Les Minimes is the modern marina south of the old town — at 5,000 berths, the largest pleasure-boat port in France and the second-largest in Europe. Opened in 1972, it took most of the yachting traffic out of the Vieux Port and is now a small town in itself, with hotels, restaurants, sailing schools, and the city's main waterfront beach next door.
The walk along the canal from the Vieux Port takes about thirty minutes; a small bus-boat ferry runs across the harbour mouth as a faster alternative. The yachting infrastructure is the main draw — half of France learns to sail here on rented dinghies in summer. The beach is busy and the cafés around the marina serve good seafood at reasonable prices.