Marseille's sights divide between the water and the hills. The Vieux-Port is the starting point for most visits — the morning fish market on the quay, boat trips to the Château d'If and the Frioul islands, and the streets immediately around it. The quarter of Le Panier climbs the hill above the port; the Vieille Charité at its centre is one of the finest baroque courtyards in France. Further along the coast, the Corniche Kennedy runs five kilometres above the sea, passing the Palais du Pharo and the tiny fishing port of the Vallon des Auffes on the way.
Inland, the Palais Longchamp — a triumphal water tower housing two museums — is the most spectacular building in the city after the port. The neighbourhood below it leads down to Cours Julien, a bohemian square full of terraces and street art.
South of the city, the Calanques — limestone inlets with extraordinary turquoise water — are the main reason many people visit at all. Getting there takes a bus and a walk, which is rather the point.