# Old Port of Marseille > The Old Port is the heart of Marseille: the harbour where Greeks landed 2,600 years ago and founded the city. Today it's a vast pedestrian square by the water at the foot of the Canebière, the main street. Every morning fish is sold straight from the boats on the quay, hundreds of yachts lie at the moorings, a little ferry crosses the basin, and boats leave for the Château d'If, the Frioul islands and the Calanques. Notre-Dame de la Garde watches over it all. Free; allow 1–2 hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/vieux-port - City: [Marseille](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille), France - YesGo score: 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - Opening hours: Always open; fish market in the mornings - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Fish market: Quai des Belges, mornings - Boats: To the Château d'If, islands and Calanques - Metro: M1, Vieux-Port station - Duration: ≈ 1–2 hours - Location: At the end of the Canebière - Coordinates: 43.29472, 5.37083 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **600 BC** — Greeks founded the city here (source: English Wikipedia) - **2013** — the port became pedestrian (source: English Wikipedia) - **6 m** — depth of the harbour (source: English Wikipedia) - **1,200** — ships the port held in 1854 (source: English Wikipedia) ## About the Old Port The Old Port is Marseille's natural harbour, a deep inlet the ancient Greeks called **Lacydon**. Around **600 BC** Greeks from Phocaea sailed in and set up a trading post, and so began Marseille, one of France's oldest cities. Until the 19th century all the city's maritime life happened here, until big ships moved to new docks further north. Today the port is **Marseille's great meeting place**. In 2013, when Marseille was European Capital of Culture, the quays were cleared of cars and turned into a huge pedestrian square. The city's main street, the **Canebière**, runs right down to the water; its name comes from the hemp, chanvre, grown at the end of the port in the Middle Ages for ships' ropes. ## What to see - **The fish market** — the morning catch on the Quai des Belges. - **The ferry** — a short hop across the harbour. - **The quays** — yachts, cafés and views of the basilica. - **Saint-Victor Abbey** — on the hill south of the port. - **The town hall** — on the north quay. - **The boat quay** — for the Château d'If, islands and Calanques. ## The fish market and ferry Every morning on the **Quai des Belges** fishermen lay out their catch on tables: sea bream, bass, octopus and fish for bouillabaisse, everything caught in the bay overnight. Locals and restaurant chefs buy here, while visitors come simply to watch and take photos. A little **ferry** crosses the harbour, one of the shortest sea routes in the world: just a few minutes from one quay to the other. Locals use it every day, and for visitors it's a fun way to see the port from the water. > **When to come** Come **in the morning, by 8 or 9**, for the fish market while the quays are quiet. In the evening the port comes alive again: locals fill the quayside cafés and bars, and at sunset the golden statue of Notre-Dame de la Garde glows above the harbour. The first boats to the Château d'If leave from here in the morning. ## Around the port On the north side are the **town hall** and the narrow lanes of **Le Panier**, the oldest quarter, with colourful houses, workshops and street art. Further on, at the harbour mouth, stand the modern **MuCEM** museum and old forts linked to the city by footbridges. On the south side, on the hill, is the **Abbey of Saint-Victor**, one of the oldest places of Christian worship in France, with **Notre-Dame de la Garde** above it. The port features in Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo and in Marcel Pagnol's trilogy Marius, Fanny and César, and the Bar de la Marine on the quay appears in the film Love Actually. ## Boats and trips by sea **Boats** leave the Old Port's quays for the island of the **Château d'If**, the **Frioul islands** with their beaches, and the coves of the **Calanques**. Tickets are sold at kiosks on the quay; in summer take the first morning sailings, and on windy days the timetable may change. The port is easy to walk all the way round, about three kilometres along the quays. Another option is the tourist train, which leaves from here for the basilica and Le Panier. ## How to get there 1. Metro M1 to Vieux-Port station, which opens right onto the water. 2. From Saint-Charles station, 20 minutes on foot down the Canebière or 2 metro stops. 3. From the airport, bus to Saint-Charles, then the metro. 4. By car, underground car parks beneath the quays. ## Tips for your visit An hour or two is enough for a walk round the port. A good order: the fish market in the morning, the ferry across, then up to Saint-Victor and the basilica, and dinner at a quayside café in the evening. The Old Port is the starting point for the [Château d'If](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/chateau-d-if) and the [Frioul islands](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/frioul-islands), and you can walk up from here to [Notre-Dame de la Garde](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/notre-dame-de-la-garde). Watch your belongings in the crowds on the quays and at the boat kiosks. The squares are flat and wide, easy with a pushchair. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Catch the morning fish market - [ ] Ride the ferry across the port - [ ] Buy a boat ticket - [ ] Walk through Le Panier - [ ] Have dinner on the quay ## Places in Marseille: compare and choose Places in Marseille rated by YesGo. - [Château d'If](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/chateau-d-if) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Castle ticket + boat - [Old Port](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/vieux-port) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Frioul islands](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/frioul-islands) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Free; boat by ticket - [Cassis](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/cassis) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Free - [Martigues](https://yesgo.io/france/marseille/martigues) — YesGo score 23/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h 30 min · Free ## Don't mix it up The Old Port is the historic harbour in the centre; the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille is the cargo and ferry port in the north of the city. ## Tips - Fish market in the morning. - Ride the ferry across. - Take the first boats. - Keep your bag close. ## Questions ### How do I get to Marseille's Old Port? Metro M1 to Vieux-Port station. ### When is the Old Port fish market? In the mornings on the Quai des Belges. ### Where do boats to the Château d'If leave from? From the Old Port, at the quayside piers. ### What is there to see near the Old Port? Le Panier, the town hall, Saint-Victor Abbey and Notre-Dame de la Garde. ### How long do I need at the Old Port? An hour or two for a walk, longer with a boat trip. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Market hours and boat times weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Old Port of Marseille - Marseille tourist office, marseille-tourisme.com --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.