Marseille

Mediterranean civilisations in a concrete lattice on the J4 mole, joined to Fort Saint-Jean by a footbridge. €11 covers both sites, 10am-8pm, closed Tuesdays. The outdoor areas are free.

Booking is compulsory and free on peak dates — daily from late June to the end of August, plus some June and September weekends — through troov.com, opening at 9am three days ahead.

The basilica on a 154-metre hill with a 360-degree view over the city, the islands and the sea. Free, open 7am-6pm daily; bus 60 stops at the steps.

Twenty minutes by boat from the Vieux-Port to Dumas's fictional prison. €7, free for EU residents under 26; 10am-6pm April to September, 10am-5pm in winter, closed Mondays. Strong mistral cancels crossings.

The old houses — Chez Fonfon in the Vallon des Auffes since 1952, Chez Michel since 1946, Le Miramar on the port — serve it to order for two or more, so ring ahead.

Twenty-four trains a day from Gare de Lyon to Marseille Saint-Charles, the fastest in 3 hours 3 minutes across 742 kilometres.

Flights across Europe and North Africa, with a shuttle bus down to Saint-Charles station and the centre.

Saint-Charles is the hinge for the whole south. Nice, Avignon, Aix and the Côte d'Azur TER network all start here.

May-June and September-October: hot enough to swim, cool enough to walk the Calanques.

November-March is cheapest and often bright, though the mistral cancels boat crossings.

July-August, when the Calanques are rationed and the whole city pours into them anyway.

The fish market on the Quai des Belges, then coffee on the Vieux-Port while the boats unload.

Walk up through Le Panier, the oldest quarter, where the murals and ceramics change every few months.

North African food around Noailles, or a pizza from a van. Both are cheaper and better than the port terraces.

MuCEM and Fort Saint-Jean on one ticket, closed Tuesdays, then follow the corniche south.

Bouillabaisse at the Vallon des Auffes if you booked it, then bars up on the Cours Julien.

Boats leave Cassis for the inlets, and the Route des Crêtes above the town gives the best view of Cap Canaille.

Half an hour inland by coach or TER: plane-tree avenues, Cézanne's studio and a market most mornings.