From London to Marseille
This year anyone with a passing interest in art, architecture, history, or culture is heading to Marseille. France’s second-largest city has morphed and modernised, and it now holds the prestigious mantle of European Capital of Culture 2013. The summer season on the Mediterranean moves into full swing this month, with this multi-cultural seaside metropolis cranking up the action.
With scores of alfresco concerts, museum openings, and a brand-new skyline, could there be a better time to be Marseille-bound? This six-and-a-half-hour train journey from London St Pancras to Marseille’s St Charles is not only a breeze. It's also a breathtakingly beautiful voyage, inside and out. After a quick platform change in Lille, the high-speed TGV accelerates through the French countryside to touch 200 miles per hour. Jazz hums softly in the background of each carriage. DVDs and portable Playstations are available to rent from the bar. French fashion icon Christian Lacroix designed the décor of the newest TGVs. His understated elegance shames many airlines’ business class offerings.
Northern France’s spindly church towers soon give way to rippling vineyards, sunflowers, and lavender fields. Then it’s on to the Rhône Valley and through the southernmost Alps, all the way until the Mediterranean beautifully shimmers on the horizon. Few train stations in the world can rival Marseille St Charles’ panoramic vistas. Perched above the city, the terminus may be understated. But its sublime views sweep from Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica past picturesque Provençal rooftops and on to an endless cobalt-blue sea. Arching above the city’s redeveloped docklands – now the city’s new business district – is Zaha Hadid’s remarkably kinked skyscraper, headquarters for shipping group CMA CGM.
On the ground, there are scores of all-new sights to see. This month – after a decade in the works – the much-anticipated Museum of Civilisations from Europe and the Mediterranean opens its doors. Designed by stellar architect Rudy Ricciotti, it’s the first national gallery in the country outside of Paris. It sprawls over the city's formerly abandoned J4 pier, as well as 12th century Fort Jean and its suspended gardens. East of here on the Vieux Port’s Quai des Belges, Marseille’s daily fish market shelters beneath the new Ombrière, a Foster and Partners-designed six-metre-high mirrored sunshade. For art aficionados, funky French designer Ora-Ïto is transforming the rooftop of Le Corbusier's iconic Cité Radieuse apartment building into a contemporary art space. It’s slated to open this June. While from June 13, the recently renovated Musée des Beaux-Arts will host the exhibition "From Van Gogh to Bonnard", displaying over 200 South of France-inspired artworks. Can’t resist dipping your toes into that gorgeous azure blue sea? Head out of town with a train ride to the Calanques. These sheer limestone cliffs are interspersed with translucent turquoise inlets and lie dotted along the Marseille’s western Côte Bleue.
