The main attraction of Marseille is the city itself: the atmosphere, the dynamism and the beating rhythm of a large port city. The place lives and works primarily in the present, and has been so for the past two and a half millenniums. Almost despite itself, however, the country has built up a cultural deficit – to which Marseille’s stint as European Capital of Culture in 2013 brought a degree of coherence and a lot of spice. From walking along the old harbor to getting lost in the colors and scents of Le Panier, there is a wealth of cultures and communities to discover.
For more inspiration about Marseille, check out our guide to the city and its best hotels, restaurants and nightlife.
Find what to do by area
City center
Stroll along the historic port of Marseille
Vieux Port – ‘The Old Port’ – has always been the center of Marseille and remains so – for parties, protests or whatever. In the 19th century, commercial port traffic came around the corner, so the vast space is now bustling with pleasure boats. Forts on either side of the entrance were built to keep the enemy out, but also in the hopeless hope of keeping the Marseillais themselves under control. On the south side, St. Victor’s Abbey has been looking after the spiritual side of things since the third century.
Insider tip: More carnal concerns are catered for by the bars and restaurants on the harbor – and the morning fish market on the Quai des Belges. The latter is now covered with a huge, reflective metal roof, as part of Norman Foster’s major project to redesign the road and traffic system around the Vieux Port. Now it’s even more fun to stroll around the area than before – and it should be even better when traffic is completely banned in a few years.
Price: Free
Enrich your knowledge of the Mediterranean in a state-of-the-art museum
On the north side of the Vieux Port, the heavily titled Musée des Civilizations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM), dedicated to Mediterranean culture, was the notable success of the city’s year as European Capital of Culture. The museum is truly world-class, with some fantastic exhibitions – including paintings, video installations, graffiti and photographs by the likes of Ai Weiwei and Joan Miró – already lined up. There are also interesting religious objects, masks and jewelry on display.
Insider tip: If you don’t have time to go inside, at least take a look at the outside: the new section is quite startling, with its feet in the water and apparently wearing a cloak.
Contact: mucem.org
Price: £
Cosquer Cave
Humanity has waited 19,000 years to see the paintings from Cosquer Cave again. Marseille waited almost a decade to find anything related to the Villa Méditerrranée, a waterfront pole that looks like a half “Z.” It has become redundant since its construction in 2013. The wait is over for both of them. The 500 paintings from the Cosquer Cave – whose entrance is now 37 meters below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea – were discovered by a diver in 1985. Finally, they have all been reproduced in a prehistoric spectacle that colonized the Villa, which opened in 2022. more blessed with parietal art than most (Lascaux, Chauvet), this proved an important cultural development (grotte-cosquer.com; £13).
Contact: grotte-cosquer.com
Price: £
Discover Marseille’s busiest thoroughfare
Marseille’s emblematic avenue, La Canebière, expressed the wealth, pride and ambitions of the port’s colonial trading days. The street, which stretched wide and arrow-straight from the Vieux Port for two-thirds of a mile, was once flanked by grand hotels and ornate, Haussmannian mansions that were favored by merchants unwilling to hide their success. Although it is now lined with budget shops and takeaway shops, the building remains stately – and is gradually getting a facelift. The whole life of Marseille runs this way, and so should you.
Insider tip: After your walk, head to the Capucin district, where you’ll find yourself in a souk area with market stalls and open emporia selling spices and everything else that the North African community holds dear. In just a few steps you will have Marseille in a nutshell.
Price: Free
Cite Radieuse
The Cité Radieuse was Swiss-born modernist architect Le Corbusier’s attempt to show post-war city dwellers how to live. In one enormous block on stilts he designed 337 apartments plus shops, schools, hotel and restaurant and lots of light, color and open space. It remains an illuminating exercise in architectural optimism, while the hotel and trade are still active. English speaking visits are on Saturdays at 10.30am during school holidays. It is crucial that you book in advance with the Marseille tourist office. It’s also a bit far from the center, even for avid city walkers, so take metro 2 to Rond-Point du Prado, then bus 21 or 22 to “Le Corbusier”.
Contact: marseille-tourisme.com
Price: £
Get lost in the most atmospheric district of Marseille
Le Panier, which climbs the hill north of the Vieux Port, is where the incoming Greeks settled and is claimed to be the oldest urban town. neighbourhood In France. Then immigrants came to live here. Despite attempts at gentrification, it is still the most atmospheric part of the city where you can wander around to your heart’s content.
