Hôtel C2 48 Rue Roux de Brignoles, 13006 Marseille, France; This 19th-century mansion on the periphery of Marseille's city center exemplifies the city's talent for reinvention.

With amazing food and architecture, beaches and boutiques, gritty Marseille — France’s oldest city — is firmly on the destination hip list. CNN values your feedback 1.

Where the Abbaye Saint Victor is unembellished in its design, the Cath é drale de la Major is ornate. But it's also younger: The Cathédrale de la Major was built in the mid- to late 19th century ...