48 Hours In: Marseille

WHY GO NOW?

The vibrant Vieux-Port, pastis and bouillabaisse make a tantalising combination at any time of year, but France's oldest city is at its most temperate in early summer. A steady wind from the south-west - not the Mistral, as most suppose, but the Tramontane - keeps the city cool, plus the hordes from Paris are yet to arrive for their summer vacances. The EU is currently pouring money into the city, renovating its splendid Haussmann-style boulevards and installing a new tramway system. What is more, the month-long 11th Festival of Marseille (00 33 4 91 99 02 50; www.festivalde marseille.com) starts on Monday.

TOUCH DOWN

British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com) flies to Marseille from Gatwick and Heathrow (from the latter, only on Saturday); easyJet (0905 821 0905; www.easyjet.com) flies from Liverpool, Bristol and Gatwick.

The airport is 25km west of central Marseille. A shuttle bus takes 30 minutes to reach the Gare Saint-Charles (1). It departs from outside the terminal every 20 minutes and costs €8.50 (£5.90) one-way; you can buy your ticket from the booth just beyond the bus stop. A taxi to the centre costs around €40 (£27).

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Compressed into a natural bowl formed by the massifs of Provence, Marseille's geographical and spiritual heart is its ancient marina, the Vieux-Port (2). To the east of this is the historic fishing settlement of Le Panier (3), while to the west, the chichi suburbs of Lambert and Bompard look over the coastal road of La Corniche (4). The main tourist information centre (5) is just off the Vieux-Port at 4 La Canebière (00 33 4 91 13 89 00; www.marseille-tourisme.com). It is open from July to September, 9am-7.30pm Monday to Saturday, 10am-6pm Sunday and public holidays; during the low season, it's 9am-7pm and 10am-5pm, respectively.

CHECK IN

Marseille is the conference capital of the South of France, so small, characterful properties are scarce. On the Vieux-Port, the Tonic Hotel Marseille (6), at 43 Quai des Belges (00 33 4 91 55 67 46; www.tonichotel.com) is a sleek, simple three-star hotel whose great location on the waterfront also makes it rather noisy. Doubles from €120 (£86); breakfast €12 (£8.60) extra.

The city's eighth arrondissement, above the Corniche, was the favoured area for Parisian merchants' second homes in the 19th century. Today, it's the location of the New Hotel Bompard (7), at 2 rue des Flots Bleus (00 33 4 91 99 22 22; www.new-hotel.com/bompard), a quiet, elegant three-star hotel with pool, terrace and parking, albeit a little off the beaten track. Doubles from €95 (£65) in high season; breakfast €11 (£8).

Architecture fans come from all over the world to stay in L'Unité d'habitation Le Corbusier, also known as La Cité Radieuse (00 33 4 91 16 78 00; www.hotellecorbusier.com) (8), the ground-breaking "collective housing system" created by the great Modernist architect at 280 boulevard Michelet between 1947 and 1951. Like the rest of the concrete apartment complex, the hotel on the third and fourth floors has remained unchanged, so it is big on Fifties detail - think parquet floors, and orange or aqua Formica. A large room with two double beds is €85 (£60); breakfast €8 (£5.50).

TAKE A HIKE

Marseille started life 2,600 years ago, as a Greek fishing village, the ruined ramparts of which can be seen in the Jardin des Vestiges (9) on rue Henri-Barbusse. Inside the shopping centre behind it is the Museum of the History of Marseille, open noon-7pm daily except Sunday. Following the red line on the footpath (the "Fil de l'histoire" route), cross over and turn left at rue Henri-Fiocca, a narrow lane that was the main street of Marseille for 1,600 years. Turn right into the dusty building site that is the rue de la République, a grand boulevard built in 1864 during the reign of Napoleon III. Turn left into rue Méry, then right into Place du 23 Janvier 1943 (10), a memorial to those killed in the Second World War. During the Occupation in 1943, buildings covering 14 hectares on this side of the port were razed in 15 days, allegedly to flush out Resistance fighters. A little further along, at Place Mazeau, look uphill to the Hôtel-Dieu, a medieval hospital that is now in private hands and awaiting permission to be turned into a hotel.

Cross downhill to the Maison Diamantée (11), a 16th-century Spanish merchant's mansion, now a museum of folk art. Turn right into rue du Lacydon until you reach a rather Teutonic-looking block of modern flats; go up the stairs in the middle. Turn left into rue Caisserie then right into rue Beauregard, a cool, narrow lane of steps scented by overhanging fig trees. Crossing the Montée des Accoules, you'll see to your right the 12th-century bell tower of a medieval church that was otherwise destroyed during the Revolution. Turn right up the steps of the rue des Moulins, which leads to Place des Moulins (12), the bakery district in the Middle Ages. A fragment of one of the mills is still visible at number 46, but most of the buildings in this tranquil plane tree-lined square are only about 150 years old. Cross down rue des Muettes, named after a 17th-century convent for silent nuns, down rue Puits du Denier, turning left at rue du Petit-Puits until you reach the golden Vieille Charité (13), at 2 rue de la Charité.

