FRIDAY : CASSIS - MARSEILLEDuring the morning : visit of Cassis.
This little seaside resort is snuggled at the foot of a very tall cliff called Cap Canaille. Cassis is a wonderful place to stroll about with its picturesque fishing port lined with cafes and restaurants.The fishing boats now share the harbor with yachts and a collection of tourist boats for visiting the "calanques", a trip you shouldn't miss (45 mn to 1h30).
Between Marseille and Cassis the coast is broken up by these "calanques", enticing fjord-like inlets lying between vertical white cliffs. The sight is fantastic. (cruise not included)
Free time in the market
Fom the panoramic road overlooking the bay of Cassis, we will stop to appreciate the fabulous landscape.
It is also possible to stop in a winery to taste the reknown Cassis white wineFree lunch in Cassis or Marseille
During the afternoon : sightseeing tour of Marseille
France's premier port and oldest major city is in a surprisingly attractive setting, centred on the Vieux Port (the old harbour). People have leaved here for 26 centuries, its mixture of cultures being so varied that Alexander Dumas called it "the meeting place of the entire world"This tour gives you the chance to discover several faces of the second-largest city in France :
- View on the "Vieux Port". All streets lead to this place, where visitors tend to congregate. In this creek where the Phocaeans landed in 600 BC, now we can see thousands of yachts and pleasure boats
- Stroll in the old area named "Panier", stopping in front the Old Charity, a former hospice composed of beautiful three-tiered arched balconies surrounding the lovely domed Chapel in the center
- View on the huge and somptuous XIXth century cathedral
- Spendid panorama from the highest point of the city, to take time to admire the unique site on which the city was built
- Visit of the basilica Notre Dame de la Garde, overlooking the city, presided over by a golden Madonna on a 150 ft bell tower. Its inside decoration made of mosaics and unusual votive offerings will impress you
- Corniche : picturesque road cut into the cliff and following the coast for more than 3 miles. It offers wonderful sights on the Frioul Islands, among which the Château d'If Island, that served as the setting place for Alexander Dumas, writing the story of the count of Monte Cristo
- Colourful fishing village of Vallon des Auffes, one of the most characteristic places in Marseille
- St Victor Basilica is a religious fortress fonded in the Vth century and enlarged from the XIth to the XIVth centuries. In the crypt, you can visit the catacombs, sarcophagi and the cave of St Victor (entrance fee not included)Between the sites, your driver-guide will explain you many things about the history, the tradition, the natural environment...
You will be able to stop as much as you want to take pictures, to taste local products or just to breath the fabulous scents of the provençal plants...