Top 10 attractions in Marseille

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Explore Marseille on the bus or the little train

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The first thing to do in a new city is to get an idea of its layout and the main attractions. The easiest and fastest way to do it is on a tour. There are two different types in Marseille that give you a good overview of this lively city.

Open Top Bus Tour

The 1¼-hour open bus tour takes you around the main sights and streets. It’s a great way to enjoy the top attractions at your own pace, giving you 24-hour access and hop-on, hop-off access at all stops.

There are 13 stops, starting at Puerto Viex (Old Port). You pass defensive Fort Saint-Nicolas towards the great President Kennedy de Corniche for panoramic views of the sea. Then go up the narrow streets, past elegant old villas to Notre Dame de la Garde, where the views are excellent. You pass near Abbaye Saint-Victor, which is worth seeing, you go through Le Panier, the old town, then you return to the port of Viex and you take a tour of the area called La Joliette. You pass the Cathedral and Fort Saint-Jean with a stop at MuCEM (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations) before returning to the port of Vieux.

Open bus ticket information on page 11.

The Little Train Tour

Le Petit Train also departs from the Vieux Port and has 2 routes. One goes from the Old Port to Notre Dame de la Garde, which encompasses other sites such as the Abbaye Saint-Victor. It stops for 30 minutes at Notre Dame, giving you plenty of time to take in the remarkable interior and views. The entire trip, including the stop, takes about 1¼ hours.

The second circuit runs through old Marseille, giving you a tour of Le Panier, where you can stop if you want to see the shops, restaurants and bars. This lasts about 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Information on Le Petit Train on page 11.

Transport: Metro Line 1 to Vieux Port and many buses.

All the attractions of Marseille

2. Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde

3. Puerto Le Vieux

4. Museum of the Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean.

5. Walk through Le Panier, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Marseille.

6. Le Corbusier’s Cite Radieuse and the Olympique de Marseille Velodrome football stadium

7. Chateau Borely Museum of Decorative Art and Fashion

8. Le Palais Longchamp Museums of Fine Arts and Natural History

9. Shopping in Marseille

10. Take a trip to the islands and bays around Marseille

11. Practical information about Marseille

02
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Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde dominated Marsella

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Telephone

+33 4 91 13 40 80

Web

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Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde Basilica is a must see; It rises above the city from its hill, 162 meters high. The current building is little more than a century old, but the site and what it occupies has a much longer history.

The original small chapel on the hill was built in 1214 as a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary and expanded somewhat in 1477. In 1515, King Francois passed through Marseille on his way back to Paris after defeating the Italians in the battle of Marignan. Seeing the lack of defense of the city and threatened by the ambitious ^5th Charles, Holy Roman Emperor, who wanted the south of France to reunite his two great regions of Spain and central Europe, the French king opted for 2 fortresses in Marseille : one on the island of If just outside the port, and the other on the top of the hill, which encloses the little chapel.

During the following centuries, Notre-Dame remained a public chapel within the fortress, and the sailors adopted it as their church. The military buildings were turned into a prison during the French Revolution in the 1790s, which housed members of the Bourbon royal family and the chapel was stripped of everything, including its status as a religious building. But religion quickly returned and in 1807 religious services began again.

The chapel was replaced by the great basilica in the middle ^19th century, opened in 1864 and finally ended in 1897. It was designed by Henry Esperandieu who also designed the Nouvelle-largest cathedral in the city of similar style.

The huge, very golden statue of Our Lady dwarfs you as you get closer. The interior is a Roman Byzantine extravaganza, its bombastic decoration modified by small boats hanging around the nave and plaques placed by sailors and fishermen. Its main attraction for visitors is the splendid view over the sea and the surrounding countryside. From here you get a fantastic view of iconic buildings such as the modern Vélodrome, home of the l ‘Olympique de Marseille (OM) football team.

Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde
Colline de la garde
Tel.: 00 33 (0) 4 91 13 40 80
Website
Open every day 7 am-6.15pm; Apr. To sept. 7 am-7:15pm
Free entry.

If you want to see more than 8 centuries of the basilica’s history, visit the Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica Museum .
Rue Fort du Sanctuaire
Tel.: 00 33 (0) 4 91 13 40 04
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5.30 pm Apr-Sep 10 am to 6.30pm
Transport: Bus 60

03
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Spend time in Le Vieux Port, the old port of Marseille

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It was here that the Phoenicians landed in 600 BC, making this the cradle of Marseille. Today, the Old Port is where everyone congregates, strolling through the small fish market or Sunday craft market, gathering in the cafes, bars, and restaurants along the docks and people-watching. A free ferry (10 am-1.15pm and 2-7pm) takes you across the harbor from the Hôtel de ville to the Rive Neuve pier, giving you excellent, albeit short, views of the boats rocking up and down, high and sleek wooden yachts alongside sleek modern speedboats with the strange old fishing boat that stands up to the modern age.

There is a huge massive metal canopy at one end designed by Norman Foster, ideal for protection from the summer sun. Look up: it is like a giant mirror that reflects you on the ground.

