From Pl. Bourgeoise, walk briefly on Saint-Cristophe des Bardes which is highway D243 East and at the fork, veer right. Continue 10m straight ahead, passing the similarly named Château Villemaurine and Château Villemaurine Cardinal will be on your left across from the field of grape vines. Visit and dégustation €5. Bottles from €15 and up. Open M-F 9:30am-12:30pm and 1:30-5:30pm. Open by appointment on the weekends.
CLOTS DES MENUTS
pl. du Chaptire
CAVES, WINERY
05 57 74 45 77
Explore the cool and creepy caves with thousands of bottles from eight regional châteaux, just waiting for you to tase their contents at the dégustation table upstairs. Although the wine-tasting is free, it’s polite to pay a token amount if you don’t plan on purchasing a bottle.
On rue Guadet 2min. from the tourist office Bottles from €6. Open daily in summer 10am-7pm; in winter 10am-6pm.
MAISON DU VIN
Pl. Pierre Meyrat
GALLERY, WINE SHOP
05 57 55 50 55 www.vins-saint-emilion.com
Over 400 wines at wholesale prices, wine-tasting classes run by oenologists, daily visits from St-Émilion châteaux offering free dégustation and best of all, an oflactif (nasal) guessing game with aromas from raspberry to thyme.
Around the corner from the tourist office next to the church. 1½hr. wine-tasting class €21. Open daily Aug 9:30am-7pm; Sept-Oct 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-6:30pm; Nov-Mar 10am-12:30pm and 2-6pm; Apr-July 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-6:30pm. Wine-tasting classes July-Sept daily 11am.
ESSENTIALS
Practicalities
• TOURIST OFFICE: To get to the office from the train station, take a right on the main road and walk 20min. up rue de la Porte Bouqueyre toward the clock tower. From the bus stop, just follow the signs. The office distributes Le Guide St-Émilion, which details the town’s history, provides maps and itineraries, and lists vineyards, accommodations, and restaurants. Note that many of the châteaux require reservations to visit. The office organizes daily tours in English and French to the surrounding vineyards: €18 for a 3hr. bus tour of the wine-country with dégustation included. (Pl. des Créneaux 05 57 55 28 28 www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com Bike rental €12 per half-day, €15 per full day. Open daily June-Sept 9:30am-8pm; Sept-Oct 9:30am-12:30pm and 1:30-6:30pm; Nov-Mar open 10am-12:30pm and 2-5pm; Apr-June 9:30am-12:30pm and 1:30-6:30pm. Tours M-Sa 2:30pm.)
Getting There
Trains go from Bordeaux to the St-Émilion train station, 2km outside of town, several times a day; it’s a 40min. trip. ( €7.70. M-F 5:56, 7:06am, 1:33, 4:03, 4:51, 7:19pm; Sa 7:06, 10:42, 10:51am, 1:04, 2:28, 4:03, 7:19pm; Su and holidays 8:33, 10:42, 10:51am, 4:03, 7:19pm.) Bus #32 leaves from the tourist office and takes 1hr. to get to St-Émilion. The benefit is that it drops you off right in the village, whereas the train station is 2km away. Buses leave at 9:20am and 12:25pm.
marseille
0491
We could call Marseille a “true immigrant city” with a “vibrant local culture,” but we prefer to think of it as the Tijuana of France. A Tower of Babel, produced by the train-with-cut-brakes that is globalization, this (in)famous port town is the stomping ground of sailors, backpackers, mobs of immigrants, and (we suspect) unsavory characters involved in the import-export business. Expect color, chaos, and a lingering smell of trash. The city is most famous for its dense North African population, and parts of the city are more akin to Algiers or Fez than southern France. People from throughout the Mediterranean converge here to barter and argue loudly with each other in the downtown. Tourists generally observe them from behind the plastic windows of the dinky tour buses. Located in the center of Provence, Marseille is an ideal home base for visits to the calanques along the coasts, or to the Provencal cities of Avignon, Arles, or Cassis. This is not the prettiest town on the French Riviera, but it hosts the closest train station to the prettiest towns on the Riviera. Avoid certain neighborhoods, and schlep it to the sweet smell of lavender only an hour away.
