Marseille has been on our watch list for a long time so when opportunity for a long weekend getaway came up it was our number one choice. Short flight, good airport transfer options, great food, lots to see and do and a famous island with its own lighthouse. In the week leading up to our break the news had been dominated by French air traffic controller strikes and wildfires in that region, so it felt like a minor miracle to touch down in a scorching Marseille on a Friday lunchtime without a hitch.
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| Vieux Port, Marseille |
The L91 bus will whisk you from the airport to the central Saint Charles station in under half an hour or there are plenty of taxi options, including Uber.
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| Janus the Bear, Marseille |
Marseille has not always had the best reputation, often portrayed as a gritty port town and unfairly overlooked because of that. But Marseille has undergone a recent transformation that kicked into gear after it was named European Capital of Culture in 2013. Urban renewal projects blossomed, like the MUCEM museum and the redesign of public spaces, while the city’s vibrant immigrant communities infused neighbourhoods like Le Panier with colour, cuisine, and character.
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| Cathédrale La Major, Marseille |
As such Marseille has become one of the most intriguing and popular destinations in France for those people looking for something a little different, away from the typical French Riviera mould.
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Vieux Port, Marseille
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Any visit to France's oldest city begins at the Vieux Port, Marseille’s historic harbour. Once the city’s main trading hub, it’s now a sprawling marina flanked by cafés, ferries, and street performers. Exploring the port’s northern edge, you'll find fabulous views of the port by climbing the steps to a 360-degree viewing platform near the Église Saint-Laurent. A bit further on you'll stumble upon the stunning Cathédrale La Major. The cathedral is perched above the wide-open expanse of Promenade Robert-Laffont, where you'll find the quirky Teddy Bear Statue (named Janus the Bear) and the striking buildings of the MUCEM (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations) and cultural centre, Cosquer Méditerranée.
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| Phare Sainte Marie lighthouse, Marseille |
Just beyond, the Phare Sainte Marie lighthouse stands guard at the harbour entrance. Built in 1855, now retired but still proud.
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| Banksy lighthouse mural, Marseille |
We were very excited about visiting our next lighthouse, the Banksy lighthouse mural near La Corniche Kennedy. It resides in an unremarkable underpass a short distance from the seafront. It had been defaced, again, but that’s the nature of street art, isn’t it? Transient, provocative, and occasionally phallic - I researched previous defacing's, and you don't need an GCSE in Art to deface a lighthouse mural in that way.
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| Corniche Promenade, Marseille |
We walked the start of the Corniche promenade, a 7km stretch with sweeping views of the sea and the Frioul Islands and home to the world's longest bench! On the way back to the Port, we found Parc Émile Duclaux, a green haven with the best free views of the Vieux Port and the elegant Palais du Pharo, originally built for Napoleon III.
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| Palais du Pharo, Marseille |
There are several ferries that visit the small archipelago of the nearby Frioul Islands. The first stop is the famous Ile d’If , but on the first ferry of the day very few folk disembarked there as they were predominantly locals visiting the beaches of the other islands. As such, for half an hour before the next ferry arrived we had the island and its 16th-century fortress to ourselves.
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| The Phare du Château d’If |
The castle, immortalised in the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is a dramatic and oppressive building packed with claustrophobic barred cells. It must have been a nightmare for the inmates, with the sound of the ocean and view of the city, so near, yet so far away. It felt like a medieval Alcatraz with views to match, and like the prison island of San Francisco it has its own lighthouse, The Phare du Château d’If lighthouse.
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| Notre-Dame de la Garde, Marseille |
I wouldn't suggest the walk to the Notre-Dame de la Garde with a hangover but sometimes needs must on a tightly scheduled weekend break. So on a hot morning we stomped the twenty minutes (from the main port) uphill all the way to the Notre-Dame de la Garde at Marseille’s highest point. The basilica, built in the 19th century, is a symbol of the city and offers panoramic views which made us appreciate the huge footprint of the city.
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| Fort Saint-Jean, Marseille |
The harbour is a huge draw to eat and drink and is the perfect spot to people watch. But a short walk away there are some great districts bursting with character, and where you might not pay quite a much for that glass of red as you would on the front.
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| La Panier, Marseille |
La Panier is the city’s oldest district, and you can pick from a host of brasseries and bars to sip a cold beers in a sunlit squares, surrounded by pastel façades and street art. The area also boasts a huge number of boutique shops and hidden squares, all in a maze of interconnected steps and narrow lanes beautifully decorated with vivid street art.
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| The Creative Quarter, Marseille |
For a great lunch option head to the Creative Quarter which has a fabulously dramatic entrance in the form of the Escaliers du Cours Julien. The Creative Quarter is a bohemian area of bars, restaurants and indie shops set around a tree-lined square and the Fontain du Cours Julien. The buildings around the square and surrounding streets are vividly decorated with graffiti which makes for a colourful experience.
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The Creative Quarter, Marseille
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Cours Honoré d’Estienne d’Orves is in the heart of the Arsenaux district and adjoins the Vieux-Port. This square looks like an Italian square and is a very pleasant pedestrian area where you will find many bars, restaurants, bookshops and art galleries. We loved the lively atmosphere of the beerhalls and bars in this historic place. It is one of the main tourist spots in Marseille, but it didn't feel touristy.
A couple of honourable mentions for restaurants. Dinner was a revelation at Wood la Cantine Gourmande. We shared a burrata gazpacho with basil sorbet to start, followed by octopus and lentils, crispy outside, melt-in-the-mouth inside (and recommended by several other guests). And dessert? A deconstructed Snickers that was borderline spiritual. It was the best meal we've eaten in a very long time.
For a more down-to-earth quick lunch with the most perfect family-run hospitably you could ask for, head back to the port to Yasmine Vieux Port, which is Syrian / Lebanese cuisine and does a fabulous vegetarian platter. It is perfect for a hangover a good friend tells me.
Marseille isn't going to be for everyone, but for us, it was the perfect weekend escape. Sunshine, great food, striking art, a sea breeze and a city that makes you feel a little more alive.
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Notre-Dame de la Garde, Marseille
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