Marseilles is a city that only recently began to open up to tourists at the turn of the century. Marseille is France's "oldest region," as well as one of the oldest in Western Europe. Massalia was founded about 600 BC, and it quickly grew into an important port in the ancient Greek world. For the Greeks and then the Romans.

It served as a major crossroads for trade and transformation between Mediterranean civilisations and those of Gaul and northwest Europe.

Marseilles' position has basically remained the same since then. It has long been one of the most important, if not the most important, ports in France, due to its location near the mouth of the Rhone, the greatest natural corridor between the Mediterranean and the lands to the north – a position that explains its significance and scale, as France's third largest urban region, to this day.

From the top of King René's tower, a view of Fort Saint Jean. Marseille is a paradox in that, despite its location next to the Mediterranean, it is not a seaside resort. The docks occupy the gentler and flatter coast northwest of the city, and the seashore south of the "Old Port" is rugged, with no beaches until the Plage du Prado, 6 km south. So it's not a spot I'd recommend going to.

Marseilles is an ideal destination for a day trip, weekend break, or short stay, particularly during those times of the year when most of France further north is still suffering from spring or is dampened by autumn mists and showers. And getting to Marseille's tourist district, which is centred around the Old Port, is surprisingly easy.