On one side of that you will find the boats that run to the different islands around Marseille, to the Côte d’Azur and to the Calanques.

Transport: Metro 1 Le Vieux Port and many buses.

04
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The Museum of the Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean.

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Telephone

+33 4 84 35 13 13

Web

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The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (MuCEM) is located next to Fort Saint-Jean, its striking modern architecture by Rudy Ricciotto looks like a giant child’s toy. Opened in 2013, the exhibition aims to show the world of Mediterranean countries, from France to Israel. J4 as it is called takes 4 themes, the birth of agriculture and the rise of the gods; Jerusalem, holy city of the three religions; Citizenship and human rights, and beyond the known world.

For all details and information, see the MuCem Guide

05
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Stroll through Le Panier, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Marseille

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For a bit of history, walk through Le Panier. The oldest part of Marseille, named after an old inn, is located north of the Old Port. It was a mix of small streets until 1943 when the area filled with Resistance fighters, Jews and Communists fleeing the German occupation of the city. People had 24 hours to leave and many were deported to the camps. The Germans then dynamited the area, leaving only 3 buildings: the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) in the Old Port, the Hôtel de Cabre at the corner of rue Bonneterie and Grande-Rue, and the Maison Diamantée on rue de la Prison. .

You can see all those buildings and the small streets that remain if you follow the red path, a walk that takes you through the old town and Le Panier. The trail also takes you through the Hospice de la Vieille Charité a -Century ^17th house built by Pierre Puget work with a baroque chapel. Today it houses 2 museums: the Musée d’Archéologie Méditerranéenne (Museum of Mediterranean Archeology) and the Musee d’arts Africains, Océanians, Amérindiens (Museum of African, Pacific and Native American Art), both worth a visit. The trail starts at the Tourist Office, where you can also get a map.

Also see other walks through different areas of Marseille, all well marked with different colored lines on the streets. Maps from the tourist office.

06
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Le Corbusier’s Cite Radieuse and the Velodrome in Marseille

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Two iconic buildings stand close to each other along Boulevard Michelet in northeast Marseille. The most famous is La Cité Radieuse , the great work of the architect Le Corbusier that you love or hate. Built between 1947 and 1952, the inspiration was to create a new way of life in a “radiant city.” The 17-story building, a gigantic concrete Concourse, 165 meters long and 56 meters high, houses 337 apartments with brightly colored doors built along interior roads, a hotel, an architecture library, a school and several businesses, although many of them are closed. On the ^ninth floor, strange shapes sculpted in concrete overlook the splendid panorama of the city. MAMO is an art center that holds temporary exhibitions of international architects.

You can take a guided tour with a group (contact the Tourist Office for more information) or wander on your own.

The Radiant City
280 Boulevard Michelet
Tel.: 0826 10 40 44 (línea de reserva)
Web sitio

MAMO
Center d’art de la Cité Radieuse
280 Boulevard Michelet
Tel.: 00 33 (0) 1 42 46 00 09
Website
Open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm
Entry 5 euros

Transport: Metro Line 2 to Rond-point du Prado
Líneas de autobús 21, 21S, 22 y 22S to Le Corbusier

The Stade-Vélodrome is a must for football fans. Originally built in 1938 for the World Cup soccer event, it is now a reconstructed corrugated structure, partially open to the sky, constructed of steel and glass. Marseille, the European Capital of Sport, hosts UEFA Europe 2016 here. You can take a tour in English through the showrooms dedicated to the local team, OM (l’Olympique de Marseille, which was the team of the legendary player, Zinedine Zidane). You see the VIP boxes and you can sit looking at the impressive space. It also hosts great concerts in the summer, from the likes of Paul McCartney.

Stade-Vélodrome
3 Boulevard Michelet
Tel.: 00 33 0826 10 40 44 (reservations) Visits to
website from April to May only

Transport: Metro Line 2 to Rond-Point du Prado and then a 5-minute walk south.

07
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Chateau Borely Museum of Decorative Arts and Fashion

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Telephone

+33 4 91 55 33 60

Web

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Just south of La Cité Radieuse, you will find a different museum. The elegant ^18th -Century Château Borély houses the Museum of Decorative Arts and fashionable, which is mainly engaged to a rich collection of ceramics.

Start in the luncheon room with 18^th-century glazed earthenware made by Gaspard Robert who broke the near monopoly of the Sevres porcelain works. You see beautifully shaped and delicately painted pot pourri holders, plates, dishes and intriguing pots with indentations around the rim designed to refresh glasses in the water inside before the servants poured yet another kind of wine.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, there were many different ceramicists in Marseille but they were a close-knit community who intermarried and moved between each other’s works, so creating what became a homogeneous style. In other rooms you see the other main Provencal works, from Moustiers-Ste-Marie in the Gorges du Verdon, Apt, Castellet and Varanges. There’s a room devoted to blue and white ceramics; a bathroom with scent bottles, a cabinet of curiosities, and modern ceramics.

There’s also a small costume gallery and wallpaper corridor. The delightful park with its boating lake, rose gardens and a botanical garden, is always full of families enjoying picnics, joggers and bicyclists. Walk towards the sea and you can get to the Borély beach for a swim.

