stratos

The most populated city in France after Paris, MARSEILLE has prospered and been ransacked over the centuries. In recent years the city has undergone a renaissance, shaking off much of its old reputation for sleaze and danger to attract a wider range of visitors. The march of progress is not, however, relentless: too often last year's prestige civic project becomes this year's broken, bottle-strewn fountain. But that's Marseille. If you don't like your cities gritty, it may not be for you. See past its occasional squalor, though, and chances are you will warm to this down-to-earth, cosmopolitan, vital metropolis.