Car Rental Marseille

Location guide for Marseille

Car Rental Marseille

Introduction

Marseille is the biggest port of the Mediterranean. In addition, it is the second largest city in France. The city is known for its corruption and underworld. You are unlikely to find many tourists in Marseille. The city is a mixture of typically French, Arabian, African and Latin cultures and is home to the largest Algerian community in France.

Population

In all, Marseille has about 800,000 inhabitants. As mentioned earlier, the city is home to a variety of different cultures.

Location

Marseille is situated in the south-east of France. It is located at the Golfe du Lion, which borders on the Mediterranean. Three hundred kilometers to the east is the Franco-Italian border. If you travel some five hundred kilometers to the west, you will reach the Spanish border. Despite the fact that the city is less popular among tourists, its region, the Provence, does attract many tourists.

Economy

The economy depends mainly on the port, which is the largest in the Mediterranean. The port provides many direct and indirect jobs, for instance import and export agencies, markets, construction companies, public transport, road diners, shipping agencies, etc. The city depends on tourism only to a limited extent. Although there are tourists, for instance those arriving by boat, they usually move on quickly. Nevertheless, Marseille is an increasingly popular weekend destination among the French. In part, this is due to the fast train connection with Paris that was finished recently. Also, large companies are beginning to rent office space in an increasingly trendy Marseille.

Airports

Marseille has one airport, called Aeroporto Marseille-Provence or Aeroporto Marseille-Marignane. It is located 28 kilometers to the north-west of the city, and processes domestic as well as international air traffic.

Navette shuttle buses connect Aeroporto Marseille-Provence to Marseille. In Marseille itself there are two well-maintained metro lines. Also, the city has tram line and an extensive bus network. If you decide to stay a few days in Marseille, we recommend buying a discount card. From Marseille, you can take the bus or train to many other (French) cities. For instance, Paris is more than three hours away by train, at a steep € 80.

Traffic and Parking

Driving in Marseille isn't difficult. Ferries are easy to find, and the port of Marseille is well-indicated. Of course Marseille is a big city, so driving there is never easy, especially abroad. As long as you are willing to pay and are not too picky, finding a place to park should present little problems.

Hotels

Marseille's better hotels are mainly located around the old port and to the east of the city center. There are few to no low budget hotels. There are cheaper hotels in Marseille, even the cheapest in France. Do not be surprised if you find your hotel a little dodgy and dirty. Generally speaking, hotel prices remain roughly the same all year. If you want to be sure of a cheap and good hotel room, we suggest you book in advance.

External Sources

For more information about Marseille, we recommend Google, and the following external sources:

• Wikipedia, Marseille
• Tourist Office Marseille (multilingual)