Marseille, The Attractive City in Provence

Magazine:
7th Dec, 2015
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A magical and spectacular natural site, 2600 years of fascinating history, the irresistible charm of picturesque areas, an idyllic climate and fantastically easy to reach: The Phocaean City is a popular tourist destination whose popularity soared in 2013 when Marseille-Provence was named the European Capital of Culture.The city of Marseille has been working with its public and private partners for fifteen years to make Marseille the Mediterranean’s top business tourism destination. Over 660 million has been invested in several sectors in recent years to help Marseille find its rightful place among the great Euro-Mediterranean metropolises.

Marseille is well connected to most European capitals by air: London, Berlin, Rome, Moscow, Madrid, Brussels etc … and by high speed train to Paris (3 hours), Frankfurt, Brussels, Geneva, Barcelona and London.

Marseille doesn’t disappoint in terms of event organisation with its wide variety of convention centres, venues and an ever-growing number of hotels with 7800 rooms. The InterContinental Hotel Dieu opened two years ago and in January 2016, the AC by Marriott Velodrome will complete the offer with 126 rooms. Three major convention centers can host your events:

  • Marseille Chanot  in the heart of the city with 3 auditoria (from 400 up to 3200 seats) and 60 000m2 covered exhibition halls.  
  • Palais du Pharo overlooking the Mediterranean Sea with a 900 seat auditorium and 2000m2 exhibition space
  • World Trade Center is going under a complete remodeling with a grand opening  in June 2017. It’s directly linked to Mercure Marseille Vieux-Port Hotel with entirely refurbished 200 rooms.

2013’s European Capital of Culture, Marseille has attracted the best architects to become a modern and exciting city. The Old Port was entirely redesigned by the Norman Foster and entiled the city to win the prestigious City Awards from London’s Royal Academy of Urban Planning.

Visitors can stroll from the Old Port to MuCEM (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations) and witness Marseille’s metamorphosis for themselves.

The J4 esplanade, which was once for travellers in transit, is now devoted to culture and is home to the magnificent space that is the 17th century Fort Saint-Jean refurbished by Roland Carta and linked by the now famous bridge to MuCEM, the glass cube covered in mesh by architect Rudy Ricciotti. The Musée Regards de Provence and the Voûtes de la Major teeming with shops and restaurants are the new trendy places of Marseille.

Just steps away, the Terrasses du Port shopping centre with 2600m²of promenades overlooks the Mediterranean. Across, Les Docks de la Joliette just opened last October. All these sites are available for private hire.

Les Calanques National Nature Park is an XXL playground for outdoor sports and is ideal for team building and incentive activities: diving, kayaking, regattas, hikes, and more.

When it comes to organising seminars, conventions and corporate events in Marseille, nothing beats the experience and expertise of the Marseille Convention Bureau team, your single contact with more than 80 professionals who strive to ensure each event is unique and unforgettable. 

Contact: Pascale Bigo, Conference Development Manager, Marseille Convention Bureau, Mail: pbigo@marseille-tourisme.com, Mob. +33 6 38 63 02 77.

Picture: © Médiathèque Lafarge / Photo Charles Plumey-Faye - R. Ricciotti et R. Carta architectes - Mise en lumière : Yann Kersalé – SNAIK

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