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Previous issues for Marseille

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France : Marseille - February 2009

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Valentine’s Day casts a long shadow over February, and love is in the air. Steamy events such as Eropolis (7-8 February, eropolis.fr), a button-popping weekend of erotic shows, chic lingerie sales and striptease lessons for both sexes, plus the sight of spring flowers blossoming in the city’s countless parks and gardens, ensure that Marseille is the ideal place for a romantic break. Heidi Fuller-love puckers up

Getting around

Marseille-Provence

Bus: A shuttle bus connects the airport with the centre of Marseille every 20 minutes or so, and the journey takes between 25 and 30 minutes. Tickets cost €8,50.
Taxi: A taxi to the centre of Marseille from the airport costs about €40 during the day and €50 at night. The journey takes around 30 minutes.
Tourist information: The main office can be found at 4 La Canebière, close to Vieux Port (tel. , www.marseilletourisme.com).

LE PANIER AND LA VIEILLE CHARITÉ

Once a notorious red-light district, the winding alleys of the atmospheric Panier district lead to la Vieille Charité, one of the oldest parts of Marseille. They’re best discovered walking hand in hand!

Sleep soundly – Bateau-Hôtel Spark. This is a 25 metrelong sailing ship converted to a superb floating hotel. It faces the town hall and has cosy, mahogany-lined cabins

Culture vultures – Lap up the largest collection of Egyptian artefacts in France, outside of the Louvre, at the Mediterranean Archaeology Museum (2 Rue de la Charité). It’s a stunning complex, with several art galleries, a café and a bookshop. Set in a 17thcentury edifice, it was once home to vagrants and orphans.

Must eat – Take a trip to one of the restaurants rendered famous by the crime tales of local born writer Jean- Claude Izzo. Chaotic and atmospheric, Chez Etienne (43 Rue de Lorette, no phone), which figured in Izzo’s epic Fabio Montale stories, is the best place in town for pizza and steak. For a cheaper option in a rich and romantic setting, head for Madie les Galinettes (138 Quai du Port, tel. ), a relaxed locals’ haunt. The menu is packed with delicacies, including stuffed mutton tripe, clams with thyme and alibofi, a dish of deep-fried sweetbreads said to act as a powerful aphrodisiac!

Must drink – Le Bar des Treize Coins (45 Rue Ste-Françoise) stands opposite the inn where Latin lover Casanova once spent a sheet-rumpled night.

Shop til you drop – Find that perfect gift in the Rue du Petit Puits. Pick up unusual ceramics at La Sardine d’Argile (5 rue du Petit Puits). 72% Petanque (10 Rue du Petit Puits) sells fabulous smellies. And Oddo (3 Rue du Petit Puits) is the place to treat yourself to a piece of modern art.

LA CORNICHE AND LE VALLON DES AUFFES

The panoramic Corniche winds from the Vieux Port, past the gigantic marble copy of Michelangelo’s David, to the Vallon des Auffes. This is a gloriously romantic tangle of tiny lanes strung with fishing nets and fringed by brightly coloured fishing huts, overlooking a harbour lined with bars and restaurants.

Sleep soundly – For slumbers in a superior queen size bed with a view of the Mediterranean, choose Le Petit Nice-Passédat. It’s a luxurious Greek villa, where you can also sample succulent beignets d’anémones de mer (sea urchin fritters) and other Provençal specialities, served up by top chef Gerald Passédat.

Culture vultures – From Derain and Dufy, to Picasso and Picabia, there’s plenty of eye candy on show for art lovers at the Musée Cantini (19 Rue Grignan), one of the finest French public collections devoted to 20thcentury art.

Must eat – Romance is on the menu if you book a panoramic seaview table at L’Epuisette (Vallon des Auffes, tel. ). Forget about Shakespeare’s music – Chef Guillaume Sourrieu’s John Dory with seafood risotto and chorizo mousse is definitely the food of love. Chez FonFon (140 Rue Vallon des Auffes, ) is another legendary fish restaurant where dishes such as bouillabaisse (the famous local fish and shellfish stew) are guaranteed to seduce your taste buds.

Shop til you drop – Make time to pop in to Le Four des Navettes (136 Rue Sainte) and pick up some navettes (the city’s signature biscuit, flavoured with orange blossom) then wander over to the Ateliers Marcel Carbonel (47 Rue Neuve Ste Catherine) which sells pretty Provençal fabric, pottery and Marseille’s famous tipple, pastis, an aniseedflavoured liqueur.

Compiled by Heidi Fuller

Previous issues for Marseille

Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy,
please confirm event/venue details in advance.

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