Istres Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Bouches du Rhône (13800) Population: 35,160 Altitude: 20 m Nearby: [ Aix-en-Provence (53 km) | Marseilles (52) | Martigues (14) | Miramas (9) | St-Chamas (16) | Salon-de-Provence (19) ] Photos: The fortified Eglise Notre Dame de Beauvoir (31 k) The red tile roofs of the town (34 k) The hilltop park by the Etang Olivier (39 k) Panorama of the Etang Olivier (40 k) A sundial on the church (36 k) Below: [ History | Dates | Museums | Dining | Transportation | Hiking | Lodging ] This old maritime town at the northwest corner of the Etang de Berre (Berre Lagoon) is centered around the fortified church Eglise Notre Dame de Beauvoir at the top of the hill. Interesting little streets wind up the hillside from the center, with shady little squares along the way. Most of the old houses are painted with the lovely Provencal pastels and contrasting trim and shutters, with some restored bare stone buildings and walls. The view from the top [photo-2] is across the old tile roofs of the town and the low hills across the blue water of the Etang de L'Olivier. Istres is a nice town and a pleasant town, but not too exciting when we were there (during school holidays in october). Summertime is very active, however, with the Theatre de l'Olivier the center of festivals of dance, music and theater. At the north edge of town, a lovely big lake-side park on a peninsula of the Etang de l'Olivier includes the hilltop site of the Oppidum du Castellan (long since gone). Name First record, 10th century: Castrum de Istrio History Prehistoric: An important prehistoric site was located at the quartier of Sulauzes, in the hills just north of the Etang de l'Olivier, with stone-age tools and animal bones. with the Oppidum du Castellan remaining active well into the Gallo-Roman era. Gallo-Ligurian: The Gallo-Ligurian hilltop Oppidum du Castellan was a trove of pottery, coins, inscriptions, furniture and tombs. Medieval: The medieval town built up around the fortified chateau on top of the hill, first under the rule of the house of Baux and later the princes of Martigues. Dates, Numbers Market (Marché foraine): Tue Marché agricole: daily Fête St-Etienne: 4 Aug Fête folklorique artistique de la St-Jean: end June Fête des Bergers: Dec Office de Tourisme Tel: (33) 442 55 51 15 Museums Musée d'Istres - René Beaucaire Paleontology, prehistory (with the 8000-BC Cornille shelter and the 4000-BC Mouvin site), underwater archaeology, 19th-c industry. Place de Puits Neuf Tel: (33) 442 55 90 15; Fax: (33) 442 55 50 08 Open: Mon-Sat; June-Sept 14h-19h; Oct-May 14h-18h Entrance: 10 F; exhibitions 15 F Théâtre de l'Olivier Bd Léon Blum Tel: (33) 442 55 24 77; Fax: (33) 442 56 95 36 Reservations: (33) 442 56 48 48 Dining We didn't find any touristic center of restaurants near the old town, but there is a collection of terrace cafés on the Allées Jean Jaures, near the Arch and across from the Office de Tourisme (where you can get a list of restaurants and hotels). We lunched at the restaurant of the Hotel de France on ave Hélène Boucher; a correct little restaurant familial. Transportation Train - a regional train service (TER) running between Miramas and Marseilles-St-Charles, includes stops at: St-Chamas, Berre, Rognac, Vitrolles, Pas-des-Lanciers, Istres, Rassuen, Fos-sur-Mer, Port-de-Bouc, Crois-Sainte Martigues, Ponteau-st-Pierre, La Couronne, Sausset-le-Pins, Carry-le-Rouet, La Redonne-Ensuès, Niolon, L'Estaque, Séon-St-Henry, St-Louis-les-Aygalades, Le Canet, St-Barthélemy. From Miramas on the Marseilles-Paris rail line you can connect to: Marseilles, Arles, Tarascon-sur-Rhône, Nimes, Clermont-Ferrand, Paris. Bus - A Regional bus line serves: Marseilles, Aix-en-Provence, Saint Cannat, Lambesc, Pélissanne, Salon-de-Provence, Miramas, Istres, Fos-sur-Mer, Port de Bouc, Croix Sainte, Martigues. Camping Hiking Maps: IGN (1:25,000) 3144 ouest "Martigues, Etang de Berre" IGN Serie Verte (1:100,000) #66 "Avignon, Montpellier, Camargue" IGN Serie Verte (1:100,000) #67 "Marseille, Carpentras" This is not hiking country; much better for water sports and other activities. The nearest nature walks would probably be from Miramas, Martigues or in the Camargue. The Office de Tourisme does have, however, a list of several walking tours (sentiers de randonnées). Lodging Listing available