Marseille

thumb|Notre Dame de la Garde Marseille has a complex history. It was founded by the Phoceans (from the Greek city of Phocea) in 600 BC and is one of the oldest cities in Europe.

The town is a far cry from the Cézanne paintings and Provençal clichés of sleepy villages, "pétanque" players and Marcel Pagnol novels. With around one million inhabitants, Marseille is the second largest city in France in terms of population and the largest in terms of area.

| url=https://www.marseille-airport.com | email= | address= | lat=43.436667 | long=5.215 | directions= about 30 km from Marseille | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Marseille Provence Airport | image=Aéroport de Marseille Provence 20080929.jpg | wikidata=Q651190 | content= }} Getting to the airport: * Bus. Bus #91 is the easiest way to get to Marseille's city centre.

The shuttle leaves approximately every 15-20 minutes, taking 25 minutes and goes directly to the St. Charles bus/train station where you can take the metro or walk to your hotel.

Marseille is served by a transit system, the Régie des Transports de Marseille (RTM) comprising 2 métro (subway) lines, 3 tram lines and 74 bus lines. Almost every métro station has steps in it somewhere and some will have several flights of stairs.

If you have any mobility problems, are in a wheelchair or have a child in a push chair, the trams and buses are a better option. The tickets for bus, tram and métro can be bought in the cafes, at the métro stations, or on the bus; it is advised to buy a 10-journey ticket at €15 (+ 10 cents for the reusable card), which are not sold in the buses.

For much of its history, and still to this day, Marseille has been seen as a crime-ridden city by a lot of French people, and this reputation is sadly not entirely unwarranted. Nevertheless, tourists will have a great time by taking basic precautions, and the city center is very safe.

As a very broad rule of thumb, any area within a 15/20-minute walk of the Old Port is safe. However, muggings and pickpockets have dramatically increased, so do avoid carrying valuables and watch your surroundings, like in most cities.