ORIENTATION
Marseille is organized into three main districts. The area bounded by rue Canebière and the calanques to the East is Vieux Port; Notre Dame de la Garde is situated on its central hilltop. Up a few blocks and to the west is Belsunce, Marseille’s immigrant quarter. Explore “Little” Algeria, Morocco, or Tunisia and people-watch from carpet shops and tea lounges. Just don’t walk around there at night. The old quarter to the furthest West is Le Panier, where you’ll find Marseille’s oldest buildings and cramped 6ft.-wide alleys. The quai du Port is lined with expensive hotels, boutiques, and upscale seaside cafes.
Vieux Port
Bordered by Cours Julien to the east and the tourism office to the west, Vieux Port is where the bars, restaurants, shopping, and other vibrant parts of the city contain themselves. Crowned by Notre Dame de la Garde which overlooks its center, the neighborhood boasts the oldest boulangerie in Marseille, not to mention its most happening nightclubs. The port is hemmed by bars and cafes that turn into hotspots at night; upscale restaurants are situated further inland around Place aux Huiles. Frustrated single men beware: at night in the Vieux Port, it can be particularly difficult to differentiate between clubs, bars, and strip clubs. The entrepreneurial young women beckoning you to come in at the door are a pretty good hint.
Le Panier
When the Greeks landed in Marseille 2,600 years ago, this is where they landed. Today, le Panier is the oldest and most cramped part of the city, though the area around La Vieille Charité might give it a run for its money. Mostly devoid of bars and clubs at night, this area is best to visit during the day, where the stores and the kooky cafes add charm to the winding narrow streets. At night, the same alleyways are shadowy and somewhat intimidating, since you might be the only one on them.
Belsunce
Little North Africa is bounded by ave. Belsunce and the Canebière, and teems with little kebab stands and carpet stores; this is an ideal place to shop cheap, and perhaps stop in and enjoy a pastis with a group of old Algerian men. Once dark, the stores close, and the few bars in the area become packed with the city’s local flair. Unless you’re large, male, and handy in a knife fight, however, take the long way to the port and skip Belsunce at night.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Accommodations in Marseille range from the affordable to the absurd. Stick to Belsunce or on the city’s outskirts for the cheapest hotels and hostels, or spend a little more at Vieux Port’s quiet B and Bs and nicer, centrally located hotels. If you have money to burn, stroll over to Le Panier and quai du Port for some hotels that are as close to the marina as they are expensive. Unless you’re splitting the cost of a terrace room, avoid the area if you’re on a budget.
Vieux Port
BALAENA
83 av de la Pointe Rouge
HOTEL
06 68 42 21 22 www.hebergement-marseille.fr
Conveniently located next to the beach and attached to a wetsuit/dive shop, this spotless hostel remains happily unlisted on English sites because Celine, the owner, speaks no English. A must for those focused on outdoor activites such hiking the Calanques or diving/windsurfing/kiteboarding.
Metro line #2 to Castellene then take Bus #19 (dir. Madrogue de Montredon) to Tibulon. At the end of the alleyway. Wi-Fi, breakfast, and linens included. Shared rooms €22.50 per person; triples €81.
AUBERGE DE JEUNESSE
Impasse du Docteur Bonfils
HOSTEL
04 91 17 63 30 www.fuaj.com
Far away from the city, but close to the beach. All the way out in the 8th arrondissment (something most FUAJ hostels have in common) the brightly colored, spacious reception welcomes you with a pool table and bar right as you walk in. Clean, but bare rooms. Organizes wind surfing (€14 per person for a half day) and kayaking half days on Saturday (€25) and full days on Su (€44).
Castellene. From there, take bus #44 to Clot Bey Leau. Walk in direction of bus to traffic circle and take a right onto av. Joseph Vidal. Pass the
bike rental store and turn left onto Impsse du Docteur Bonfils. Its at the end of the street. Look for Orange circle around blue triangle. FUAJ Card required. Bar, restaurant, Wi-Fi, kitchen, breakfast included. €19/night. Three nights maximum in summer.
