Marseille

Marseille is a port city in southern France, on the Mediterranean coast east of the mouth of the Rhône. Greek settlers from Phocaea founded it around 600 BC as Massalia, which makes it the oldest city of France.

Massalia grew into a trading port linking the Greek world with Gaul, and it later became part of the Roman province. In the Middle Ages and the following centuries the port traded with the Levant and North Africa, and the Vieux-Port, the old harbor, stayed the heart of the city. The opening of the Suez Canal in the 19th century made Marseille the main French port for Asia and Africa, and immigrants from Italy, Armenia, North Africa and the Comoros gave the city its mix of cultures.

CMA CGM, the container shipping company, has its head office in a tower by Zaha Hadid on the waterfront. The Grand Port Maritime de Marseille handles container ships, ferries to Corsica and North Africa, and cruise ships. Savon de Marseille, a soap of olive oil made in the region since the Middle Ages, is still cooked in vats in the city.

Notre-Dame de la Garde, a basilica topped by a gilded statue of the Virgin, watches over the city from its highest hill. The MuCEM, a museum of Mediterranean cultures opened in 2013, is wrapped in a lattice of dark concrete and linked by a footbridge to an old fort. Le Panier, the oldest quarter, has narrow streets climbing from the harbor. The Calanques National Park, east of the city, protects white limestone cliffs and narrow coves of clear water.