7 leisure activities in Marseille and its surroundings

Do you like outdoor activities? These seven outings to be made in Marseille and its surroundings will take you a good part of the summer!

The phocean city is a high place of tourism in France and the Marseillais are always very proud of their beloved city. Just because it is enough to walk on the Old Port , visiting the Good Mother or strolling on the Canebière to give them a great reason: Marseille is a small treasure of the south of the country and really deserves the detour!

Whether you live there or stay there for a few days, Marseille is full of activities to be carried out on site or in the surrounding area. And since we are on the seaside, nothing like enjoying it! Here are some leisure ideas to do solo, with family or friends in the Bouches-du-Rhône department!

1. Les Docks de Marseille

If you have never passed their doors, their name is necessarily familiar to you. Emblems and symbols of the City, docks de Marseille For centuries, the city's must-sees have been integrated.

It was in London, a prescriptive city of this new economic crossroads, that Paulin Talabot drew his inspiration to transmit it Outre-Manche. This French engineer, the thoughtful head of the Paris-Lyon-Marseille railways, erected the Docks of Marseille after nearly 20 years of work in 1856 in La Joliette, with the aim of promoting maritime trade. Named “Docks and Warehouse Company”, the project gives rise to a real area of activity, a building of 365 meters long to 52 doors and 4 courses in which cargo ships can amar in the anchorage area that is dedicated to them, thus facilitating the loading/unloading in the various cargo warehouses to the storage capacity of 15,000 tons. Customs/company offices and rail rails for the passage of the Lyon-Pris line are also erected, making Docks the Second Economic Empire of the Phocean City.

A short-term glory that, as soon as the Second World War arrived, marks the end of a beautiful story for the Docks Company. Victims of aeronautical competition and delocalization, the Docks fold to say shops. It was only in 1991, after being transformed into a “Cash of Deposits and Consignations” and subjected to various rehabilitation projects that the Docks found a new face thanks to Eric Castaldi. Young 35-year-old architect, the Marseillais of origin, therefore, answers the Euro-Mediterranean project and thus transforms the place into a real business district: in total, it is 3,000 people and 220 companies that elect home over time, thus giving a new dynamic to the former industrial hub. Less austere, brighter and more modernized with atriums and glass windows, the historic building becomes an agora.

If we thought the Docks at their peak, the idea was far from account. New century, new breath! In a real field of possibilities, the Docks of Marseille have since and in just a few years begun a renaissance, now home to shops/bars/restaurants and welcoming museums and cultural events, including the first edition of Fiesta des Suds in 1992.

The year 2015 marks the last revolution in date, the Docks-Village. A new generation concept aimed at creating a unique place of life where cosmopolitan atmospheres and universes offer a whole new vision of trade. Open to all and for all, Docks Village now houses a real living space where relaxation and shopping illustrate a range of shops of all kinds. Now, three spaces around the themes of the Port (music, restoration, design), the Market (local and organic products, booksellers, halls, artistic spaces), and thus the Village with its shops and services to the person live together on two levels and 17,000 square meters of life.

At the end of the last €300 million invested, a certain power, a true spirit then draws the portrait of the Docks, as the architect Alfonso Femia depicts, in charge of the renovation. And for cause, after adding a new rope to their already unusual bow, the Docks of Marseille have this something that would make them almost... immortal. Synonym of possible field, muse in its own right, they have been able to tell the city over the centuries, giving it even several lives. A unique picture that, as Marseille hopes, will seduce nearly 10 million visitors per year.

2. The overview of the Calanques

On board a helicopter or a ULM, alone or several, you can discover the natural splendour of the famous calanques. Starting from Aix-en-Provence , in a small carene plane with a professional pilot, for an hour in the air, you will take the direction of Marseille to Cassis and observe the scallops of Sormiou, Callelongue, Morgiou and Port-Miou.

You can’t miss the Bec de l’Aigle, a rocky peak that is easily recognized by its equivocal shape and its impressive size. You will also fly over the city Cassis , then the Cap Canaille where couples love to walk for the panoramas it offers. A walk in the Marseilles sky and its surroundings that you will not forget soon!

3. A sailing out at sunset

To take a little back in order to appreciate the beauty of Marseille, far from the noise and crowd, it will be necessary take a boat ride with or without skipper . To watch the fabulous sunset show on the city, take place on an old Breton tuna 24 meters long! You will take part in a seaside promenade at nightfall that will seduce the premises and holidaymakers. You will be expected by the crew to board at 7 p.m. for a return scheduled at midnight.

To accommodate up to 30 people, it is an ideal activity for groups of friends or families to spend a whole evening at sea off the coast of Marseilles. To appreciate the beauty of the sun that lies down, the skipper will take you to a calanque sheltered in the islands of Frioul. After the period of the year, you will not hesitate to pick a little head!

4. The scuba diving in Carry-le-Rouet

Whether you just want to do a diving baptism to discover the immersion in the sea with professionals, or even pass its Level 1 patent, this aquatic activity is accessible to all! About 30 minutes from Marseille, Carry-le-Rouet's seaside resort is a place of privilege to observe the seabeds that house an impressive flora and marine fauna.

Equipped with diving bottles, you can descend up to 6 meters deep during your baptism, gradually under the guidance of your monitor. The beauty of the Mediterranean will be right under your eyes!

5. Wholesale fishing

Beginners or confirmed, it is a day at sea that is totally unforgettable during which you will discover the practice of wholesale fishing! You will be expected by a federal fishing instructor from Fos-sur-mer who will teach you the best techniques to catch very big fish! Wait for you to experience the most sporting experience because they won't let themselves do!

Depending on the chosen fishing spot, the techniques used and your level, you can expect to catch some rays, swordfish, marlins, sharks or tuna! As the respect for the environment is rigorous during this day, your catch will be photographed and released alive.

6. Auto racing

On the Fontange circuit, at Salon-de-Provence, about 45 minutes away from Marseille, you will be able to take advantage of a beautiful luxury sport of the biggest brands: Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini! Competition bowls that display incredible performances, available so that you can carry out your flight training with a State graduate monitor alongside you.

Licence holder B, you can take commands of a supercar and unveil your hidden talents on the asphalt track. The youngest of them, or people who love speed and adrenaline, will enjoy driving baptism where a real pilot will take the wheel of a prestigious sport. It's going to decorate!

7. Snorkeling on the Blue Coast

You don’t want to swim in depth but you still want to appreciate the splendour of the seabed not far from the Mareillaise coast? Palm hiking is what you need! With palms, a mask and a tuba, you will evolve on the surface and admire what happens below without immersing yourself completely!

So you can observe quietly the displacement of a star of the sea, see a pretty octopus venture out of the rocks, spot some urchins and perhaps even a merou. Between the rade of Marseille and the pond of Berre, it is a nautical activity for all, even the smallest of the moment they know how to swim. For example, to make a family!