Musée d'Histoire de Marseille

Marseille is the oldest city in France, founded about 600 BC by Greek sailors from Phocaea, in Asia Minor, who called their colony Massalia, and the Musée d'Histoire de Marseille tells its story over more than two and a half thousand years. The museum is unusual in its setting. It lies beneath and beside the Centre Bourse, a shopping centre built in the 1970s near the Canebière, the main street leading up from the Old Port, and it was created after archaeologists, who were called in before the construction, uncovered remains of the ancient port. The decision to preserve them led to the opening of the museum in 1983, and a large renovation reopened it in 2013.

The centre of the visit is the evidence of the ancient harbour. The excavations revealed the quays, warehouses and a section of the defensive wall of the Greek and Roman port, along with hulls of ancient ships preserved in the mud, and these remains are displayed in a landscaped archaeological garden, the Jardin des Vestiges, outside the museum. Inside, the exhibition space of about 3,500 square metres is organised in a chronological route of thirteen stages, from the first Greek settlers and their encounters with the Celtic-Ligurian people, through the Roman period, when Massalia was an ally of Rome and later a prosperous city, to the Middle Ages, the modern era and the rise of the port. Objects on display include pottery, amphorae, coins, sculptures, and everyday items, and multimedia displays and models help to bring the sites to life.

The story is told through the port, which is the key to Marseille's history. The city's position on a sheltered inlet of the Mediterranean made it a natural centre for trade with the Greek world, Italy, North Africa and the Levant, and its merchants prospered from commerce in wine, olive oil, grain and other goods. The museum illustrates this with maps and models of the port at different periods and with objects that were traded across the sea. A glass wall on the upper level gives views over the modern city, connecting the past to the present.

A visit gives a useful background to a stay in Marseille. The Vieux-Port, the Panier district, where the oldest houses stand, the Vieille Charité, a seventeenth-century almshouse with a fine chapel, and the Cathédrale La Major are all within walking distance, and the MuCEM, the museum of the civilisations of Europe and the Mediterranean, stands at the harbour mouth. Other sights include the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde on its hill and the Château d'If, the island fortress in the bay, which can be reached by boat. The Calanques National Park, with its white cliffs and clear water, lies just south of the city.

The museum suits history and archaeology enthusiasts and families, and it works well on a hot or rainy day because it is air-conditioned. Allow about two hours. Opening days and hours vary, and it is closed on Mondays, so check ahead and consider buying a ticket in advance to avoid queues.