Insider tip: Be sure to stop by La Vieille Charité, an amazing 17th-century building that used to be the almshouse. It is now home to two decent museums: on Mediterranean archeology and on African, Oceanic and Native American art. The first has the second largest collection of Egyptian treasures in France, after the Louvre. But the real attraction is Pierre Puget’s domed chapel in the courtyard.
Price: Free
Notre Dame de la Garde
It is 150 meters almost straight up to the great Byzantine basilica that rises above the city and is itself crowned by an 11 meter high golden statue of the Virgin and Child, la Bonne Mère. She is both revered and highly esteemed by the Marseillais, because She apparently lets them do whatever they damn well please. Outside you have a great view of the sea and the city of Marseille as a whole. Inside, the lavish Roman-Byzantine decor indicates that the late 19th century church is trying to be heard above the noise of the godless republic. Look out for dozens of ex-votos, including the votes asking the Virgin for help for Olympique de Marseille FC. It’s quite a challenge on foot, so take the tourist train or the Colorbüs tourist bus (see below) from the Vieux Port.
Watch Marseille’s biggest hits in one go
Seasoned travelers will tell you that open-top tourist buses are boring. Don’t listen to them. The Colorbüs tour, which starts at the Vieux Port, is a wonderful way to take in many of Marseille’s biggest hits without too much effort. The English commentary on board is not bad at all. The bus takes you around the Corniche to the beaches on the south side – and especially the steep climb to Notre-Dame de la Garde. The hop-on, hop-off bus can be spread over two days.
Insider tip: Notre-Dame de la Garde is definitely worth a stop: the Roman-Byzantine basilica is topped by a 10-meter-high statue of the Virgin and Child, covered in gold leaf, and can be seen everywhere in Marseille. It also offers breathtaking views of the entire city.
Contact: colorbus.fr/en/
Opening hours: Tours daily, from 10am (every 30 minutes)
Price: ££
Musée d’Histoire de Marseille
This is my favorite museum in Marseille, which gives a contemporary account of the city’s story. It’s more coherently compelling than the stories told in other cultural outposts.
Contact: musee-histoire.marseille.fr
Price: £
Remote islands
Go island hopping for a day
The most famous island near Marseille is the prison island If. Despite what they tell you on the island, the Count of Monte Cristo was not imprisoned here; he was a fictional character. However, a visit to the fortifications is an invigorating experience and well worth it. The other two islands, Pomègues and Ratonneau (collectively known as ‘Frioul’), are connected by a causeway. They offer beautiful walks along wild limestone cliffs and wonderful swimming in creeks in summer. Look for the 19th-century Caroline Hospital, which was used as a quarantine facility to keep yellow fever out of Marseille. There is also a small harbor village here, built in the 1970s, with bars and restaurants.
Insider tip: You can see both destinations in one day as they are on the same ferry route (20 minutes to If; 30 minutes to Frioul). However, if you want to visit the castle on If, you will have to pay an extra €6 to enter. The boats leave from the Vieux Port. Look for the sign ‘Frioul-If-Express’.
Contact: frioul-if-express.com
Price: £
Days out
Calanques
One of the best day trips from Marseille is to hop on a boat and visit the calanques – the limestone cliffs and coves that stretch 20 miles south of the city. These are pure white and deep blue and form the most dramatic stretch of coastline in the French Mediterranean. However, they are largely inaccessible by car and difficult to reach on foot. Icard Maritime at the Vieux Port offers rides of two and a half and three hours and 15 minutes, for €27 (£22) and €33 (£27) respectively.
Contact: visite-des-calanques.com
Aix-en-Provence
If you have time, try to take in Aix-en-Provence – Marseille’s smarter, more cultured brother, loved by the good King René, Paul Cézanne and generations of nobles, academics and lawyers. The Cours Mirabeau is the most elegant thoroughfare in the south of France, with the old town behind it full of culture, trade and the hustle and bustle of southern life. From Marseille it’s 30 minutes by direct shuttle bus, No. 50, from St Charles bus station on Rue Honnorat (€7/£6). Buy your tickets there once.
Contact: lecaraixmarseille.com/ligne-50
How we choose
Every attraction and activity in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to bring you their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from world-class museums to family-friendly theme parks – to best suit every type of traveler. We update this list regularly to stay informed of the latest vacancies and to provide current recommendations.