Sits on the Med, but I only seem to hear bad things about it. Anyone actually been there?
I lived with a family there for three weeks in 2000 as part of a high school exchange trip. I had a good time, explored the city and never felt in danger. Parts are beautiful and parts are slummy, much like every other city in France and the rest of the world. But the family I was staying with had a very nice house in a gated community with a swimming pool in the hills high above the city, which may have colored my perceptions.
Waterfront. . .boulliabaise. . .red wine. Nothing else needs to be said.
I spent a good amount of time about an hour away in Aix-en-Provence. A friend of mine lived in Aix and I went to visit for a few days. It had a number of bad parts but there was a bit going on. I visited other times with friends but we tended to stay in the area where all the restaurants were. It was a fun city from what I recall but my knowledge is quite a few years out of date.
Very interesting and fun city. That said, there is a massive Muslim population there which has, PC be damned, altered the “fun” element and the safety element significantly.