Musée d’Histoire de Marseille

This intriguing 15,000-sq-metre museum traces the story of 'France's Oldest City' from prehistory (the paintings of the Cosquer Cave) to the present day, across 12 chronological exhibitions. The complex was built beside the remains of a Greek harbour uncovered during construction of the Bourse shopping centre. Highlights include the remains of a 3rd-century merchant vessel discovered in the Vieux Port in 1974: to preserve the soaked and decaying wood, it was freeze-dried where it now sits, behind glass.