36 hours in Avignon or Marseille

[Busted Knuckles]

I have a gap in travel plans and would like opinions on which city has more photo opportunities?

Thanks

[WadeAngle's]

Hi there! Both cities are VERY different. Avignon is a rustic medieval city with castles, cobble stone roads, carefully groomed gardens, quaint street restaurants and of course the Avignon bridge. Whereas Marseilles is a beautiful port city that, to be honest, is a little rough around the edges these days. There is a lot more grit to the city (rats, garbage, buildings in rough shape) but personally it has the unique character that I look for when shooting a city and there are plenty of gems to be found too. If you want beautiful and stunning postcard pictures, hit up Avignon. But if you're looking for a unique photographic experience Marseilles is the place to be! Also, if you do decide to go to Marseilles, you should take a bus to a little village about 45 mins away called Cassis. It's one of the nicest villages in the South and super easy to get to from Marseilles!

[andrewlwood]

I would say definitely Avignon, unless you want the gritty urban realism angle...

[Lbsimon]

I spent two weeks in Provence recently, staying close to Avignon. Everybody local I talked to said that I should avoide Marceille at all cost. Dirty, rough, and most importantly - unsafe. There are so many other beautiful places to photograph in Provence - Avignon, Aix-an-Provence, Cassis, Arle, Gaurd, etc. Unfortunately, 36 hours is way too little. And you have to have a car, otherwise you are going to waste a lot of time trying to figure out public transportation.

[Sirrith]

Marseille is not one of the nicest places in France in terms of safety (though during daytime its largely fine, as you'd expect), nor one of the most beautiful, I don't particularly like it myself. I've never been to Avignon, but I would love to go.

[armis]

WadeAngle has it right. If you're going for the street life aspect, hit Marseille. If you'd rather take pictures of pretty places, go to Avignon.
Mind your gear in both places; Avignon doesn't have the best reputation for security either (though not nearly as bad as the wrong areas of Marseille at night).