A plan for Marseille

Marseille has a complex history. It was founded by the Phoceans (from the Greek city of Phocea) in 600 BC and is one of the oldest cities in Europe. The town is a far cry from the Cézanne paintings and Provençal clichés of sleepy villages, "pétanque" players and Marcel Pagnol novels. With around one million inhabitants, Marseille is the second largest city in France in terms of population and the largest in terms of area. Its population is a real melting pot of different cultures. It is also said that there are more Comorian people in Marseille than in Comoros! Indeed, the people of Marseille have varying ethnic backgrounds, with a lot of Italians and Spaniards having immigrated to the area after the Second World War.

For people not afraid to discover a real place with real people, Marseille is the place. From colourful markets (like Noailles market) that will make you feel like you are in Africa, to the Calanques (a natural area of big cliffs falling into the sea - Calanque means fjord), from the Panier area (the oldest place of the town and historically the place where newcomers installed) to the Vieux-Port (old harbor) and the Corniche (a road along the sea) Marseille has definitely a lot to offer.

Forget the Canebière, forget the "savon de Marseille" (Marseille soap), forget the clichés, and just have a ride from l'Estaque to Les Goudes. You will not forget it.

1 Office de Tourisme et des Congrès de Marseille (Main Tourist Office), 11, la Canebière, ☏ +33 826 500 500, information@marseille-tourisme.com. Mon-Sat 09:00 - 07:00, Sun and holidays 10:00 - 05:00. (updated May 2015)

1 Vieux Port (old harbour) (Vieux-Port M1 ). Watching fishermen selling their stock by auction is a must. Arriving into Marseille in the Vieux-Port on a summer evening is something you will never forget. You can watch this show by going to Frioul islands or Chateau d'If and going back late in the afternoon. There is also a nice view of the harbour from the Palais du Pharo (Pharo Palace). The famous Canebière avenue goes straight down the harbour. However the Canebière is not that interesting despite its reputation. (updated May 2015)

2 Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde, Rue Fort du Sanctuaire (Bus #60 goes from the Vieux Port to N-D de La Garde. Free Parking at the entrance of the church.). 07:00 - 18:15 in winter, 07:00 - 19:15 in summer. The big church which overlooks the city. Old fishermen used to have their boats blessed in this church. You can still see many boat models hanging around in the church. From there it is one of the nicest view of the city. You can use the tourist train from the Vieux Port to reach the church - you can get off the train, look around and board a later train back to the port. (updated Mar 2018)

3 Abbey of Saint Victor, 3 Rue de l'Abbaye. (updated Mar 2023)

4 L'Hotel de Ville. Marseille City Hall (updated May 2015)

5 Le Panier (Marseille’s old town) (the old town can be easily accessed from the Vieux Port. It is not recommended to drive there). Le Panier (which means basket in French) is the historical centre of the city. This district is characterized by many narrow and steep streets. The tourist office organises a guided tour in English of the Old town every Saturday at 14:00. You can begin your tour from the Vieux-Port and finish at the Mucem or vice versa. A recommended trail of this district is also proposed by the tourist office. (updated Mar 2018)

6 Marseille Cathedral (Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure de Marseille or Cathédrale de la Major), Place de la Major (walk from the Mucem or take the less frequent bus 82 or 49 (stop at La Major)). 10:00 -19:00. A Byzantine-Roman cathedral at the western side of Le Panier quarter. (updated Mar 2018)

You can visit the fabulous restaurants and cafes. You can go and do many adventurous things such as diving and hiring boats! The calanques (fjords) between Marseille and La Ciotat are a very popular sports climbing area. And of course, if the weather is fine, you can simply go to the beach!

Stade Vélodrome, 3 boulevard Michelet. Watch football in the home of Olympique de Marseille. They play in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and often qualify for European tournaments. The stadium, capacity 67,394, is in St Giniez district 2 km south of the city centre, use Metro station Rond-Point du Prado. Buy match tickets online or from the official shop next to the stadium.

