Marseilles shakes off its rough image

Marseilles has had a long rough reputation, even heightened by the Gene Hackman 1970 movie, The French Connection. However, this is changing because the city is gaining popularity with tourists especially with a fast train link to Paris. You can reach the French capital in three hours by train and only 28 kilometres from the city is the Marseille-Provence airport.

Calling itself proudly as France’s second city, Marseilles has a 1.23 million population, 57 kilometres of Mediterranean coastline, serene fishing ports and sunshine most of the time. Adding richness to the city is the residents who are second or third-generation immigrants. You can get a glimpse of Marseille’s multi-ethnic background in the city’s primary Sunday morning market, Marche aux Puces, where chickens are killed to order and African-carved sculptures are among the many colorful displays.

From Vieux Port, the city’s focal point, Marseilles is divided into sixteen arrondissements (districts). Everything north of the old port is called Quartier Nord (northern quarter) and everything in the south is the Quartier Sud (southern quarter). Property for sale in Marseilles is now in demand and naturally has been boosted by the intense global interest The city has become an investment hotspot with its very huge buy-to-let market so its easy to make profit from an acquired French property. Property prices there average 3,230 euros per square metre for a house and 2,849 euros per square metre for an apartment (April 2006, source: FNAIM).

Developments in the city centre are sold as quickly as they are being built. Take the Pavillon Massalia that offered apartments in La Belle de Mai and sold for between 154,500 euros and 250,300 euros even before the development was completed. Economy boomed and house prices increased due to the surge of investors. Modern Marseilles has renewed itself with its many art galleries, nightclubs and music scenes. Marseilles is one of the most cultural cities in France having 25 theatres, the Opera, the concert hall ‘The Dome’ and the National Ballet of Marie-Claude Pietragalla.

Mersailles declares itself as the Mediterranean area’s major economic centre. The city has indisputable assets, an ideal location between Europe and the Mediterranean, a youthful population that is energetic and innovative and has a long experience of international barter. With almost 3,000 research scientists in the 3 university laboratories and a total of 90,000 students based in the city, Marseilles Provence Metropolis is the second largest public research centre in France. Furthermore, the city has a wide hospital complex with the latest equipments and reputable research units making Marseilles a leader in the health industry as well.

In the centre of the northern districts of Marseilles is the Urban Free Zone that revived the economy and thoroughly changed the city’s image. With the arrival of 1,556 companies in the Urban Free Zone, 6,800 jobs were created. The modern industries flourish with the traditional industries of fruits and vegetables. Despite the increase of hip bars across the city, you can still enjoy a pastis at a streetside café and see Arab traders. Without losing its rich history, Marseilles is now offering a new, exciting and attractive visage to property-hunters.

Posted on: France

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Marseilles shakes off its rough image

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