MONTGRAND
50 rue Montgrand
HOTEL
04 91 00 35 20 www.hotel-montgrand-marseille.com
Clean and well-lit rooms with wide windows that let in lots of sunshine. Triples and quads availiable.
Estrangin, walk along rue Montgrand. Singles €59-65; doubles €75; triples €85; quads €95.
Le Panier
The hotels in this area are freakishly expensive. A few of the better finds on the water sport exceptional views and will only cost you your right arm (unless you’re left handed, in which case they will ask for that). For any of the other ones, come back when you’ve made it in life.
HOTEL HERMES
2 rue Bonneterie
HOTEL
04 96 11 63 63 www.hotelmarseille.com/hermes
Location, location, location. Hotel Hermes is right on the quai du Port, and next to an innocuous hotel that charges €180 per night. In light of these factors, the prices aren’t that bad at this Greek-themed hotel with terrace rooms. While the rooms are reminiscent of a porno shot in a Motel 6 back in 1970s Miami (think pink sheets, loudly patterned carpets, and lingering smell of smoke in the halls), the proximity to cafes and the port more than make up for it.
Vieux Port. TV, A/C, newly renovated. Breakfast €8. Singles €50; triples with terrace €90. We reccommend springing for the terrace.
hollywood
They may look peaceful to you, but these oceanside promenades and narrow streets are the stomping grounds of spies, pirates, drug lords, international intrigue, and plain old-fashioned revenge (well, at least on the silver screen).
• THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Edmond Dantès escaped Château d’If, the island prison off the coast of Marseilles, by dressing himself in his dead friend’s burial shroud. (Ew.) Over 3500 Huguenots and scores of real-life political detainees found this feared fort-turned-prison escape-proof, but not so with our friend the Count. The prison is open today and frequented by tourists.
• THE FRENCH CONNECTION. Sit in a seaside cafe and await your shipment of smuggled heroin from Turkey. (Let’s Go does not recommend smuggling drugs, because Doyle will find you. And he will shoot.) What most people don’t know is that the ring leader, Paul Corbone, also smuggled Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese between Italy and France. But whether you’re carrying illegal drugs or just illegal dairy products, you’ll need to take a break and take in the harbor.
• THE BOURNE IDENTITY. If you manage not to fall off the ferry to Corsica, you will officially be more coordinated than Jason Bourne. No, seriously. He takes a spill off the ferry in the opening scene of the movie (two gunshot wounds may have had something to do with the fall, but Let’s Go doesn’t believe in excuses).
Belsunce
LE VERTIGO
42 rue des Petites Maries
HOSTEL
04 91 91 07 11 www.hotelvertigo.com
Right next to the train station. Funky flea market finds decorate the walls and comprise the furniture at this dedicated, youthful hostel. The outside patio explodes with reds and blues and yellows, mimicking the festive streets of Marseille. Clean, cozy shared kitchen is a welcoming haven in this English-speakng, laid-back establishment.
From the train station, walk down the Grand Staircase onto bl. d’Athèns. Take the first right. rue des Petites Maries will be on the left, hostel is 20 yards down on the left. Wi-Fi, shared kitchen, 24hr reception, bar open til midnight. 2-6 person dorms €23.90; doubles €55-65.
SIGHTS
Most of the must-see sights here are located in the Vieux Port of the city, which hosts Notre Dame de la Garde and the Abbaye St.Vincent. The museums are decent, and will hypnotize afficionados of 20th-century Cubism, Fauvism or any of those other “-isms” you studied in art school. If you are less than intellectually inclined (you are on vacation, after all), we recommend that you spend most of your time getting out of the city to see Ile d’If or the calanques. Le Panier has the one of the oldest orphanages in France, which also served as a baroque church and now is a museum for Marseille’s ancient history. To experience 1,000 years of North African culture in the Med, explore Belsunce, which is a sight and smell of its own.