1 Artplexe (Artplexe Canebière), 125 la canebière (cr La Canebière & All Leon Gambetta. Canebière Garibaldi T2 Noailles M2 ). New multi-screen cinema showing some films in VO combined with exhibition spaces and restaurant. (updated Apr 2023)

2 Cinéma l'Alhambra, 2 Rue du Cinéma (Bus# 36, 36B from Bougainville M2 ), cinema.alhambra13@orange.fr. Art House Cinema with original 1930s facade out of the city centre. Shows some films in VO (the original language) Adult €6. (updated Nov 2022)

Events

The festival Avec le Temps that occurs every spring at the Espace Julien (one of the main concerts halls in town) consists in many concerts of French artists, in many genre (Pop, Chanson, Rock, Folk.)

La Fête Bleue, "the Blue Festival" at the end of June. A lot of shows (concerts, movie projections, exhibits) occur in many places in the city, and the theme is the colour blue.

La Fête du Panier, at the end of June. During two days, you will be able to see shows, concerts and markets in the oldest area of the town.

Le FDAmM or Festival de Danse et des Arts Multiples de Marseille, is the main dance festival in Marseille and lasts all summer.

Le festival du Plateau, at the Cours Julien, in September.

The music festival Marsatac occurs in the end of September and was created 10 years ago. Artists who performed there were for example Public Enemy, Nouvelle Vague, dEUS, Mogwai, Peaches, Amon Tobin, De La Soul, Laurent Garnier, and Aphex Twin.

La Fiesta Des Suds, at the Dock des Suds, in October is a famous festival dedicated to World music. You can attend concerts of artists such as Asian Dub Foundation, Buena Vista Social Club, Cesaria Evora.

Unsurprisingly, Marseille's cuisine is focused on fish and seafood. Its two flag-bearing specialities being the famous fish broth "bouillabaisse" and "aïoli", a garlic sauce served with vegetables and dried cod.

La Bouillabaisse de Marseille

La bouillabaisse is an excellent fish-based soup served with la rouille (a garlic-saffron sauce) and bread similar to crostini. In fact, Bouillabaisse is a 2-course meal: first you get soup from the pot, then you get the rest, i.e. fish.

La bouillabaisse cannot be enjoyed on the cheap. If you are invited to the home of someone making bouillabaisse, then you are in the clear. But never eat cheap bouillabaisse at a restaurant (soupe de poisson, however, is an affordable alternative); only eat bouillabaisse at a place where you have to reserve in advance.

Budget

There are lots of Kebab restaurants along the Canebière. Many cheap, authentic couscous eateries are to be found around the Cours Belsunce, where the local Maghrebic immigrants have their lunch.

Around the Basilique Notre-Dame

1 Café Cantine, 17 Pl. Joseph Etienne. This little place has the best food made fresh onsite! Very kind and friendly staff. Fast service, fresh and good products. Very warm welcome and very good homemade meal. (updated May 2022)

2 Sampolo, 14 Av. de la Corse. Sampolo is a nice family place. The dishes and desserts are very tasty and homemade. Great place and great atmosphere in the evening. (updated May 2022)

3 Brasserie Le Saint Victor, 126 Bd de la Corderie. A very friendly neighborhood brasserie with good traditional dishes and caring, fast and efficient staff. The catering is excellent with a wide variety of daily specials. (updated May 2022)

4 Moon Burger, 29 Bd de la Corderie. The quality is exceptional, the products are fresh, the bread is homemade, the meat is succulent. The homemade sauces are top of the line. Also the staff is very warm and attentive. (updated May 2022)

5 Santa Pizza, 88 Rue Sainte. Very good pizza and pasta. Hearty toppings, thin crust, tasty ingredients. (updated May 2022)

Lots of new places have opened in Marseille, at night, three main districts are interesting (besides beaches between April and October where people go and spend the night), the Old Port with lots of bars and pubs (particularly on the southern side and on Cours d'Estienne d'Orves, La Plaine/Cours Julien with numerous alternative and underground bars, and La Joliette/J4 with trendy chic new bars and clubs. However La Friche should not be forgotten, particularly during summer when the very large rooftop hosts dj parties for free every Friday and Saturday. For events and concert agenda, see La Nuit Magazine or printed paper Ventilo, particularly during summer as lots of music festivals, boat parties (mini-cruises at night with DJs in the Calanques for €20-40), rooftop parties and concerts take places.