TAKE A VIEW

The golden statue of the Madonna on top of the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde (14) (00 33 4 91 13 40 80) is a landmark. The basilica, on the apex of a hill that has been used as a lookout since prehistoric times, is open 7am-7pm in summer, 7.30am-5.30pm in winter, and is worth visiting if only for the fascinating wall devoted to the petitions of generations of Marseillais. Take bus 60 from Cours Jean-Ballard, or on foot, ascend from the Jardin de la Colonne.

WINDOW SHOPPING

If you're planning a long weekend of retail therapy, arrive on Friday. Shops open 11am-7pm on Saturdays, but most are closed on Sunday and even Monday. The main shopping streets are rue Paradis (15) and the parallel rue Saint-Ferréol. The eastern end is ritzier - check out the fashion boutiques Sara-Grande and Lola on the corner of rue Paradis and rue Montgrand. While you're near the Vieille Charité (13), visit La Chocolatière du Panier at 49 rue du Petit-Puits. It's owned by a third-generation chocolate maker whose creations include a 99 per cent cocoa confection wrapped around a slice of orange.

LUNCH ON THE RUN

You're in the South of France - what's the rush? And anyway, many shops close for at least an hour and you'll probably need a break from the sun. You can join locals lingering over lunch in the pedestrianised streets around La Criée (16), the national theatre, behind the eastern side of the Vieux-Port. La Daurade, on the corner of rue Fortia and rue Saint-Saëns (00 33 4 91 33 82 42) offers fish by the 100g - look out for rouget, the local speciality, and loup is tasty, too. One fish is around €55 (£38) for two people, and comes with sauce and vegetables.

Down a quiet street in the shopping district is Le Mas de Lulli (17), at 4 rue Lulli (00 33 4 91 33 25 90). This small, chic brasserie serves a range of pasta dishes (around €10/£7), and tasty baby octopus in a rich sauce with rice (€11/£7.80).

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

Behind the sandstone colonnades of the Centre de la Vieille Charité (13) (00 33 4 91 14 58 80) are excellent collections of Egyptian, African, American and Oceanic artefacts; entry is €5 (£3.50). Open 11am-6pm June to September, 10am-5pm October to May; as with all museums in Marseille, it is closed on Monday.

AN APERITIF

La Part des Anges (18), at 33 rue Sainte (00 33 4 91 33 55 70), is a quaint, Gothic-style space that stages exhibitions, serves reasonably priced meals and a wide variety of local wines, including several rosés; there's also a wine shop at the front.

DINING WITH THE LOCALS

Toinou Coquillages (19) at 3 Cours Saint-Louis (00 33 4 91 33 14 94) serves huge platters of seafood. It's open daily for lunch and dinner, and a meal for two plus wine and coffee costs around €100 (£69).

For the definitive bouillabaisse experience, book ahead (and dress up) for Chez Michel (20) at 6 rue des Catalans (00 33 4 91 52 30 63). The waiters are starchy, the prices steep (€50/£34 each for the incredibly rich, filling fish soup), but the reverence with which they treat this local speciality is a sight to behold.

La Kahena (21) at 2 rue de la République (00 33 4 91 90 61 93) is a busy central couscous house serving everyone from large North African families to elderly ladies with their lapdogs. Couscous dishes range from €8.50-€15 (£6-£10). The system is first-come, first-served, so queues regularly stretch out into the street.

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

With its pure white exterior, Saint-Ferréol-les-Augustins (22) is a haven of calm amid the mayhem of the Vieux-Port. Mass is celebrated at 8am and 11am on Sunday, with a Gregorian sung mass at 9.30am.

TAKE A RIDE

Catch a Transmétropole bus (00 33 4 91 36 06 19) from Place Castellane (23) to the lovely fishing village of Cassis (fare €2.70/£1.90). Trips to visit the calanques, or coves (00 33 4 42 01 90 83; www.cassiscalanques.com) leave the quay 9.30am-6pm, at €12 (£8) for a three-cove, 45-minute trip. Quarried for limestone in the 18th century, the pine-clad coves are still a hive of activity, with everything from fishing, yachting, snorkelling, kayaking and rock-climbing to naturism going on.

OUT TO BRUNCH

Breakfast here is often a minimalist affair - a petit noir and a glass of water - but cafés around the Vieux-Port do serve croissants and juice with coffee (around €4/£3), and may even stretch to fruit.

A WALK IN THE PARK

At weekends, many locals head to Borély Château and Park (00 33 4 91 55 24 96). Set in 17 hectares, this former merchant's residence has been converted into a venue for concerts and exhibitions, and in the grounds there is a botanical garden. Take the Métro to Rond-Point du Prado (24), then take bus 83 or 19.