Together, we will understand the history and urban geography of Marseille, its heritage and its treasures, its funny anecdotes and its remarkable facts, going back in time thanks to postcards, drawings, photos and old and recent maps, without forgetting my personal investigations in town planning: nothing is missing!
Fully alive
Olivier, guide & city planner
Marseille as a passion
"with Marseille, it's all or nothing"
I like to travel and drop my backpack everywhere. But I'm living in Marseille. I'm living with Marseille, and it's an incredible chance: be a part of such a rich, deep and original culture, it's out of the ordinary.
I love observing its neighborhoods, buildings and monuments... and feeling that I am part of its evolution, in sharing faithfully its history, its geography,its qualities and defects, its temper, its heritage. Many people want to hide its beauties and guard them jealously, I want to reveal them to as many people as possible.
With "Urban Hike", I also get involved locally with schools and associations: Marseille gives me as much as I owe it a lot.
How do I see the practice of hiking
"without glasses, for the moment"
There is nothing more frustrating than to be touched by a landscape through the windows of a car, and to see it fade away a few seconds later. Among all different ways of travelling, only walk can offer the right pace: the human one, which allows us to grasp what is surrounding us, to go everywhere, to stop anytime to better start again, to enjoy, to be moved, to hang around.
Where many see slowness, for me, it's just life that passes before our eyes, calmly and surely.
-
Understanding the city from within
-
Contemplating without limit
We will look for quiet places, find the hidden beauties of the city and walk the small alleys that only local people know.
-
Making efforts to get great rewards
Efforts never come alone: climbing stairs all the way up offers breathtaking views, going off the beaten tracks allows to beat the crowd, doing sports makes it pleasant and funny.
-
Hiking to better discover the surroundings
Streets, barriers, stairs, paths, low walls, detours, rocks and beaches: where all vehicles are blocked, our feet are permitted. Hiking allows you to discover the city in depth and without hindrance.
My world
"large enough for everyone"
I am passionate about hiking and I am lucky enough to be able to hike more than 200 km in France several times a year, on dedicated paths, while crossing our towns and villages.
I am particularly attached to the itinerant hike, the one for which each morning, we leave a place without saying goodbye and towards a new destination.
I often walk on the path to Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, on the Douanier route, or even through the volcanoes of Auvergne.
Discovering France, its landscapes and its richness at my own pace, is priceless for me. And there is so much more to see!