English and Irish pubs

O'Brady's Irish Pub, 378, Avenue de Mazargues, ☏ +33 4 91 71 53 71. Sun 12:00–01:30; Mon-Sat 11:00–01:30.

Shamrock Irish Pub, 17, Quai de Rive-Neuve, ☏ +33 4 91 33 11 01. (updated Jul 2023)

Red Lion cours Julian, 6 Pl. Notre Dame du Mont. Small pub (updated Jul 2023)

Red Lion, 231 Av. Pierre Mendès (bus# 19,47). English pub at La Pointe Rouge, southern Marseille, next to the beach. (updated Jul 2023)

O'Malleys, 9 Quai de Rive Neuve (less than two minutes away from the aforementioned Shamrock Irish Pub). Often has live music and rugby.

Craft beer

Le 143 bar à bières, 143 Rue Sainte, ☏ +33 6 49 49 53 29. Tue-Sat 16:30-01:00, closed Sun Mon. (updated Dec 2022)

Beer District Marseille, 4 Rue de la République (Vieux-Port M1 ). Beer Hall (updated Mar 2023)

Les BerThoM Marseille, 31 Cr Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves. Modern craft beer bar. (updated Mar 2023)

La Cane bière, 32 Bd Philippon (near Cinq Avenues T2 ), ☏ +33 7 69 89 67 19. Mon-Fri 08:30-22:00, Sat 10:00-22:00. Enormous selection for such a small place. Confusingly not on the Canebière. (updated Mar 2023)

La Brasserie Communale, 57 Cr Julien (Notre-Dame du Mont M2 ). Sun Mon 17:00-01:00, Tue-Sat 11:00-02:00. Microbrewery serving locally brewed beers (updated Apr 2023)

1 Bière Academy, 22 rue Beauvau Marseille (Vieux Port M1 ). Craft beer bar a few streets away from the old port. (updated Jul 2023)

By bus, tram, métro

Marseille is served by a transit system, the Régie des Transports de Marseille (RTM) comprising 2 métro (subway) lines, 3 tram lines and 74 bus lines. Almost every métro station has steps in it somewhere and some will have several flights of stairs. If you have any mobility problems, are in a wheelchair or have a child in a push chair, the trams and buses are a better option.

The tickets for bus, tram and métro can be bought in the cafes, at the métro stations, or on the bus; it is advised to buy a 10-journey ticket at €15 (+ 10 cents for the reusable card), which are not sold in the buses. The number of transfers is unlimited (including the return journeys) within the one-hour limit between the first boarding and last transfer on all the network (you must validate with each entry to the bus). The métro runs between 05:00 and 00:30. The tram system operates until 00:30 7 days a week. Most bus routes do not operate after 21:00 or so, although a limited network of night buses (Fluobus) operates with infrequent service (only about every 45–60 minutes or so) until about 00:30 or so. Using a taxi is recommended if you need to travel after 21:00. There is no service at all on 1 May.

The Pilote website includes all the bus, tram and métro schedules but is easier to read than the RTM sites. Moreover, this site repeats the schedules of the majority of transport in common runs of the agglomeration (tram, bus interurban, trains regional) and makes it possible to search for journeys in Marseille and the nearby communes.

For much of its history, and still to this day, Marseille has been seen as a crime-ridden city by a lot of French people, and this reputation is sadly not entirely unwarranted. Nevertheless, tourists will have a great time by taking basic precautions, and the city center is very safe. As a very broad rule of thumb, any area within a 15/20-minute walk of the Old Port is safe.

However, muggings and pickpockets have dramatically increased, so do avoid carrying valuables and watch your surroundings, like in most cities. Most of the northern neighbourhoods (quartiers nord), with the very notable exceptions of L'Estaque and Château-Gombert, are among the most dangerous in France outside the Paris area, and should be avoided by tourists. Thankfully, there is no reason to go there.

Furthermore, Marseille is one of the few cities in France to still have prevalent Mafias and gangs.

The area around Boulevard Michelet teems with prostitutes and should be avoided on soccer nights, as you can meet potentially angry and drunk Olympique de Marseille hooligans. Marseille is one of Europe's premier football cities, and local fans will not take too kindly to those who dare wear a visiting team's jersey, especially Paris Saint-Germain.