Martigues, a canalWith its luminous open views across the water and great expanses of lakeside frontage, Martigues likes to call itself the provençal Venice.

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Yes, there is a touch of local braggadocio to the nickname. But this charming little town is also picturesque enough to give the more famous villages of Vaucluse a run for their money - even L'Isle sur la Sorgue, which also lays claim to be the Venice of Provence.

The Setting

The setting is certainly as lovely as for the traditional provençal hilltop village, even if it's very different.

Martigues, Canal San SebastienMartigues sits on the large Étang de Berre (Berre Lake) at the mouth of a long channel, the Chenal de Caronte, which connects the lake with the Mediterranean.

Spick and span, with brightly painted houses and flowers and shrubs everywhere, its heart is a central island bisected by the colourful Canal Saint Sébastien, pictured right and top left.

Martigues hasn't established a strong presence on the main international tourist trail of Provence. A concerted effort has been made to boost its profile and it has a very lively cultural scene, but you won't be bumping into coach parties everywhere.

The town retains a sense of intimacy and the centre has managed to escape the industrial blight of nearby ports such as Fos sur Mer.

Martigues has some historic buildings and a number of minor new attractions have opened recently. Indeed, one of its most appealing features is the way the town gracefully incorporates modern sculptures and architecture into its old areas.

But the main draw is clearly Martigues itself. The best way to visit is simply to stroll along the canal and the quays and through the pretty (and, in many cases, pedestrianised) cobbled streets and squares.

What To See

First settled by Gallo-Romans in the fifth century BC, Martigues took shape in the Middle Ages.

Map of the town of MartiguesThree fortified villages, Ferrières in the north, L'Isle in the middle and Jonquières in the south, had sprung up in this highly strategic location, which controlled access to L'Etang de Berre from the Mediterranean. Click on the map of Martigues to enlarge the image.

Anxious to dissolve the rivalry between these villages and to preserve the strength of the site against the Spanish, King Henri III ordered their unification and a treaty was signed on 21 April 1581.

Place Mirabeau, MartiguesSo, if Martigues seems at first sight a little dispersed and fragmented, this is the reason, and each of the three original villages still preserves something of its distinctive flavour.

L'ÎLE (the central island) is the district of greatest interest to tourists. Once inhabited by merchants and burghers, it was, and remains, the most populous and the most prosperous of the villages.

You can find some of their beautiful old houses and a grand 17th century fountain on the place Mirabeau, pictured.

The adjacent Canal San Sébastien is lined with former fishermen's houses in every shade of bright colour imaginable (the owners would use paint left over after painting their boats).

Some have vines growing up them; in others, the inhabitants aren't too precious to hang their washing out of the windows to dry.

Also known as the Miroir aux Oiseaux (the Bird Mirror), the canal has long fascinated artists such as Eugène Delacroix, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Félix Ziem and Raoul Dufy.

This, really, is about as far as the Venice connection goes, though you will see it all over town on the names of shops and bus companies.

Flaneries au Miroir, MartiguesAnd Martigues stages a handful of colourful Venice-themed events during the year.

Each July there is a Soirée Vénitienne, or Venetian Evening, with street music and theatre all over the town, climaxing in a spectacular free son et lumière show over the Berre Lake.

And for one weekend each year in September crowds of masked and costumed visitors from all over Europe converge on Martigues for the Flâneries au Miroir, which recreate the spirit of the Venetian carnival on a smaller scale.

It features musicians as well as the costumed guests who can be admired and photographed elegantly posing in the area all around the canal. Click here to view some images from the 2012 Flâneries au Miroir.

It's a short walk from the Canal San Sébastian to the main church, l'Eglise de Sainte Madeleine (1670), with its richly carved baroque facade, pictured below, and luxuriantly decorated interior.

Nearby on the place Maritima, a Gallo-Roman house dating back to the fifth century BC has been reconstructed behind a plate glass window on its original foundations.

Also of note: the mediaeval Palais Comtal (Counts' Palace), the Colla de Pradines, an imposing 17th century hôtel particulier, and the 18th century Maison au Chapeau de Gendarme (Policeman's Hat House), named after its curiously shaped gable.

Eglise de la Madeleine, MartiguesPointe San Christ, a thin spur of land sprayed with water jets, has been built at the end of L'Île and is a popular place for children of all ages to cool off on a hot summer's day.

It's also a good spot to contemplate one of Martigues' defining landmarks, the monumental Viaduc de Caronte, a vast 943 metre / 1000 yard long railway bridge across the Chenal de Caronte, built in 1914 for the Blue Coast train line.

JONQUIERES is the best district for shops and also has a large clothes and food produce market every Thursday and Sunday morning.

The main church in this area, the 17th century Eglise Saint Geniès, is in poor repair, but try to see inside the adjacent, exuberantly decorated Chapelle de l'Annonciade des Pénitents Blancs.

FERRIERES is where you will find the Tourist Office in the Town Hall (l'Hôtel de Ville), a ten minute walk from the centre. It's a mine of information.

In the same complex of buildings is the Galerie de l'Histoire de Martigues, a large display of photographs, maquettes and other material exploring the town's history.

Installed in a former customs officers' house, the Musée Ziem (Ziem Museum) is dedicated, as the name suggests, to the painter Félix Ziem, who spent part of his life in Martigues.

A Farm near Martigues, by Felix ZiemThe permanent collection also includes pieces by Fauve painters (Raoul Dufy, André Derain and others) who worked in the local area. Pictured: A Farm near Martigues, by Ziem.

