6 reasons to visit Marseille
Beautiful Places in Marseille that go against some of the city’s preconceptions!
Yes, we’ve heard often that Marseille is the most dangerous city in France.
However, as I’ve seen myself in the last three weeks of my semester abroad, it has so many pretty areas and viewpoints worth a visit!
Plus, the dangerous parts are very much centered in the northern districts. In the central areas, it’s similar to other big cities.
Marseille is right at the coast and offers a wide selection of places to visit and regular community events, which makes it a great place to spend a holiday!
Here are some beautiful places to visit in Marseille:
1. Calanques
One of the most unique parts of Marseille is the National Park of the Calanques.
These rock formations can be found right at the coast — stretching all the way from Marseille to the smaller (and very beautiful) town of Cassis.
The region the Calanques are in is called Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur — Départements Bouches-du-Rhône.
You can hike in the Calanques for an entire day and keep seeing something new!
When the temperature is warm enough, the beautiful turquoise water invites you for a swim in the ocean!
2. Vieux Port (Old Port)
The old port is not only a beautiful place to see — oftentimes there are also events at the big square!
One time, we were going back from the beach and saw that there was a little jazz concert at Vieux Port!
Simply the ambiance and the joyfulness in the air made it such a beautiful end to the long day.
At the old port, there’s a famous place, where many people like to take cool pictures: a gigantic overhead mirror, called “L’Ombrière du Vieux-Port”.
Here’s one that I took:
Furthermore, you can sit right at Vieux Port on the rocks (although, it might be a bit windy!)
To get an even better view of the sunset, you can walk to the very front on the right side, behind the most famous museum of Marseille, the MUCEM (Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean)
This was the wonderful view that we had there of the sunset:
3. Museums of Marseille
As mentioned already, the MUCEM is THE most famous museum and a must-visit in Marseille.
Alone its unique architecture and the great views that you can get from there, make the place worth a visit!
There are many many museums in Marseille — another smaller museum / exhibition that I would recommend is in the Palais Longchamps.
There are varying exhibitions and in addition, you can take a stroll in the park right behind the palace after your museum visit!
Best tip: free entry to museums on the first Sunday of each month!
And, if you’re under 26 years old, there are often discounts!
4. La Corniche -> Beaches & Parks
There are several beautiful beaches in Marseille to relax on, play beach volleyball, go swimming, or watch the sunset (or even sunrise for those early birds :).
“La Corniche” is the street that goes all the way along the seaside of Marseille.
This street is great to stroll or bike on…
And a few times a year it is even banned for cars! So even more pedestrian- and environmentally friendly.
You can start walking from Vieux Port to the left side, to find the Palais du Pharo — in a park with marvelous views of the ocean.
Fun fact: it was ordered to be built by Napoleon as a residence for him and his wife, Eugénie. However, due to the war, they were never able to reside there :(
Walking farther, you will come across a few beaches.
The main ones:
- Plage des Catalans (closest to the city)
- Plage des Prophètes
- Plage du Prado (above image)
Near Prado beach, there is the Parc Borély (image below), which is a gigantic park. There are even two botanical gardens inside the park!
5. Notre Dame de la Garde
If you fly to Marseille, it is likely that you will see the highest point of the city: Notre Dame de la Garde.
This basilica is one of the top sightseeing points of Marseille and gives you a great view of the city and the ocean.
To get up the hill, you can walk (which is what we did), or take a bus, or the special (very touristy) small marseille train (“le petit train” — as seen in the photo below).
Close to the Basilic, there is also the “Jardin de la Colline Puget”, which is a wonderful green place to go for a walk.
6. Day trips
From Marseille, you can easily go to other wonderful places close by for a day trip!
Here are some ideas:
- Islands! -> there are two islands right in front of Marseille that you can easily reach by boat from Vieux Port. The larger island, Frioul, is definitely worth a day trip — with wonderful landscapes perfect to hike, and even a beach where you can swim! The smaller island is mainly occupied by the Chateau d’If — if you go here, I would highly recommend watching the movie, The Count of Monte Cristo, before going, which takes place on the island.
- Aix-en-Provence -> a beautiful city close to Marseille where you can get to by bus. There you can find also find some good markets to go to!
- Cassis -> also very beautiful with access to the Calanques!
- Martigues -> a smaller commune perfect for a half-day trip with great views and pastel-colored houses (see image above)
- Aubagne
Going a little further (long day or rather a weekend trip)
- Arles
- Carmagues -> known for its flamingos and wild horses
- Avignon
- Montpellier -> another beautiful student city
And to the other side of the coast, there’s the Côte d’Azur
- Toulon
- Saint-Tropez
- Cannes
- Nice
- Monaco
Most of them can be easily reached by bus (such as Aix, Cassis, and Martigues), or the islands of course by boat, or by train.
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