Old Port of Marseille, marina in Marseille, France

The Old Port of Marseille stretches along a natural bay with two fortresses guarding its entrance and dozens of boats moored at limestone quays. The waterfront is lined with restaurants and cafés where people stroll and sit along the water's edge.

Greek settlers from Phocaea landed in the Lacydon cove around 600 BC and set up an emporion on the northern shore, the origin of Massalia. Quays were built under Louis XII and Louis XIII, and Louis XIV added the forts of St Jean and St Nicolas after a citizens' revolt. In January 1943 the Nazis dynamited much of the old town and the transbordeur ferry bridge; Fernand Pouillon led the reconstruction from 1948.

Every morning, fishing boats unload their catch along the quays, and around the harbor people gather to eat, drink, and walk. This daily rhythm shows how the place has brought together locals and visitors for centuries.

The port serves year-round as a departure point for boat trips to Château d'If, Frioul Islands, and Calanques National Park. Plenty of restaurants and cafés line the water, making it pleasant to explore on foot and easy to find refreshments.

The two forts at the harbour mouth, Saint-Jean and Saint-Nicolas, were ordered by Louis XIV after Marseille's citizens revolted against their governor. Between them, the arsenal des galères held convicts branded with the letters GAL. The 1943 dynamiting also destroyed the transbordeur, an aerial ferry compared to the Eiffel Tower.