Vieux Port
NOTRE DAME DE LA GARDE
Top of the hill
BASILICA
04 91 13 40 80
You simply won’t get a better view of the city than this. As awesome as it is windy, this is where shipwreck survivors went to thank God, and it’s where you will too, provided you survive the walk up (take the #60 bus instead). Towering over the Basilica is an 11.2m-tall golden Madonna and Child, which weighs just shy of 10,000 kilos. Services are still held in the crypt of the church, a tradition that’s probably a holdover from the days when the Nazis were shooting at the basilica; you can still see the bullet holes in the east wall.
Take bus #60 from Vieux Port all the way to the end. Free. Open daily 7am-7:30pm.
MUSÉE CANTINI
19 rue Grignan
MUSEUM
04 91 54 77 75 www.marseille.fr
Housed in a chic warehouse, this museum hosts a permanent collection of Picasso, Cezanne, and Dubuffet paintings. Focuses on Surrealist, Fauvist, and Cubist movements of the last century. The museum is currently undergoing renovations and is expected to be completed in 2013. The new and improved museum is expected to house French artists from all over the country as well as Europe (France is scheduled to be the EU’s culture capital in that year).
Prefecture. €2.50 entrance fee. Under 10 free. Open daily 10am-5pm. Jul-Oct open til 7pm.
CHTEAU D’IF
quai des Belges
CHTEAU
04 91 59 02 30
The legendary home to the Man in the Iron Mask and Count of Monte Christo, this island fortress turned prison is less exciting than Alcatraz, but more exciting than just any rock in the middle of the harbor. Forget about the cool, fictitious noble prisoners, though since you were more likely to find Huguenot leaders jailed here during the religious purges of the 1600s. While it’s an equally horrific story, somehow it just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Vieux Port. Quai des Belges. Boat tickets €15, students €10. Château entrance €5. Stud-nets free. Open 9:30am-6:15pm, as a function of the last operating boats to the island.
ABBAYE ST-VICTOR
3 rue de l’Abbaye
ABBEY
04 96 11 22 60
An early Christian burial site for saints, the history of the Abbaye St-Victor is (naturally) characterized by power struggles, mob violence, and other things Jesus would totally do. The abbey was originally fortified against pagan invaders, and successfully repelled the barbarian hordes until part of it was destroyed and looted by disgruntled plebeians during the French Revolution. Though Napoleon attempted to restore the Abbey upon taking leadership, many of its treasures had been mysteriously misplaced. In their infinite respect for the dead that are buried here, the Christian faithful have more recently dug up the deceased saints and put their bones on display for tourists in the museum. Hallelujah. The Church also hosts a crypt that is way cooler than Notre Dame de la Garde, though you do have to pay for added awesomeness.
At the end of rue Sainte. Serves F-Su. Free. Crypt entrance is €2. Open daily fro 7am-7pm. Will be closed until February 2011.
Le Panier
VIEILLE CHARITÉ
2 rue de la Charité
CHURCH
04 91 14 58 80 www.vieille-charite-marseille.org
The Vieille Charité was originally intended to be a tolerant place of worship for the homeless, but they tended to crowd the entrances and make church awkward for the other parishioners. The men and women of the cloth delicately transformed the church into an orphanage, perhaps in an effort to service more lovab
le charity cases. A wooden plank was strategically placed in front of certain windows so that the nuns couldn’t see the local Mother or Father of The Year dropping their kid off in front of the Church. Today, the building hosts the Baroque Chapel and the Musée des Arts Africains, Océaniens, et Amérindiens, as well as the Musée dArchéologie Méditerranée, where you can peruse local ancient history from before and after Roman times.
Permanent exhibits €3, students €1.50. French university students (even exchange students) and children under 12 free. Temporary exhibits €4, students €2.50 for students. Tu-Sa noon-7pm.
Belsunce
MUSEE DE LA MODE
11 La Canebière
MUSEUM
04 96 17 06 00 www.espacemodemediterranee.com
The ultrimate window shopper’s dream, this museum houses a history of clothing from the 1940s to the present, and boasts 6000 garments. Lady Gaga’s Kermit the Frog dress is sadly omitted. Closed until further notice in preparation for 2013.
Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide Page 68