A muggers´ paradise? (Marseille)

Member Name: Marechal_Ney

Product:	Marseille
Date:	16/09/01 (1822 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An interesting Vieux Port (old port) area, good accommodation options nearby

Disadvantages: A noticeably high crime rate, not a great deal to see outside the port and coast areas

A “reputation for roguishness and danger”, as an older edition of our guidebook states, at first seemed a rather strange claim to make about Marseille. Regrettably, however, crime rates here are among the highest in France, and our own impressions could do nothing but strengthen this view.

I had first visited the city two years ago, in the summer of 1999. That time, I had stayed in a pleasant (though rather unhygienic) youth hostel far from the Vieux Port area, and had avoided any kind of mishap whatsoever. This was still true after a confused two-hour walk back to my accommodation (after the Metro had unexpectedly shut down on Sunday evening), which took me through dark alleyways of the worst description. In fact, it was only other people that ever appeared to hold a grudge against Marseille’s inhabitants, with more reports of wallet-snatching incidents than we were inclined to believe.

Arriving at Marseille St. Charles train station two years after my initial visit, we immediately proceeded to the Metro platform. The Metro itself is adequately efficient, with a ticketing system superior to that in, for example, Lyon. Our large backpacks had, however, singled us out as tourists, and we were soon spotted by what can best be described as a “roving band” of five delinquents. Though there were but three of us, a violent confrontation was never on the cards, since the average age of our adversaries was scarcely over 16. Instead, the locals embarked on an active campaign of distraction, talking to us with a nauseating “oily friendliness”, and using a ridiculous “hip hop” dance routine to try and direct attention away from our wallets. Less watchful, or more absent-minded travelers would possibly have succumbed; one of my friends actually had to forcibly remove someone’s hand from his back pocket, which was desperately groping for his wallet.

With the comic, failed “muggi
ng” attempt behind us, we were subsequently annoyed by shady characters near the Metro station exit, who were demanding our used tickets for some no doubt dodgy purpose, and indignantly whistling after us upon being ignored.

Our adventures underground did, for a while, fade into insignificance as we beheld our hotel room for the first time. The triple room at the two-star Hotel du Palais was a bargain at only 100 francs (£9.35) each, with a welcome air-conditioning system, and a clean shower and bathroom – all of which was situated a few minutes away from the Vieux Port by foot, thus saving on transportation. The check out time was also set at the unaccustomedly late 1200. Budget travelers like us could hardly expect more comfort at this price.

We gladly shed our backpacks before setting off for the Vieux Port, and, as expected, were not confronted with any more laughable (though certainly irritating) suspicious activity, since we could no longer as easily be distinguished as tourists. Matters were indeed improving, for the old port turned out to be a great place to enjoy a cheap buffet meal, and a quiet drink. I would not have found an entire day by the water amiss; as it was, we spent some time sitting on a bench near the docked yachts, before heading off into the city, in search of other sights. This proved largely unsuccessful, since the heat sapped our energy, and a failure to find a store that sold bottled water only aggravated matters. Two churches, none of which were particularly spectacular in comparison with others we had visited, were noted on our aimless wanderings. One of them I remembered from two years ago: whitewashed and suitably grand, but also closed to the public this time around. In the end, we could have more profitably spent our time walking along the coast – a relaxing promenade I had undergone in 1999 – to more aptly capture the spirit of the Riviera. This would, at any rate, have been more
enjoyable than our walk through slums, which we had been subjected to after an abortive attempt to regain the comforts of our hotel, without the aid of public transportation, or a particularly good sense of direction.

We did not, of course, expect a wealth of amazing sights to see in a city like Marseille. “Let’s Go: Europe” does not list many prominent attractions in its short description of the city, but constantly emphasizes its “cosmopolitan” nature – an observation that I cannot refute. Nevertheless, apart from the Vieux Port and its immediate environs, the rest of Marseille did seem somewhat bland.

Marseille’s high crime rate has often been blamed on the influx of North African immigrants. This seemed a rather spurious argument to me, and this was all the more true after the encounter with the gang of distraction-artists – a group of five that more accurately represented the diverse population of Marseille would, I think, be hard to find.

Marseille was, for us, a city of contrast. Our impressions of it as a muggers’ haven were not easy to dispel – despite the fact that, in the end, we managed to escape with our possessions intact. I am not exaggerating when I label the third-largest city in France as the very worst of the 15 destinations on our recent European trip. On the other hand, the accommodation we were able to acquire in the city was the best we had encountered on our summer travels.

In the end, the outstanding Hotel du Palais barely affects my final, disappointing rating of the city. Considering the spirit of our European trip, wherein accommodation was seen as little more than a place to sleep, additional comfort in this department was doomed to be superfluous to our general definition of a good holiday.

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