Air Canada Vacations

Before you leave Canada

Entry requirements

A valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit France. The passport should be valid for at least the expected duration of stay in the country. For all other nationalities, consult your consulate or tourist board for details. You can also visit www.voyage.gc.ca for up-to-date information.

Baggage

Please refer to aircanada.com for baggage information.

Airport check-in

It is recommended that you present yourself at the airport counter of the airline indicated on your voucher 3 hours prior to departure. Air Canada or Air Canada Vacations representatives will be available starting at 5 a.m.

City highlights
 
The capital of the Mediterranean region, Marseille offers its visitors the authenticity of its 26 centuries of history, the friendliness of its inhabitants and the riches of its heritage. Come and explore its 111 districts, enjoy its mellow lifestyle, discover its museums and its exceptionally beautiful rocky creeks. Marseille has a charm that is unforgettable.

Getting around

The public transport network of buses and trams is called Régie des Transports Marseillais or RTM. It offers two metro lines and around 80 bus and tramway lines.

Shopping

For high-end brands, take a stroll on Rues Paradis, Grignan, Montgrand and Sainte, which are semi-pedestrian streets. For a younger atmosphere, try Rue Saint-Ferréol to find all the trendy boutiques as well as Galeries Lafayette, which was renovated in 2005. For antiquities, go to Edmond Rostand street.

Dining

Proximity to the sea provides an ideal climate to produce rich, aromatic foods. The basic cooking ingredients are simple, consisting of fresh produce (tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, sweet peppers, fennel etc...) and a wide variety of fish.  Healthy, natural foods are blended with aromatic herbs and spices.

Some specialties are the bouillabaisse (fish soup), aioli (Provencal garlic mayonnaise), pieds et paquets (pig’s trotters), tapenade (olive dip), pistou (pesto) soup and many other dishes.  Christmas is also a good time to share culinary traditions such as the gros souper and the traditional “13 desserts” and the navettes (traditional boat-shaped biscuits). 

Dining out in Marseille is also a wonderful experience. Try one of the many brasseries, restaurants or pizzerias located throughout the city.

Sightseeing

Museums

Marseille has over 21 museums covering every period of history from antiquity to the present day, and from archaeology to motor bikes, Fine Arts and Marseille’s traditions. 

The Vieille Charite, a former 17th-century hospice and an architectural masterpiece contains a number of collections, including Egyptian Antiquities (the 2nd most important collection in France after the Louvre). 

The Fine Arts Museum, the Natural History Museum in the Palais Longchamps and the Porcelain Museum located in the middle of the Parc Pastre also display a fine collection of arts and interesting artifacts.

Historical sites

Notre Dame de la Garde – Located on Garde Hill on the southern side of Vieux Port, this impressive structure is built in a Romanesque-byzantine style with domes, multicoloured stone, gold and mosaics. Enjoy an impressive view of Marseille from the esplanade in front of the sanctuary.  

Centre de la Vieille Charite – A large exhibition and cultural centre in Marseille’s Panier district, la Vieille Charite dates back to the 17th century and host many art exhibit. The salon de thé (tearoom) serves drinks and light meals alfresco under the lovely arches.

La Cathedral de la Nouvelle Major – A particularly beautiful cathedral overlooking the sea in Vieux Port. It is built in a Romanesque-byzantine style in the shape of a Latin cross with an ambulatory. The facade of the church is decorated with statues of Christ, the Apostles, Saint Peter and the Saints of Provence. 

Parks & Gardens

Marseille enjoys a splendid location in an outstanding natural environment. These natural frontiers, the sea to the west and the encircling hills, have helped towards the emergence and creation of original places and landscapes. Half of the city’s area is made up of natural spaces, with over 400 hectares of public parks and gardens. 

Entertainment & nightlife

Some of the entertainment and nightlight venues include: theatres, discotheques, pubs, cinemas, music cafes, jazz clubs and piano bars, and live theatre cafes. 

Your departure from destination

Hotel checkout

Hotel checkout times may vary depending on the property but generally you must vacate the room by 12 p.m. (noon).

Duty-free shopping

After an absence of 7 days or more, Canadian residents are permitted to return with a maximum of 750 CAD of merchandise per trip without paying duty. Each time you leave Canada for at least 48 hours, you are eligible to declare up to 200 CAD of merchandise. A written declaration may be requested. Each adult is allowed 1.1 litres (40 oz.) of liquor, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or cigarillos, 200 tobacco sticks and 200 grams (7 oz.) of manufactured tobacco. To calculate the number of days absent, do not count the day you left Canada but include the day you return. If you include cigarettes, tobacco sticks and loose tobacco in your personal exemption allowance, only a partial exemption will apply. You will have to pay a minimum duty on these products unless they are marked “Canada-Duty paid.” Canadian made products sold at duty-free shops will be marked this way.

Customer care

For inquiries relating to extension of stay or change or hotel changes, please e-mail us at: prevoyageclientele@vacv.com We are at your service seven days a week; from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST Saturday and Sunday