Marseille has more than ever a sporting spirit! The city of Marseille has qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup with a dazzling cast: the 6 matches scheduled at the Stade Vélodrome will place major teams, including France, South Africa and England, at the heart of the fray. The buzzing Mediterranean city is getting ready to vibrate in unison in its historic venue. Here's everything you need to know on how to take part in the party. From the vintage streets of the Panier to the Pointe Rouge beach, via the unmissable Vieux Port, where you can enjoy a bouillabaisse in the best possible way!
Pick your game
The Velodrome Stadium in Marseille will host 6 matches of the 2023 Rugby World Cup:
- England/Argentina (Pool D) - Saturday 9 September, 9pm
- South Africa/Scotland (Pool B) - Sunday 10 September, 5.45pm
- France/Namibia (Pool A) - Thursday 21 September, 9pm
- South Africa-Asia/Tonga (Pool B) - Sunday 1 October, 9pm
- Quarter-final 1 (Winner Pool C - Runner-up Pool D) - Saturday 14 October, 5pm
- Quarter Final 3 (Winner Pool D - Second Pool C) - Sunday 15 October, 5pm
For more information, visit the online ticketing.
Getting to the stadium and travelling stress-free
Access to the Velodrome Stadium is direct by bus or metro. However, sportsmen and women can get there by bicycle thanks to the self-service bicycle system offered by the city (Le Vélo station located near the stadium).
To get around Marseille, there are 2 metro lines, 3 tramway lines, bicycle or electric bike stations, a vast bus network and maritime shuttles running until the end of September. For fans wishing to explore the city, city-passes are offered by the tourist office for a period of 1 to 3 days allowing access to the entire transport network and certain monuments or museums such as the Mucem and the Château d'If.
Getting around Marseille by public transport Cycling in Marseille with Le Vélo Learn more about the City Pass Getting to the Orange Velodrome Stadium
Enjoying local products
Marseille enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year and you can feel it in its cuisine! Starting with the pistou soup combining vegetables, legumes and small pasta, flavoured with garlic, basil and olive oil. The Mediterranean also comes to the table, with fish soup and bouillabaisse, an emblematic dish with a quality charter, to be tasted at the Miramar with a view of the Vieux Port, at Fonfon, a historic address in the port of Vallon des Auffes, or gastronomically at the Epuisette where the chef Guillaume Sourrieu (1 Michelin star) also reinterprets the Marseilles "pieds paquets" (tripe and sheep's feet). For a tasty and sustainable meal, anchor drop at Le République, the first gastronomic restaurant in France to show solidarity. In the chic décor of the former Parisian Café renovated by Rudy Riciotti, the architect of the Mucem, the Provençal-inspired menus of chef Sébastien Richard give pride of a place with local sourced food. And on the go, you'll love the pizza trucks (invented in Marseille!) and the chichis freguis, doughnuts to be enjoyed exclusively in Estaque!
Visit the city
Like the sailors, we start by greeting the "Good Mother", the Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde basilica, in order to familiarise ourselves with the topography of the Phocaean city: from the top of its hill (154 m), the 360° panorama embraces the whole city. On the way back down to the Old Port, head for the spectacular Mucem building, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations built on an old port pier, for a trip to the sources before diving into the history of cave art. A stone's throw away, at the Villa Méditerranée, you can climb aboard high-tech wagons to visit the Cosquer cave museum, a replica of the original cave that sank off the coast of the Calanques. Visit the Château d'If, the mythical 16th century prison immortalised in the novel The Count of Monte Cristo, and the archipelago of the Frioul islands, classified as Natura 2000. Once back on dry land, it is impossible to leave Marseille without making a stop in Le Panier, the cradle of ancient Massilia, and its colourful alleys which have become a spot of street art.
Visit the Mucem Visit the replica of the Cosquer cave at the Villa Méditérranée Visit the Château d'If and the Frioul Islands Explore the Panier district
Explore the surroundings
In Marseille, all roads lead to the Parc national des calanques, a group of rocky limestone creeks and a biodiversity hotspot with 140 protected animal and plant species and 60 heritage marine species. To the west, you can take in the spectacular scenery boarding the Train de la Côte bleue and its panoramic route between viaducts and tunnels, without forgetting your bathing suit: at each stop, there is a beach to dive into the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean. For the sporty ones, to the east, put on your trainers to walk the 20 kilometres of marked paths that wind through the rock between Marseille and Cassis. Unless you prefer sea kayaking, ideal for taking part in waste collection! In less than an hour and a half by train, you can watch the Uruguayan team train at the Avignon Sports Park, the city chosen for their base camp, before admiring another architectural achievement, the Rocher des Doms. Classified by Unesco, the Palace of the Popes, the largest Gothic monument in the West, can also be visited there!
Walking in the Calanques National Park in the off-season Travelling along the Côte Bleue by train from beach to beach Visit Avignon, base camp of Uruguay
Finding a place to stay
In a new HQE (High Environmental Quality) certified building in La Joliette district, a stone's throw from the Docks of Marseille, and 300 m from the tramway and metro stations (20 minutes from the stadium by bus), the Meininger Hotel offers 194 rooms equipped for all types of guests: couples, business travellers or groups of friends (from 1 to 6 beds). The hotel's blue-toned décor is inspired by the calanques and the friendly atmosphere is in keeping with the city's old ways: the hotel even has a petanque court!
By Anne-Claire Delorme
Globetrotting journalist anneclairedelorme@yahoo.fr
