Its dirty, there were prostitutes outside of our 'cute' little street. Coming from grand paris to marseille is very dissapointing. The nicest thing is the train station. Skip it, go to nice or somewhere else. Had an awful time getting back from Frioul after visiting Chateau d'If on a long weekend as the ferry service is very disorganised. Would recommend going to Chateau d'If then staying on the ferry at Frioul and returning to Vieux Port.
The transport system in Marseille is excellent, trams, buses and metro are fully integrated. A one day pass is 4. You can get information at the RTM office at the bus station near the Bourse. Tickets are available from machines at Bus, tram and Metro stations. Anyone considering a trip to Marseille must be more wary than ever. On a recent 2 day visit we met 3 other people as well as ourselves who had been attacked and had bags snatched by youths who escaped on a scooter.
These thefts were in broad daylight the earliest at 7pm and in major public areas. Rue Saint Ferreol and Boulevard d' Athenes are major shopping arteries. The police were very good at writing up our incident but there is little sign of them on the streets which are littered with dodgy types. The taxi drivers compound the problem by refusing to take you on short trips and advising that you walk.
We did and were robbed within metres of the station. The Belsunce area is near to the tourist areas and the criminals prey on tourists without fear of arrest. So having read reviews before we went, which were mixed, I was pleasantly surprised by our experience in marseille last week. It is a city unlike other cities, and yes the immigrant population flourishes here, but this adds to the diverse and rich culture that is Marseille.
We stayed in a great hostel called 'Vertigo' near the train station and the area here is not as nice as the Vieux Port. A couple of recommendations La Collins- a restaurant on the port, Quai du Port side..
