Founded in 600 BC by the Phoenicians who named it Massalia, Marseille has always been a meeting place of ideas, races and civilisations. An extremely lively cosmopolitan city, its major functions as a port and trading centre often hide its natural advantages. Marseille is a great metropolis composed of a hundred villages, a historical city and a major port on the Mediterranean. It has just celebrated its 2600th birthday. Walk through the narrow steets of the Endoume area overlooking the sea, participate in the numerous summer activities, go boating to the islands, stroll through the Old port or hike in the Callanques massifs ...
The port was the starting point for the city, founded by the Greeks around 600 BC. The old port forms the axis from which the city fans out. Today, under its sober fronts, it has kept all the charm of its hectic past which come alive at the fishmongers' calls... Protected by the forts of Saint-Jean and Saint-Nicolas, the view of the old port from the Pharo gardens is unforgettable.