The Mediterranean Coast, with its semitropical conditions, has the driest climate in France. Most rain falls in spring and autumn. Summers with an average temperature of 25°C (78°F) are comfortably dry. Provence experiences the "Mistral," a cold and powerful wind coming from the French and Swiss Alps that blows South down the Rhône Valley. It often blows in winter, and can last up to 2 weeks. In winter, Marseilles's temperature are pleasant, with average of 12°C (54°F).

British French Chamber of Commerce bureau 409 24, avenue Prado, 13006 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4 91 81 40 74

Italian Chamber of Commerce 2 rue Henri Barbusse 13001 Marseille; Tel.: +33 (0)4 91 90 81 17

Marseille-Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry 9 La Canebière 13001 Marseille; Tel.: +33 (0)4 91 39 33 33

Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry 8 rue Neuve St Martin 13001 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4 91 14 42 00

U.S. Consulate : 12, boulevard Paul Peytral, 13006 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4.91.54.92.00

Netherlands Consulate : 139 avenue de Toulon, 13005 Marseille, Tel : +33(0)4.91.25.66.64

United Kingdom Consulate : 24, avenue du Prado, 13006 Marseille; Tel.: ++33(0)4.91.15.72.10

Czeck consular departement 25 rue du lieutenant Moulin, 13008 Marseille, + 33 (1) 44 32 02 00

Germany Consulate : 338, avenue du Prado, 13008 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4.91.16.75.20

Italy Consulate : 56, rue d'Alger, 13005 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4.91.18.49.18

Japan Consulate : 70, avenue de Hambourg, 13008 Marseille; Tel.: +33 (0)4.91.16.81.81

South Korea Consulate - Consul Honoraire : 15, rue de la Loge, 13002 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4.91.90.90.11

Mexico Consulate : 2, rue Corneille, 13001 Marseille; Tel. : + 33 (4) 04 91 54 70 50

Russian Consulate : 3, avenue Ambroise Paré,13008 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0) 4 91 77 15 25

Business centers generally provide a range of services that include secretarial, translation/interpretation, and office services, including computer rentals, audio/visual equipment rentals, cellular phone rentals, copy and printing services, and temporary office space and staff. Most large hotels (some of which may be listed here) also have business centers that offer many of the same services that independent centers provide.

Château Gombert Technopole , 43, rue Frédéric Joliot Curie, 13452 Marseille; Tel.: +33 4 91 11 80 00 ; www.technopole-marseille.com

Sofitel Palm Beach , 200 Corniche J.F. Kennedy, 13007 Marseille; Tel.: +33 (0)4 91 16 19 00

World Trade Center Marseille , Maison de l'International, 2 rue Henri Barbusse, 13001 Marseille; Tel.: +33 (0)4 91 39 33 50

Palais du Pharo , 58 boulevard Charles Livon, 13007 Marseille; Tel.: +33(0)4.91.55.15.75

The Convention Center , SAFIM - Parc Chanot - BP 2, 13266 Marseille; Tel.: +33 (0)4 91 76 16 00 ; www.parc-chanot.com

The Exhibition Park , SAFIM - Parc Chanot - BP 2, 13266 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4 91 76 16 00 ; www.parc-chanot.com

The Palais des Arts , SAFIM - Parc Chanot - BP 2, 13266 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4 91 76 16 00 ; www.parc-chanot.com

Zénith le Dôme , 48 avenue de Saint Just, 13004 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4 91 12 21 21

Alphatrad 2 rue Beausset 13001 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)8 25 33 25 25

Centre Bureau Serveur (CBS) 2 rue Henri Barbusse 13001 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4 91 56 00 02

Fintoni Lionel imm Groupe Studio 80 route Aix 13510 Eguilles; Tel.:+33 (0)4 42 92 38 81

Gexcel 7 rue d'Isly, 13005 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4 91 78 45 13 / +33 (0)6 99 01 57 65

