15 top things to do in Marseille for the best of the Provençal capital

14.01.2024 - 08:43 / lonelyplanet.com

With a pedigree rooted in classical Greece and a fair claim to the mantle of France's second city, Marseille is an intense, high-octane place that never stops moving. In the last decade, this noisy, once-notoriously unglamorous port has morphed into a quietly cool influencer. With its eclectic choice of museums, churches and coastal parks in a sprawling metropolis famously stitched from 111 wildly diverse “villages,” Provence’s all-consuming capital deserves far more time than a quick weekend.

Rethink traditional sightseeing. The heartbeat of this ancient port on the Mediterranean in southern France is art de vivre à la Marseille. Bursting with on-trend cultural and culinary creativity, backdropped by history and anchored by seafaring tradition, local lifestyle is the real attraction – an exciting potpourri of old and new. Here are the best things to do in Marseille to really get under its salty, weathered, mistral-whipped skin.

End sultry summer days with locals on the chase for le plus beau (most beautiful) sunset. It’s a stiff hike up to the city’s highest point, crowned by the opulent Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde, but the bird’s-eye views of the golden city at sunset are hard to beat. Nearby, the fashionable pavement terrace of Café de l’Abbaye ogles at the Vieux Port. Down by the water, snag a pew at portside La Caravelle for the reverse view.

For true sunset connoisseurs, Marseille’s rooftop bars – Rooftop Hôtel Hermes, R2, or the sizzling new rooftop bar at uber-cool Tuba in Les Goudes, perhaps – are the best place to watch the sun sink into the Med.

Local tip: A worthy out-of-town alternative: follow the crowd along the southbound corniche (coastal road) to the main beach strip Plages du Prado, or stop at a rocky inlet (reached by steps down) en route.

There’s far more than fish and seafood in Marseille’s stockpot of culinary flavors. Eyeing up trays of ice and plastic crates displaying the catch of the day at the morning fish market on Quay des Belges is an intrinsic part of the Vieux Port experience. But to appreciate the port city’s full ethnic diversity, mooch the souq-esque labyrinth of open-air stalls at Marché des Capucins in the foodie neighborhood of Noailles.

Be it seasonal fruit and veg from Provence or papaya and pistachios from far-flung lands, Middle Eastern halvah (a syrupy sesame seed treat), or North African spices, this street market mirrors multicultural Marseille. Continue the flavorsome, world-food tour with lunch at one of the many ethnically diverse eateries on insanely hip Cours Julien.

No exploration of the seething Vieux Port – Marseille’s hectic heart and soul – is complete without a short boat trip to the photogenic island fortress of Château d’If, immortalized in