Introduction to Marseille

Marseille, France's oldest city, has been a gateway to Europe since the Phoenicians landed in 600BC. Today it's a bustling port where Provençal traditions meet exotic influences from North Africa and the Middle East, revealed in spice-infused souk markets, stately 19th-century thoroughfares, and attractions like MuCem, Marseille's Mediterranean Civilization Museum. Beacons to city life are also visible in state-of-the-art skyscrapers at the Docks and Corbusier's revolutionary 1950s Cité Radieuse apartments. Marseille is first and foremost a coastal city, however, and its 35 miles of chalky-white creeks called calanques await those who crave relaxation.

Things to Do

Stroll Marseille's Vieux Port, where fishing boats bob and cafes clink with cutlery as foodies tuck into saffron-tinted, fish-thick Bouillabaisse. Scale the Panier's steep cobbles to explore crumbly, medieval streets where waves of immigrants have settled for centuries; then climb up to the gilded Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde for dizzying coastal panoramas. Across the waves, the Ile d'If beckons with seagulls, salamanders and the eerie Renaissance château, where the Count of Monte Cristo was held in Alexandre Dumas's novel.

Nightlife and Entertainment

Throngs of people gravitate toward the Vieux Port's wine bars, jazz cellars and mainstream clubs. Or put your glad rags on for highbrow opera at the Canebière's colonnaded Opera de Marseille. Dress down (in cool labels, bien-sûr) for a night in the up-and-coming Belle de Mai district, where La Friche (a converted tobacco factory) programs some of the hippest electro and rock concerts outside Paris. On balmy nights, pick up a mojito and drink in the sunset along the Prado's beachside bars.

Restaurants and Dining

Centuries of immigration lend Marseille's cuisine an international flavor, so follow your nose along rue Longue-des-Capucins, past stands of steaming Armenian pizzas, méchoui lamb, spicy olives, and Chinese noodles. Remember, though, this is Provence, -- a region blessed with herbs, sun-ripened vegetables, and in Marseille's case, seafood -- so sample the day's briny catches around the Vieux Port. For a treat, splurge at the Corniche's Le Petit Nice, France's only 3-star Michelin seafood restaurant.

Relaxation

When the urban jungle gets too much, sail from the Vieux Port to the Frioul islands, to relax, bathe and ponder, with nothing but wild thyme, sand and lizards for company. The sea breeze also blows your stress away in Marseille's Massif des Calanques -- weather-worn, limestone pinnacles that conceal sandy beaches accessible by foot or by boat. They are perfect for a soothing dip on a sunny day.