november-2012

u BCN BSL BRS HAJ MRS OSL PRG BMA TLV TRN
Marseille
FRAnCE
62,814,223
Euro (EUR)
+33 10°C
three times daily
Kathryn Tomasetti
Marseille is counting down to its year
as European Capital of Culture
LE PANIER & NORTH
The atmospheric Old Town is laced
with winding alleys, while to the
north the regenerated docklands
are a lively local quarter.
EAT Le Clan des Cigales (8 Rue du
Petit Puits, (0)6 63 78 07 83) is a
welcoming, wallet-friendly spot. On
Fridays and Saturdays, aïoli (steamed
vegetables and fish served with garlicky
dip) and a glass of organic rosé are a
bargain €13. Or splash out at Une Table,
au Sud (2 Quai du Port, (0)4 91 90 63
53), where Michelin-starred Lionel Lévy
offers courgette flowers stuffed with
brousse cheese and a deconstructed
“milkshake de bouillabaisse”. Save room
for a scoop of Navettissimo ice-cream at
Le Glacier du Roi (4 Place de Lenche,
(0)4 91 91 01 16), its flavour inspired by
the city’s delicious orangewater biscuits.
LATER Le Silo (35 Quai du Lazaret) is
a grain silo turned music venue; this
month, look out for Herbie Hancock (11
November) and MIKA (18 November).
VIEUX PORT
Chic boutiques and historical hotels
are dotted through the streets that
surround Marseille’s lively port.
INFO
Marseille Provence
Airport is 25km west
of the city centre.
Bus
Shuttle buses
(navettemarseille
aeroport.com) run
every 15-20 minutes
from the airport
to Marseille’s
Saint-Charles train
station. Tickets cost
€8 and the journey
takes approximately
25 minutes.
Taxi
A taxi from the
airport to the city
centre costs around
€50 and takes about
half an hour.
Tourist info
The Offi ce du
Tourisme is based
at 4 La Canebière,
(0)8 26 500 500,
marseille-tourisme.
com
SLEEP Grand Hôtel Beauvau (4 Rue
Beauvau, (0)4 91 54 91 00, mgallery.
com, rooms from €125) has been a
Vieux Port landmark since it opened
in the early 19th century: George Sand
and Frédéric Chopin stayed here in
1839 and have been followed by scores
of writers, artists and composers. The
hotel’s panoramic views sweep across
Marseille’s skyline and pretty port.
SHOP American Vintage (10 Rue
Sainte) was launched by local designer
Mickaël Azoulay in 2005. This season,
shoppers can stock up on the label’s
silk-trimmed knits, neon T-shirts and
stripy cardigans. Savonnerie
Marseillaise de la Licorne (24 Quai de
Rive Neuve) sells chunks of traditional
Marseillaise olive oil soaps, scented
with lemon, honey, lavender and more.
If you’re looking for unusual Christmas
gifts, the atelier at Santons Marcel
Carbonel (49 Rue Neuve Sainte
Catherine) makes Provence’s
traditional santons (nativity figurines).
TIP La Bastide des Bains (19 Rue
Sainte) is a sumptuous spot to refresh,
reinvigorate and scrub away any
early winter blues. In addition to the
steamy hammam, it offers massages
and facials.
Relax in Mama Shelter,
the city’s sleekest hotel
COURS JULIEN
& AROUND
The neighbourhood spliced by Cours
Julien is Marseille’s most vibrant,
with its street art, flower market,
boho cafés and bars.
SLEEP Mama Shelter (64 Rue de
la Loubière, (0)4 84 35 20 00,
mamashelter.com, rooms from €69)
is a southern outpost of the Philippe
Starck-designed hotel of the same
name in Paris, and the city’s sleekest
abode. Rooms are petite but funky,
and there’s an industrial-chic restaurant
and cocktail bar on the ground floor.
CULTURE The gilded, 11-metre
Madonna that crowns the Basilique
Notre-Dame de la Garde (Rue Fort
du Sanctuaire) looks benignly out
over the city, and is regarded as the
guardian of Marseille. Inside, votive
offerings testify to the faith that
locals have placed in la bonne
mère over the centuries, giving
thanks for their deliverance from
sickness, shipwrecks and war.
LATER Au Petit Nice (28 Place
Jean Jaurès) is a low-key, welcoming
spot to sip une pression (beer) on
fashionable Place Jean-Jaurès.
READ OUR CITY GUIDES ONLINE
btheremag.com