Marseille, France

 Marseille

You can watch a video about our time in Marseille at this link:

Marseille, France

We went on a Mediterranean Cruise, and one of our destinations was Marseille, France.  This is what we saw while we were in Marseille:

• Monument aux morts de l’Armée d’Orient
• Notre-Dame de la Garde 
• Abbey of Saint Victor
• Four des Navettes
• Palais Longchamp
• Vieux Port

Some of our cruise ports I chose to plan our activities and walk everywhere, but in the case of Marseille I chose to purchase an excursion and have a guided tour of Marseille.  I was very glad that we had a tour guide to drive us around to each destination, because it rained the entire day.  Also, our tour guide shared some very valuable information about Marseille and each of the places we visited.  Additionally, the sites that we visited were pretty far apart from each other, and from the cruise ship dock. Our tour guide's name was Joe.  Here is a listing for the tour we selected:

Highlights of Marseille Half-day Tour

Chateau d'If

Chateau d'If was what I wanted to see the very most in Marseille.  Our tour was scheduled to end at 1 p.m., and my plan was to take a taxi to Vieux Port where we would catch a boat to the island of If.  Unfortunately, because the weather was bad, the water was too choppy for boats to travel to Chateau d'If, so we weren't able to visit.  The reason I wanted to see Chateau d'If so badly is because I love the book & movie "The Count of Monte Cristo," which took place at Chateau d'If.  I should say, the story took place there, but the actual filming of the movie did not take place on the island of If.  Still, I wanted to see the real Chateau d'If, and someday I will - on another visit to Marseille.  If you want to learn more about Chateau d'If, visit their official website here:

Chateau d'If

Chateau d'If opens at 10 in the morning and closes at 6 during the summer months, and 5:15 during the winter months.  It is closed on Mondays, May 1st, December 25th, and January 1st.  It costs 7 euro.

You can catch a boat ride to the island of If here:

Lebateau Boat

If you plan to visit Chateau d'If and you are coming to Marseille on a cruise, keep in mind that the cruise ship port is not close to Vieux Port, where you will catch a boat to the island.  In other words, don't plan to walk there, unless you want to waste valuable sight-seeing time walking an hour and a half from one port to the other.  There is a free shuttle that runs from the cruise ship dock to city center, but I have read that the wait is sometimes long, and the times are sometimes uncertain.  You can purchase shuttle rides from the cruise ship dock to city center and back, but you have to purchase the round trip at the cruise ship dock as they don't sell them at city center.  If you're planning to go from the cruise ship dock to Vieux Port, a taxi or uber is definitely your best bet!

This is as close as we got to Chateau d'If

Chateau D'If on the island of If

Monument aux morts de l'Armee d'Orient

Our tour guide picked us up at the cruise ship port and our first destination was the Monument to the dead of the Army of the Orient.  This monument is at the edge of the sea and affords a very nice view of Chauteau d'If.  It was built in 1924 as part of a competition to honor soldiers and sailors who had died in other lands.  It was designed by Bouches-du-Rhone Gaston Castel.  It is supposed to represent a portico in the sky.  The female sculptures symbolize heroism.

Monument aux morts de l'Armee d'Orient

Portico in the Sky

You can read more about the monument here:

Monument aux morts de l'Armee d'Orient

Church of Notre-Dame de la Garde

Next our tour guide drove us up the hill to the church which can be seen from all over Marseille - the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde.  She is nicknamed by the people of Marseille, "The Good Mother."  There are spectacular view of the city from this church, which is striking with its black and white stripes.

The church was built beginning in 1853 and completed in 1864.  It was designed by Henri-Jacques Esperandieu at the young age of 23.  The church has three bells in its bell tower, including the bell which is nicknamed "Marie-Josephine" and weighs more than 8 tons.  The statue of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus on top of the church, faces the sea as if welcoming guests as they arrive in Marseille.  Jesus appears to be waving to them.  This statue is mostly hollow inside, except for a staircase that visitors used to be able to climb to look out at the city through the Virgin's eyes.  Unfortunately that staircase is now closed to the public.

