Marseille Tour

Departure 8.30 am , return 5.30 pm

Marseille is the largest and most populous commune in France after Paris and is the centre of the third largest metropolitan area in France. To the east, starting in the small fishing village of Callelongue on the outskirts of Marseille and stretching as far as Cassis, are the Calanques, a rugged coastal area interspersed with small fjords.

The city’s main thoroughfare, the wide boulevard called the Canebière, stretches eastward from the Old Port (Vieux Port) to the Réformés quarter.

To the south west are the hills of the 7th arrondissement, dominated by the basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde.

Notre-Dame de la Garde is a Neo-Byzantine church sits atop the signal hill of La Garde, the highest natural point in Marseille, being a 162 m (532 ft) limestone outcrop on the south side of the Vieux Port.

Wine of Cassis

Before your lunch, I plan a wine tasting. I know a very good winery, outside the village.

The appellation Cassis wine, received the Appellation d’Origine Controlée in 1936, the first in the region. They produce red, rosé and white, the white is the most famous and is really outstanding.

Cassis was a very ancient fishing port and is an interesting village to visit.

The village was rebuilt on the old ruins in the 18th century, resulting in a more regular layout than most other medieval villages.

Some of the buildings, however, date. A walk through the old village streets will reveal some nice old buildings, some dating back to the 16th century, and some restored with the colorful pastels

Other sites in the village are old fountains and an open-air artists market.

Cassis is still a small fishing port, but the little fishing boats now share the harbor with yachts and boats for visiting the calanques, a trip you shouldn’t miss.

The first of the white Cassis stone quarries in the Calanques was opened in 1753.

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