Media Langues 502 rue Paradis 13008 Marseille; Tel.:+33 (0)4 91 76 21 32

Tradutec 18 rue Jacques Reattu 13009 Marseille; Tel. : +33 4 91 16 56 95

Transword 359 bd Mireille Lauze 13011 Marseille; Tel.: +33(0)4.91.92.12.12

La Poste , Grand Littoral 11, avenue St Antoine 13015 Marseille; Tel.: +33 4 91 13 50 77 ; +33 (0) 825 329 329

DHL , Tel.: +33 (0) 820 20 25 25

FedEx , Tel.: +33(0) 820 123 800

UPS , Tel.: +33 (0) 800 877 877

France Express , Parc Lauzière 205, avenue Aygalades, 13317 Marseille Cedex 15; Tel. :+33(0)4 91 09 62 13

France Colis Express , 201, avenue Aygalades, 13014 Marseille; Tel. :+33 (0)4 91 60 20 40

All upper-range and some medium-priced hotels are equipped with dataports that allow guests to use laptop computers. Many hotels offer business centers equipped with computers and Internet access. Another place to look for Internet connections is Marseille's Post Office (la Poste). Most Post Offices have Internet connections with at least one computer. In addition to hotels and Post Offices, Internet connections are available at cybercafés including:

Info Café 1 quai Rive Neuve 13001 Marseille; Tel. : +33 4 91 33 82 97 / +33 4 91 33 74 98

Planetimedia S36, avenue St Jérôme 13013 Marseille; Tel. : + 33 (4) 91 66 99 53

Génération Cyber Café 11, rue Ferrari 13005 Marseille; Tel. : + 33 (4) 91 47 34 37

Nationals of the European Union have no entry requirement, a national I.D. is sufficient. The citizens from USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Israel do not require visas to visit France as tourists for up to three months. Except for people from a handful of other European countries, everyone else must have a valid passport to be obtained from the local French consular authority before entry into France. It is important to check if this is required before the trip.

In France, it is required to carry at all times a form of I.D. or at least a photocopy of it. Only police officers are allowed to check your identity. This can be done in any public places: administrations, streets, rail stations, etc.

On June 30, 1999, the sale of duty-free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all 15 EU member states. The following goods may be imported into France without incurring customs duty by passengers at least 17 years-old arriving from non-EU countries : 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco; 1 litre of spirits more than 22% or 2 litres of alcoholic beverage up to 22%; 2 litres of wine; 50 ml of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette; goods up to the value of 183€.

In France, country code is 33 and outgoing international code is 00. The city code for Marseille is 0(4).

Phone books (Les pages jaunes) are available in public places, restaurants, hotels in Marseilles. They contain comprehensive coverage of emergency numbers and helpful addresses as well as information on rentals, accommodation, shops, etc. Website : www.pagesjaunes.fr

Emergency 112

Ambulance/SAMU 15

Police 17

Fire 18

For local calls, dial the ten-digit telephone number. For long-distance calls from abroad, first dial 00 and the country code 33 and the last 9-digit (without the 0) telephone number. Special prefixes, such as "0 800","0 8...," and short numbers like "17" or "112" are indicators of special services. Short numbers and " 0 800" are toll-free calls, except from cell phones. The "0 8..." numbers charge you for the call and are often expensive. For local directory assistance, 12. International calls are cheaper between Mon-Fri 10:30PM-8AM, and from Saturday 2PM to Monday 8AM.

Card-only telephones are common, with pre-paid cards called "télécartes", bought from Post Offices and cafés. Calls can be received from all phone booths showing the sign of a blue bell.

There are several cellular service providers in France, including SFR, Orange, Bouygues Telecom. If you choose to bring your cellular phone to Marseilles, check with your home cellular service provider the compatibility of your phone with systems abroad. Rent a locally compatible cellular phone before you arrive to obtain reasonable rates and reliable service.

The use of cell telephones is prohibited at service stations.

Traveler's checks are the safest, most convenient way to carry funds in France and are almost universally accepted, especially in larger towns and tourist centers such as Marseilles. Banks and exchange bureau give better exchange rates for traveller's checks than for cash. Credit cards get a better exchange rate on purchases and cash advances; France's cash point (ATMs) accept all the major international credit and bank cards.