The church is open 7 days a week beginning at 7 a.m. and closing at 6 p.m.  It is free to enter.  Unfortunately, it was a Sunday when we arrived in Marseille, and mass was just starting as we arrived at the church.  They did not permit us to enter for mass, so we were not able to see the basilica or the crypt.  They close the church for mass and special celebrations.  We were able to walk around outside and then we visited the roof with the use of the elevator.  The views are even more stunning from the roof!

We also saw a monument outside the basilica, which is dedicated to sailors and migrants who were lost at sea.  In September 2023, Pope Francis visited Notre-Dame de la Garde and presided over a silent moment of prayer at the basilica, and a moment of remembrance at the memorial.

Notre-Dame de la Garde

statue of Christ at the basilica

The Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus on top of the church

Beautiful view of Marseille from the roof of the basilica

Memorial to migrants and sailors lost at sea

Pope Francis conducted a moment of remembrance at this monument in September 2023

view of Chateau d'If from the basilica

You can read more about Notre-Dame de la Garde here:

Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde

Abbey of Saint Victor

Our tour guide drove us to the Saint Victor Abbey next.  It was founded in the fifth century.  When we arrived at this church, mass was already underway.  They did let us enter, but we couldn't walk around and admire the church or visit the crypts, which I've heard are stunning.  We did visit the chapel of the Holy Sacrament, which contains a 5th century stone altar and also a portrait that is the monochrome face of Christ.  You can admire the view of Vieux Port from outside the basilica.  The basilica is free to enter, but the crypt costs 2 euro.

Abbey of Saint Victor

Abbey of Saint Victor on a busy street

Chapel of the Holy Sacrament with a 5th century altar

You can read more about the Abbey of Saint Victor here:

Abbey of Saint Victor

Four des Navettes

Right next to the abbey is the Four des Navettes, which is the oldest bakery in Marseille.  It has been operating, and family owned, since 1781.  It is most famous for its shuttles (navettes), which we were given a sample of.  They are dry biscuits that are shaped like small boats.  We also purchased some cookies while we were there.  We watched them baking some of their variety of baked goods that are for sale in their bakery.

Four des Navettes

one of their famous shuttles (navettes)

Four des Navettes official website

Palais Longchamp

Our next stop was at the Palais Longchamp monument, which was created in 1839 to celebrate the construction of the Canal of Marseille, which brought water from the river Durance to Marseille.  Our tour guide told us that before the arrival of water in Marseille, many people suffered and died from epidemics.  The water that this monument celebrates was truly life saving to the people of Marseille.

The building took 30 years to complete.  It was designed by architect Henri-Jacques Esperandieu, the same architect that designed the Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica.  It opened in 1869.  It used to contain a zoo on the grounds of Parc Longchamp, but the zoo was closed in 1987.  There are still cages and pavilions from the zoo on the grounds, including a children's theater that is housed in what used to be the giraffe cage.  We walked beside the fountain and admired the sculptures.  The fountain, Chauteau d'Eau, runs on completely recycled water.  There are two museums on either side of the fountain -- the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.  Both museums are free to enter.  Palais Longchamp is a definite Must-See while in Marseille!

Chateau d'Eau

stone staircase leading up to the museums

view of the city from above the fountain

You can read more about Palais Longchamp here:

Palais Longchamp

Our tour guide dropped us off near Vieux Port to do some shopping, and we discovered a very good crepe place called O Bar au Crepes.  The crepes were just 4 euro each and you could choose from a wide range of fillings.  This was a great way to end our tour.  Our tour guide drove us back to the cruise ship by about 1 o’clock in the afternoon.  We enjoyed our time in Marseille.  If I could have only visited Chateau d’If, I would have considered my day to be perfect.  That will have to wait till next time!  Despite the rain, Marseille was a beautiful city to visit.

