Marseille surroundings

Marseille is certainly one of the most popular tourist destinations in Provence. The old Phocaean city has all necessary assets to make it a leading seaside resort : beaches of sand and pebble, magnificent landscapes in mountainous massifs, rich historical past, famous buildings and monuments, etc.The surroundings of Marseilles have not been left behind and are also worthy places of interest. The neighboring towns of Marseille all have something exceptional to discover, beautiful experiences to live and much more.The discovery of the surroundings of Marseilles begins naturally by Aix-en-Provence, the second most important city of the region, historical rival of Marseille in terms of Provence hegemony. Aix-en-Provence is in the north, only 40 minutes from Marseille.One can visit there the Aquae Sextiae, the ancient Aix which is a Roman city founded in 122 before our era. One can walk in the footsteps of Cézanne, the painter, visit his native house, his workshop or discover picturesque places such as the Quarries of Bibémus where he had a shed to store his paintings. Otherwise, there is the imposing Sainte-Victoire mountain at an altitude of 1011 meters, from which one can have a panoramic view of Mont Ventoux, sea and Alps.To the north of Marseille, about twenty kilometers away, there is the township of Vitrolles which also has a very interesting historical heritage. It is pleasant to stroll through the medieval streets of the old village to discover famous buildings such as the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Vie, the Sarrasine Tower, the Saint-Gérard church and so on. Nature lovers, meanwhile, find themslves in the middle of the pond of Berre or the departmental park of the Arbols.In the immediate vicinity of Marseille, towards the east, one arrives at Aubagne, stronghold of Marcel Pagnol. The inhabitants are also very proud of this illustrious personage, native of the country. Many places related to the life of the playwright and filmmaker are absolutely “must-to-see”: starting from figurines representing the Pagnol family, passing through the Pagnol cinema, or walking through pedestrian circuits he borrowed in his novels of the Souvenirs d'enfance collection.Finally, it is impossible not to speak of the calanques when one evokes the agglomeration of Marseille. We can discover them when going to Cassis or La Ciotat, about 40 minutes by car, to the south of the city. It is pleasant to visit Cassis by taking a small train from the port to the creeks or to walk in the park of Mugel in La Ciotat. The landscape we discover is simply beautiful, whether at the creeks themselves or at the immediate surroundings.