The basic unit of France currency is the euro (?), formerly French franc (FF), which currently equals around 1.2 US$. Coins are "red" metal coins of 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, " yellow " metal coins of 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, and bi-metal coins of 1€ and 2€. Paper bills come in denominations of 5€, 10€, 20€, 50€, 100€, 200€ and 500€.

• In France, service is always included, as 15 % in the final price and "service compris" should be written on the bill. People generally leave a few coins if the service was satisfactory. Although, tipping is not necessary unless you are very satisfied with the service.
• Taxis drivers: 10 to 15%
• Hotel porters, concierges, hairdressers: 10% of the bill.

Marseilles is on GMT/UTC plus one hour during winter, and GMT/UTC plus two hours during the daylight-saving period from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.

VAT is known as TVA ("Taxe sur la valeur ajoutée"). The standard rate of 19.6% applies to the vast majority of goods and services.

Excise duty is levied on certain goods including alcoholic drinks and cigarettes.

Duties are 5-17%.

The voltage in France is 220 V, 50 Hz. Plugs have two small round pins; heavy-duty plugs have two large round pins. Better hotels offer built-in voltage adapters for shavers only. Adapters can be easily found in airport shops or in any French department store.

In Marseilles, taxis can be called from any pay phone, and hotels, bars and restaurants will gladly call them for their patrons. In most cases, taxis arrive within 10 minutes.

Eurotaxi services provide multi-lingual drivers, tel. :+33 (0)4 91 05 31 98.

The Marseilles Public Transportation Corporation (RTM) offer bus, subway and tramway service, run from 5AM to 9PM, during the week, and from 5AM to 12.30AM, Friday though Sunday. For more information, call the RTM information line at tel.:+33 (0)4 91 91 92 10.

The Ferry crosses the Old Port from one bank to the other in less than 5 minutes every day, departing from 8AM to 6:30PM.

No specific immunizations are needed to enter France. The main risks are likely to be sunburn, foot blisters, insect bites and upset stomachs from overeating and drinking.

New Year (Nouvel An) : January 1

Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques) : March/April

Labour Day ( Fête du Travail) : May 1

Victory Day 1945 (Fête de la victoire 1945) : May 8

Ascension Thursday (Ascension) : 40th day after Easter

French National Day (Fête nationale) : July 14

Assumption Day (Assomption) : August 15

All Saints' Day (Toussaint) : November 1

Remembrance Day (Armistice) : November 11

Christmas : December 25

Chez Maurice Brun is a gastronomic restaurant with a beautiful view on the Vieux-Port. Les Trois-Forts is the place not to be missed; the chef Dominique Frérard is a leading figure in French gastronomy. Le Miramar is the greatest seafood specialist of Marseilles. And should you want to taste some good wine, l'Ambassade des Vignobles, is definitely the best choice. At Chez Michel a basket of five fishes, including the elusive and most expensive one, the "rascasse", is presented to the customer before the famous "bouillabaisse" soup is made. Located in a fantasy villa bought from a countess in 1917, Le Petit Nice serves gastronomic prix-fixe menus featuring truffled brandade and sea-anemone beignets. On a tiny rock-ringed lagoon, La Baie Des Singes was once a customs house under Napoléon III and shower off for the only kind of food worthy of such a locale: fresh fish.

Products from Provence, such as tableware, pottery or "santons" (crèche figurines) are emblematic of Southern colors and flavors. Nobody should leave without an authentic bar of Marseilles famous (all-natural) soap.

The attractions of the city are largely concentrated around the Port, including the Opera House, museums, galleries, theaters, monuments such as Pharos Palace, various forts, St Victors Abbey, or the Panier area, where the ancient Phocaeans first settled. Beside the Hôtel-Dieu, which dates back to the 18th century, a typical stairway of old Marseilles leads directly to the Panier district. The basilica of Notre Dame dominates the city from the top of the hill, overlooking the Vieux Port. Château d'If and the Frioul archipelago are also two sites of interest in Marseille.

Marseilles also has a professional football team, l'Olympique de Marseille (OM). The team is an institution in the city, and criticism of it does not sit well with the citizens of Marseilles.