Marseilles, city of art and history

Guided tours :
 

•  Around the Vieux-Port : For 26 centuries it has been the prestigious stage on which Marseilles' history has been played out.
•  Old Marseilles : From the City Hall to the Vieille Charité, a stroll in the most ancient quarter in the whole of France - le Panier.
•  The Palais Longchamp : A grandiose setting to celebrate the arrival of water in Marseilles during the Second Empire period.
•  The Vélodrome stadium : History of the Vélodrome stadium, of the 100 years of the Olympique de Marseille soccer team and visit to the museum-shop.
•  The abbay of Saint-Victor : A wonderful example of a church that was originally built in the 5th century and then fortified in the 14th century.
•  Notre-Dame de la Garde and the ex-voto : Notre-Dame de la Garde is a fortress and sanctuary. It is an irreplaceable landmark, home to many moving testimonies to local religious devotion.
•  The Opera house : The opera house is a temple of the lyrical arts.

 Guided tours : 

• Marseilles - 26 centuries of history : An evocation of the city's history making use of some of the most beautiful writings about Marseilles.
• The Vieux Port's forts: Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Jean. With their superb military architecture, these symbols of royal power watch over the oldest city in France.
• Les Arcenaulx : History of the Great Arsenal and the city's relations with Louis XIV + visit to the Louis XIV room in the History Museum.

Guided tours : 

• The Canebière : Historical and architectural walk along the most famous thoroughfare in Marseilles.
• Castellane : The monumental Jules Cantini fountain is in the heart of a quarter overflowing with history.
• Around the Cours Julien : An exciting stroll in a quarter devoted to the arts since the early 19th century.
• Malmousque a seaside village : You'll find this fishing village hidden away a few steps from the sumptuous villas of the Corniche.
• Le Camas : From typical Marseilles buildings with 3 windows to Art Déco buildings: one hundred years of architecture.

 Guided tours : 

• Monticell square : A residential estate built by a rich trader, and a visit to the château of Saint-Victor.
• The art of living in the time of Madame de Sévigné : A historical and literary walk following the letters left to posterity by Madame de Sévigné.
• Private mansions : Tour of some fine private residences belonging to the Marseilles bourgeoisie in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• Around Place Delibes : Stroll in a bourgeois quarter, and tour of some smart villas built at the beginning of the 20th century along Boulevard Périer.

 Guide tours :

• Reconstruction : After the demolitions in the winter of 1943, how was the Vieux-Port quarter rebuilt?
• The Dance school : This building designed by the architect Roland Simounet is a temple to Dance, that most demanding of disciplines.
• The Docks : These witnesses of Marseilles' trading history are today an outstanding example of successful rehabilitation within the framework of the Euroméditerranée project.
• The second chance school : A European pilot project located in a now rehabilitated former slaughterhouse.
• L’Estaque and its painters : At the end of the 19th century, the arrival of Cézanne in this small fishing village was the starting point for an adventure that was to give birth to the modern landscape.
• The Racecourse : A winning bet in both the past and present.

Guided tours : 

• Christmas time : A journey into the heart of Marseilles' traditions, in the innocent world of santons and cribs.
• Following in Pagnol's footsteps: the film-maker's vision. On the Vieux Port can be found the elements of the setting where Raimu's voice still resounds in the famous trilogy.

Guided tours : 

• The pine grove of Saint-Pierre
• Funereal architecture and sculpture on illustrious graves in a landscaped 19th century cemetery.
• Variations on sacred art : Depending on the schedule, a tour is given of: Saint-Laurent and Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Ferréol and Saint-Cannat, Saint-Théodore and the Mission de France, the Chartreux, the Great Synagogue, etc.
• The cathedrals : Since the mid-19th century two cathedrals have been coexisting on a platform overlooking the port of La Joliette.