Marseille and Provence, France

We made port in Marseille shortly before 7am and were off the ship by 7:45. Our tour today would take us out into the Provence countryside, to the town of Aix en Provence. About 25 miles northwest of Marseille, it took us about 45 minutes to drive there due to traffic. Our guide today was Yoann da Costa, from Tours by Locals.

Once in Aix, we started a walking tour through the old town. Aix, with a population of 150,000, is the home of famous French artist Paul Cezanne. It is also home to one of the largest universities in France, Aix-Marseille Universite’, founded in 1409 and today with 50,000 students. We enjoyed a croissant and some samples from other stores selling nougat, chocolate, lavender honey and other specialties.

We visited the Cathedral Saint-Sauveur, a fascinating catholic cathedral built and rebuilt from the 12th to the 19th century. It includes Romanesque, Gothic and Neo-Gothic architecture, as well as roman columns. It was quite striking in its simplicity, compared to some of the other cathedrals we’ve visited on this trip.

Afterwards, continuing through the old town, we visited a local market for fresh flowers, and then produce. We tasted and purchased some cheese, before walking further. Eventually, we made it to the main boulevard of Aix, where there were stalls with clothing, antiques, and textiles. Much to Marshall’s delight, we even found an Apple store!

Back in the van, we traveled to the seaside city of Cassis. Yoann made some restaurant recommendations and we decided on Le Bistrot de Nino. They seated us outside, with a wonderful view of the harbor and the colorful boats. Our food was fantastic and our service even better. We enjoyed a bottle of locally made wine and wondered the town a bit before the drive back to the port in Marseille. Yoann, born in the north of France but has called the Provence region home for 10 years, was a wonderful guide and driver and had us back to the port with plenty of time before all-aboard at 4:30.

In the evening, we had our last dinner together. What a great trip we’ve had with Soeren and Ari, and Kathryn and Kevin. Wishing them safe travels home tomorrow.

Tomorrow: Barcelona, Spain

Recommend: Yoann da Costa, Tours by Locals, https://www.toursbylocals.com/tours/france/marseille/tour-details/aix-en-provence-and-cassis-from-marseille-664d25701bbe5b817c3860ac