There is also ex voto art from the chapel of Notre Dame de Miséricorde and a section dedicated to the archeology of Martigues from pre-history to the 18th century. Other rooms house temporary exhibitions of work on loan.

There is not enough space to display all the museum's holdings, and these are shown in rotation (and may be displaced by temporary exhibitions from time to time). You may, or may not, see works by Auguste Rodin, Paul Signac and Camille Claudel. Laminated explanatory guides in French and in English are available to borrow. Admission free.

On the nearby chemin de Paradis, La Maison de Charles Maurras is a beautiful 17th century bastide (large house) which is open to visitors by arrangement with the Ziem Museum.

In Ferrières' moderately attractive old town, the main church is l'Eglise Saint Louis d'Anjou (1650). It's rather spartan but does have a little display about the unification of the three villages in 1581 (in French only).

In the adjoining chapel is Espace Cinéma Prosper Gnidzaz. It's crammed with historic projectors, cameras and film prints all from the private collection of Monsieur Gnidzaz, a local pâtissier who also happens to be a passionate movie buff.

The focus is on films inspired by and shot in Martigues, from Jean Renoir's Toni, through Fernandel in La Cuisine au Beurre (Cooking with Butter) to Robert Guédiguian's A la Vie, à la Mort! and Jean Reno in 22 Bullets. Espace Cinéma Prosper Gnidzaz, rue Colonel Denfert. Tel: (+33) 4 42 49 44 67.

Bronze fisherman and his wife, MartiguesNumerous contemporary artworks are dotted around Martigues: the Tourist Office has a leaflet mapping their locations.

One of the most popular is a bronze fisherman and his wife, pictured. Stationed by a bench on the quai des Girondins next to a group of traditional pointus (fishing boats) converted into flower planters, it offers a nice photo opportunity. The sculptor os Sébastien Langloÿs. On the rue de Verdun there's a spacious, shady park overlooking L'Étang de Berre.

It has been more recently joined by another piece by the same sculptor celebrating a scene from La Cuisine au Beurre, with its stars, Bourvil and Fernandel - and seats for fans to take selfies alongside two of France’s most popular comic actors.

The piece is on quai Aristide Briand, on l'Ile, in front of the Maison au Chapeau de Gendarme (which also plays a co-starring role in the film).

A little out of town to the north, the 17th century chapel of Notre Dame de Miséricorde, also known as Notre-Dame des Marins, is closed to the public. But, perched on a hill, it affords superb panoramic views of the town, the Chenal de Caronte, the Mediterranean and l'Étang de Berre.

A nice excursion in summer is a guided boat trip to the Fort de Bouc, a fortress guarding the entrance to Martigues and the Étang de Berre along the Chenal de Charonte.

There's time to walk around the fortress, whose oldest parts date back to the 12th century. The boat leaves from the waterfront near the Tourist Office.

Finally, the Parc de Figuerolles is a 130 hectare / 321 acre park located 4 km / 2.5 miles north of Martigues. It's an excellent destination for a family day out, much used by locals.

Practical Information

The Tourist Office, rond-point de l'Hôtel de Ville, 13500 Martigues. Tel: (+33 4 42 42 31 10). Website for the Martiques Tourist Office. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

How to get to Martigues:

By car: From Aix en Provence, take the A51 motorway, then the A55 (45 km / 27 miles). From Marseille, take the A55 (40 km / 24 miles). From Arles, take the N113 to exit 9 (Fos sur Mer), then the N568 to Port de Bouc and finally the A55 (53 km / 32 miles). If driving from Marseille-Provence airport at Marignane, take the A7, then the A55 (21 km / 15 miles).

Miramas could form part of a really attractive, varied and unusual driving tour around the Étang de Berre. This circuit would also take in Istres, with its splendid street market and dinosaur park; Miramas le Vieux, the best hilltop village in the region; and Saint Chamas, with its extraordinary Roman bridge and trogolodyte houses.

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By bus: A number of bus routes serve Martigues and this is the best way to get there by public transport. More information (in French only): www.lepilote.com

Don't go by rail if you can avoid it. The Blue Coast train line is lovely, but Martigues station (actually in Lavéra) is an uninspiring 40 minute trudge along the main road into town.

There is no taxi rank (though you will find a list of taxi numbers in the station) and no shuttle bus, only an infrequent and irregular service which may leave you with a long wait for your connection.

Where to eat:

Poutargue de MartiguesCited in the Gault & Millau guide is Le Garage, 20 avenue Frédéric-Mistral, 13500 Martigues, tel: (+33) 4 42 44 09 51.

A personal recommendation is the oddly named Le Station Bar at 4 quai des Girondin, 13500 Martigues, tel (+33) 4 42 49 32 47.

This informal, friendly and untouristy brasserie is located by an area formerly used as the bus station (hence the name), and offers much better value than the pricey and rather starchy establishments on the Canal San Sébastien.

Fun fact about MartiguesThe speciality of Martigues, pictured, is poutargue, or boutargue, also known as caviar martégal (Martigues caviar). It's dried and salted mullet roe: the fish are trapped as they make their way between the Berre lake and the sea.

Poutargue is sold in delicatessens in the form of a sausage coated in wax to preserve it. This intensely flavoured, highly prized and expensive delicacy can be eaten thinly sliced, grated on pasta or in a sauce. You'll find it in one of these forms on the menus of many Martigues restaurants, as well as elsewhere in the region.

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