Mediterranean Cruise

 In 2024 I went on a seven day Mediterranean cruise with my husband James and my mom.  We started and ended the cruise in Rome, Italy, and visited the following cities in between:

• Savona, Italy
• Marseille, France
• Barcelona, Spain
• Palma de Mallorca, Spain
• Palermo, Sicily

We had one day at sea before reaching Palermo.  

Here are my blog posts about each city:

Savona, Italy

Marseille, France

Barcelona, Spain

Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Our cruise was provided by Costa Cruises and we traveled on the Costa Smeralda.  It was a huge cruise ship, 20 decks high.  Our cabins were on the 9th and 10th floors.  We were both in balcony cabins, and they were very nice and had plenty of space, despite being a cruise ship.  Our bathrooms were modern and our beds comfortable.  

The Costa Smeralda behind us at the dock in Civitavecchia, Italy

my mom's cabin on the 10th floor

our cabin on the 9th floor

walking deck 17 where the water slide was located

view from the ship of Civitavecchia

the water slide on deck 17

Costa is owned by Carnival, so we thought the cruise would be the same as a Carnival Cruise.  There were some distinct differences, the main one being the food.  We were used to being able to eat whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.  On the Costa cruise, meals were during certain hours and at specific places.  If we wanted to eat during off-times, we had to pay for our meals at the pizza restaurant or gelato shop.  Our dinner was assigned each night at 6:30 at La Colombina at a specific table each night.  We had the same waiter every night but one.  The same people sat around us every night.  We became friends with the couples sitting near us.  One was from Switzerland and the other lived in California, although they were originally from Russia.  Our waiter spoke 7 languages, which I'm sure came in very handy working on a Mediterranean cruise!  The attendants who helped him serve us paid attention to what we liked, and within a couple days into the cruise we would arrive with things he knew we liked already on our table, such as butter, and oil & vinegar.

The food looked amazing -- each plate an absolute masterpiece, as if they had spent a great deal of time on every single plate.  It was not the type of food that we are used to in Wyoming, though.  One night we asked our waiter what beef tartare was, and he told us, although we must have missed it when he said the beef would be raw...  He ended up taking back mostly-full plates from all three of us.  By the end of the week he could easily tell us, "you won't like that."  And my mom would ask him by the end of the week, "what will I like?"  This country girl definitely liked the food better on the Carnival Cruise, but we were almost the only Americans on the cruise, so they were definitely catering to the majority of their guests.  One night all of the children received hamburgers from the kids' menu.  My husband asked our waiter if he could have a hamburger off the kids' menu.  The waiter said no, and then with a twinkle in his eye said, "then everyone will want one!"  We did want a good old American hamburger!  In fact, as soon as we arrived back home the first thing we did was head to Arby's, and I don't think my roast beef sandwich and curly fries have ever tasted so good!

We heard many languages all week long on the cruise.  It was unusual to ever hear English while on the ship, unless someone was talking directly to us.  Somehow they always knew that we were from America and they should speak English to us.  The young man from the Philippines who cleaned our room every day was very polite and very kind to us.  On the last day of our cruise he left us a bear made of towels, sitting on a heart on our bed.  A couple days before our cruises ended we found a note on our bed talking about a train strike that was taking place the day our cruise ended.  I was very concerned about how we would get to Rome from Civitavecchia, over an hour by car or train.  He tried to be helpful, and was understanding as we were stressed about the situation.  He did a great job cleaning our room also.

