Wrong end of the Riviera?

Marseilles is unfairly dismissed for being at the 'wrong end' of the French Riviera. Its detractors prefer to berth their yachts at St Tropez, 70 miles to the east, and their bronzed

Well, they don't know what they are missing. If, like me, you are a lover of all things Provencal - the street markets, the fresh fish, the wine and the sun-scorched landscapes that inspired Cezanne and Van Gogh - then I'd say this great port city is at the right end of the Riviera.

And getting there is easier than ever. Both BA and Buzz have return flights for under £100, and if you don't want to fly, Eurostar does it in seven hours.

With many of the city's hotels offering two nights for the price of one this winter (see below), it makes a great alternative to Paris for a sunny weekend break in France.

To appreciate the city's spectacular setting, climb the hill to Notre-Dame- de-la- Garde (you can walk it in half an hour or so, or take a trolleybus ride).

This historic church is known as La Bonne Mere, standing guard over the city and protecting its sailors from shipwreck.

But what you've come to see is the panoramic view of the city: its back to the mountains and front to the sea, fishing boats bobbing in the colourful Vieux Port, cargo ships steaming in and out of the docks which stretch away to the north.

It is down in the Vieux Port that the Marseilles day begins, with the fish market on the Quai des Belges.

Well before breakfast, the trestle tables are flapping with the produce of the Mediterranean, which by evening will have been turned into bouillabaisse, the one local dish you really have to try.

Marseilles is not a city of famous museums and galleries (though there are works by Courbet and Daumier in the Musee des Beaux-Arts), but it does offer tremendous atmosphere, great seafood and plenty of sunshine, even during the winter.

The most popular tourist attractions are found by boat from the Quai des Belges.

You can take a day trip out to see the Calanques, the fjord-like inlets east of the city. Or for a quick trip, visit the Chateau d'If two miles offshore, the ancient island prison where Alexandre Dumas's Count of Monte Cristo was jailed.

But who needs a fictional romantic hero when there's a real live hero of the 21st century to celebrate?

Zinedine Zidane is the city's favourite son. The footballer is long gone from Olympique Marseille (he now plays for Real Madrid) but his image survives in the form of a huge mural depicting the great man gazing out to sea.

You'll find it on the first bend on the Corniche J. F. Kennedy.

You might combine a visit here with a meal at Chez Michel, just a few yards down the road and renowned as one of the best bouillabaisse restaurants in town.

If you have been served a fish stew by this name elsewhere in France, you probably haven't had the real thing.

It starts with the waiter showing you a platter laden with fresh fish. While you enjoy a glass of wine

(look out for the cool white from Fonscolombe), the chef prepares an elaborate meal which is served in two stages.

First there is a delicious fish soup, eaten in the French style with croutons on which you smear dollops of scrumptious a'oli and grated cheese before dropping them in the broth.

Then the waiter returns with the fish you admired earlier, fillets them in front of you (a skilled garcon can do the whole platter one-handed, in a matter of seconds) and shares out the fillets, ladling over more of the same broth.

Bouillabaisse is not cheap - Chez Michel charges 45 euros, while Chez Madie, a friendly, unpretentious restaurant we discovered on the port, was more reasonable at 30 euros - but it's a real treat and you won't need anything else to eat. Well, perhaps an ice cream.

We were booked into the Sofitel Palm Beach, a refurbished hotel a couple of miles out of town on the corniche.

With a bedroom right on the sea, with the sound of the waves lulling us to sleep, who needs St Tropez?