Marseille -has anyone been recently? Travel advice request

[Minitoots]

I am going to Marseille for a week over Easter as it will be a good base for getting around that area of Provence by train and bus. If anyone knows or has been to Marseille recently, I'd be interested to hear recommendations for the best areas of the city to stay in, etc. I plan to book an apartment rather than hotel. Also any other travel tips would be good, especially on art galleries, local villages accessible by public transport etc. Thanks.

[sanity girl]

I've just started a similar thread as I'm going down that way in the summer. You could do a trip to the Ile de Porquerolles which looks beautiful and wouldn't be too busy then. I think you can get a boat from Toulon. I've also been looking at places around Le Pradet which looks nice for beaches. I'll be interested to hear how you got on after the trip!

[DaveR]

I don't know Marseille very well but I'd want to stay centrally, either near the Old Port or the area around the Cours Julien.