. I love to stock up on various brands of Marseille soaps when I visit there. Durance brand, which has its own store a couple of blocks away from the old port, is perhaps my favorite. (For those traveling to Aix, there used to be a branch of Durance in the little shopping lanes in the old city. However, a quick check of the web site isn't showing this location any more.)

 

One word of warning: I can guarantee that your luggage will be opened by TSA if you transport anything more than one or two bars of soap home. There must be something about the way whatever "waves" pass through soap that must be very similar to waves passing through explosive material. I've had lots of laughs with TSA inspectors who have had to open my luggage because of my soap purchases.

 

You can spend a lovely, quiet day in Marseille by riding the train, strolling around the port area, and eating bouillabaisse along/overlooking the water.

 

Another shopping possibility, although not in Marseille: Souleiado prints silk and cotton fabrics with typical Provence prints and, then, makes merchandise out of the fabric. They also print their signature patterns on china. Nice is the only port where you'll find a Souleiado store, but there are plenty of locations along the Riviera and in Paris.

 

If you want to investigate further, go to the web site souleiado.com and click on the link at the bottom of the page "ou Trouver nos Boutiques." (This means "Where to find our boutiques") The list of all the stores will appear. Incidentally, this web site has no English version but pictures and a little trial and error will let you search it successfully.

I have heard about the soap made in Marseille. What is the average price? How do I know if I'm getting a good deal? Is it worth it to buy is there vs. online? Thanks!

This sounds so wonderful. We will be a group of 8 who will be docking in Marseille on a Sunday (April15' date='2012) Is this something that 8 of us can do on a Sunday?? I think most markets are closed.[/quote']

 

Although Sunday is not normally a market day there happens to be a Sunday market in L'Isle Sur La Sorgue which is arguably the best market in Provence. This particular market has a huge flea market and antigue market as well as the usual venders selling food, fruit, veggies, baked goods, etc. When we stayed in our apartment in St Remy we drove over to this market every Sunday morning (it starts shutting down by 1pm). This town is about a 1 - 1:15 min drive from Marseille. Les Baux is another town that seems to be jumping on Sundays.

 

Hank

If I might add...although it's not about shopping: Take a boat tour of the calanques, the little coastal bays and cliffs along the coast east of Marseilles. It's a gorgeous trip and the little bays and the land are really extraordinary, many with tiny villages that may only be accessible by boat. You won't be dissapointed. You can get the tours from the main harbor. As I remember it takes about three hours altogether.

Hi guys,

For those of you who've tried the bouilabaisse in Marseille (at Chez Fonfon, for example), I'm wondering if you know this - if one person from the group orders bouilabaisse, does that mean all the others have to order it? Because I see the price for bouilabaisse per person is over 40 euros, I'm wondering if it's like a buffet style .... so the restaurant won't allow for just one order ....

Or this is not the case. You can very well just order one bouilabaisse and have the other people order something different?

Many thanks!