The cruise itself was affordable, but as with any cruise, the additions make a cruise much more pricey.  One key addition was internet access.  In order to use the internet while on ship we each had to pay for an internet package (we couldn't share one) at about 100 euro each.  Another thing that costs extra on a cruise is drinks - not only alcoholic drinks, but soda as well.  We opted to just drink water, although at times we were charged for the water as well.  We could have just carried around a water bottle all the time and filled it up in our room (the water dispensers in the dining rooms specifically say not to fill up water bottles there).  At breakfast we were able to drink juice in very small cups, which we took full advantage of, but most of the time we drank water the entire week.  Photography is another way to increase spending on a cruise, although I wasn't very impressed with many of our photos and only purchased one of them.

Excursions are, of course, the main expense that can be added on to a cruise.  We opted to pay for one excursion (in Marseille), and for a hop-on-hop-off bus in two cities (Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca), but in Savona and Palermo we planned our own day and didn't pay for an excursion.  If I were to do the cruise again, I would again pay for a cruise in Marseille because the destinations are too far apart to walk between them.  I would still buy a hop-on-hop-off bus ride in Palma, because it is also too spread out to walk between the sites.  I would not buy the hop-on-hop-off bus ride in Barcelona again.  The route only went to a couple of the places that I wanted to see, so we ended up paying for taxis or walking everywhere, and only rode the bus between Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, and not anywhere else.  

I enjoyed listening to all the different languages and seeing the many different ethnicities on the cruise.  We witnessed two older women shouting at each other in Spanish and shoving each other on the elevator.  We saw many children and families on this cruise, something that was quite different from Carnival, where it is mostly adults on the cruise.  We also saw several parents with disabled adult children on the cruise with them.  One of my favorite memories from the cruise was on the night we all dressed up for dinner, seeing a mother push her adult daughter in her wheelchair onto the elevator.  They were both dressed up beautifully in fancy dresses and with their hair done.  I was impressed by the parents on the cruise, those caring for adult disabled children as well as those patiently caring for small children.  There was one little boy who was quite a handful each night at dinner and we watched with a smile as his parents took turns chasing him each time he escaped from their table.

The entertainment provided on the cruise was mostly live singing, dancing, or acrobatics.  There was a theater with a huge screen, and I would have loved to watch a movie in there.  But they didn't ever show a movie, they only have live entertainment every night.  I thought it was interesting that most of the music they danced to was in English - yet whenever the entertainers spoke, it was usually in Italian.

Since the seven day cruise went in a circular route from Rome to Savona to Marseille to Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca to Palermo and back to Rome, over and over again, the guests began and ended their cruise at all different cities.  Many, like us, began and ended in Rome.  But others began and ended in Marseille, and so on.  It was interesting to see the slight cultural shift each night at dinner as some of the guests would have left, and new ones would have arrived.

I doubt I will go on another Mediterranean Cruise, but I do highly recommend going on one once in your lifetime.  Expect to be one of the only Americans there.  Expect beautiful food that is not catered to Americans, as to be expected in the Mediterranean, and maybe you'll be more adventurous than I am.  Take the time to talk to the people around you and get to know them.  We became great friends with the Russian couple who shared a table with us.  It was interesting to hear how different our perspectives were about the same experiences.  For instance, Palermo was my favorite destination of the cruise.  But it was our Russian friends' least favorite destination.  Additionally, she remarked repeatedly on how much she loved the food.  The food was perhaps my least favorite part of the cruise.  But all the differences in the world make live more interesting and rich!  Expect to hear many beautiful languages and just enjoy the experience!  

Here are some helpful links for planning a Mediterranean Cruise:

Costa Cruises Mediterranean website

Vacations to Go is who we booked our Costa Cruise through

Excursions

one of the many dessert masterpieces that we enjoyed on the cruise

our usual table on the cruise

breakfast one morning in one of the other restaurants

The ship provided this letter a few days before we disembarked, warning us about a rail strike the day we finished our cruise

towel animal left by our housekeeper

one of the large gathering places for entertainment

having a little bit too much fun on the ship furniture

beautiful Mediterranean Sea on our Day at Sea

We had to pay to eat at the pizza place on the ship.  The pizza was pretty good, though.