Marseille and Provence with a French Expat, Episode 118

Categories: Family Travel, Provence

On today's show we go to Marseille and Provence with a French Expat, Isabelle Hall. Isabelle has been living in Texas for a long time, but grew up in Provence and knows it like the back of her hand! She has great suggestions on what you should visit when you visit Provence.

Learn About Marseille and Provence with a French Expat

Isabelle tells us what it's like to grow up in Provence and the differences between her life in France and her life in San Antonio now. She definitely misses living near the sea and the ability to enjoy the smells and sounds of the Mediterranean.

Beaches Around Marseille

There are many beaches near Marseille, Isabelle tells us about some of her favorite ones: Sausset, Carry, which are between Marseille and Martigues. Martigues is also called "la Venise Provençale" because of the canals.

Americans may have heard of Marseille because of the movie Count of Monte-Cristo and the Chateau d'If.

Marseille is most beautiful when seen from the water.

Calanques

A calanque is a small beach at the bottom of a cliff. It is easiest to get there by boat and a few of the tour boats will let you get off and swim. You can also get to the calanques by foot, the hike up and down takes an average of 30 minutes each way and can be steep. You can get information on marine weather at Météo Marine.

Camping in France

There are a lot of campground around Marseille, some of them have little cabins you can rent. Campgrounds and cities also have a lot of activities that are free and open to the public.

The Gastronomy and Open Air Markets in Provence

When Isabelle and her husband come back to France, they love the open-air markets, the olives and the saucissons. We also talk about the items that American customs will not let you import back after a visit to France.

Should You Book Your Train Tickets in Advance in France?

At the end of the show [1'07"] I also answer a question from a listener about whether to book your SNCF train tickets in advance or not.

 

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Discussed in this Episode

  • Aix-en-Provence
  • Baux-de-Provence
  • Calanques
  • Camping in Provence
  • Canebière
  • Carry-le-Rouet
  • Cassis
  • Château d’If
  • Corniche
  • Count of Monte Cristo
  • Iles du Frioul
  • Marseille
  • Martigues
  • Mistral Wind
  • Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde
  • Provence Beaches
  • Provence with children
  • Saint-Remy-de-Provence
  • Sausset-les-Pins
  • SNCF Train Tickets
  • Venise Provençale
  • Vieux Port
  • Cicadas in France
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If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s):

Old postcard of Marseille: Marseille and Provence with a French Expat Episode
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Show Notes 

Categories: Family Travel, Provence

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