36 hours in Avignon or Marseille

Busted Knuckles · 26th of March 2012 (Mon)

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

Thanks

WadeAngle's · 14th of April 2012 (Sat)

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 · 1st of August 2012 (Wed)

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

Lbsimon · 2nd of August 2012 (Thu)

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 · 3rd of August 2012 (Fri)

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 · 10th of August 2012 (Fri)

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).

26th of March 2012 (Mon)	#1
Busted Knuckles Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 85	36 hours in Avignon or Marseille I have a gap in travel plans and would like opinions on which city has more photo opportunities? Thanks __________________ If you see me with a wrench - call 911. 5d3, T3i, 17-55 2.8, 50 1.8, 70-200 2.8 L II, 24-105 f4. YN 565, Precision Lupe attached to hacked extended eyecup (no sticky frame) - old enough to have owned an original F-1

14th of April 2012 (Sat)	#2
WadeAngle's Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 10	Re: 36 hours in Avignon or Marseille 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! __________________ Wade - Customer Experience Rep @ CanvasPop Last edited by WadeAngle's : 14th of April 2012 (Sat) at 09:01.

1st of August 2012 (Wed)	#3
andrewlwood Junior Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 6	Re: 36 hours in Avignon or Marseille I would say definitely Avignon, unless you want the gritty urban realism angle...

2nd of August 2012 (Thu)	#4
Lbsimon Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 586 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: 36 hours in Avignon or Marseille 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. __________________ 60D \| T2i \| EF-S 15-85 IS \| Sigma 10-20 \| Tamron 70-300 VC \| EF-S 18-200 IS \| Sigma 30 1.4 \| EF-S 60 2.8 \| EF 85 1.8 \| Nissin Di622 M2 \| Nissin Di422

3rd of August 2012 (Fri)	#5
Sirrith Cream of the Crop Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 8,448	Re: 36 hours in Avignon or Marseille 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. __________________ -Tom Flickr \| Zenfolio F-Stop Guru review \| RRS BH-40 review

10th of August 2012 (Fri)	#6
armis Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 355 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: 36 hours in Avignon or Marseille 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). __________________ Fuji X-E1, 18-55 zoom

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