Château Borély
143 ave Clot-Bey
Tel.: 00 33 (0)4 91 55 33 60
Website
Open Tues-Sun 10am-6pm
Admission Adult €5, under 18 years free. Free with City Pass

Transport Bus 83

08
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Le Palais Longchamp Museums of Fine Arts and Natural History

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Phone

+33 4 91 14 59 30

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It might have been conceived as the end of a viaduct to bring water by a canal from the Durance river to the town in the 19^th century, but after adding a triumphal arch and an allegorical fountain in fine neo-classical style, the Longchamp Palace looks more like a statement of power and wealth. Inside there are two good museums.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts, the newly renovated Fine Arts Museum, houses a superb collection of Italian, Flemish and French art from the 16^th to the 19^th centuries from artists of the calibre of Rubens, Jordaens, David, Corot and Signac as well as the 19^th-century satirist who hailed from Marseille, Honoré Daumier.

The Musée d’Histoire Naturelle (Natural History Museum) shows off the flora and fauna of Provence as well as its zoology. Its collection of stuffed animals dates back to the 18^th century.

Longchamp Palace
Place Henri-Dunant

Musée des Beaux-Arts
Tel.: 00 33 (0)4 91 14 59 30
Website
Open Tues-Sun 10am-6pm
Closed Jan 1, May 1, Nov 1, Dec 25, 26
Admission with the Natural History Museum Adult €5; under 18 years free; free 1^st Sunday of the month. Free with City Pass.

Museum d’Histoire Naturelle
Tel.: 00 33 (0)4 91 14 59 50
Website
Open Tues-Sun 10am-6pm
Admission with the Fine Arts Museum (see above).

Transport: Metro Line 1 to Cinq Avenues-Longchamp
Tram 2.

09
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Shopping in Marseille from chic boutiques to colorful markets

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Phone

+33 4 88 91 46 00

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There are plenty of opportunities for shopping in Marseille. With the revival of Marseille and particularly the renovations around the old port, came a huge new shopping complex, Les Terrasses du Port (9, Quai du Lazaret) with 190 shops and restaurants. It’s buzzing all the time, is open 7 days a week and has great views from the terrace overlooking the sea. There are both international designers and high street shops (French and international) here.

Many shops are south of La Camebière district, within three streets: rue Paradis, rue St-Ferréol and ru de Rome. Many boutiques and shops are around the Musée Cantini.  The streets around Cours Julien are full of small artists shops.

For antiques, visit the Quartier des Antiquaires , a series of streets west of Place Castellane.

You’ll find independent boutiques and individual designer shops in the streets around rue Saint-Victor, rue d’Endoume and rue Sainte.

There are markets daily in Marseille, but try to make for the Marché Noailles (also called the Marché des Capucins), a general market but full of African spices and colourful textiles. It’s open Monday to Saturday 8am to 7pm.

The photo is of Atelier Terre Neuve in Le Panier at 1 rue Four du Chapître.

• Check out more great shopping in Marseille.

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The islands and bays outside Marseille

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There’s plenty to see outside Marseille. Most people start with a boat tour out to Château d’If and the island of Le Frioul which you can see from Marseille. The Chateau d’If was used as a state prison, then became the place where Alexandre Dumas set the Man in the Iron Mask.

Le Frioul is a great place for long walks. There are plenty of apartments to rent and small restaurants along the quayside where the boats from Marseille stop.

If you can, get out to Les Calanques, a preserved coastline between the sea and the montains. It’s now a National Park and well protected. Crystal clear bright blue water with inlets cut sharply into the rocky coastline invite you to walk, swim or just marvel at the view.

The third option takes you out to the Côte Bleu, on the other side of Marseille. A series of small villages are strung out along a coastline beloved by the 19^th century Impressionist painters. Take the train and get out at any of the villages like Estaque from Marseille, or take a boat from the Vieux Port.

• Information and descriptions of the trips to the islands, the Calanques and the Cote Bleu.

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Marseille – Practical Information

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Getting to Marseille

Marseille is now on the direct route by eurostar and TGV from St. Pancras International in London. The train (daily in summer, less frequent in the low season) leaves London at 7.19am and goes via Lyon and Avignon, arriving at Marseille at 2.46pm (local time), taking just 6 hours 27 mins. Return tickets start from £99. 

More about traveling by train direct from London to Marseille.

I travelled through Great Rail Journeys, a UK company which organizes both escorted group rail holidays and individual journeys. They can tailor-make you an itinerary entirely following your directions. For orgnised travel, check out some of their ideas on their website. Typical escorted group holidays include 6 days in the Dordogne and the Lot from £645 per person; and Languedoc and Carcassone (7 days from £795 per person).

Contact Great Rail Journeys by telephone on 0800 140 4444 (from the UK) or check their website.

• Great Rail Journeys general information
• Great Rail Journeys tailor-made trips

For more detailed information, check out my article on how to get to Marseille from London or Paris.

Marseille Tourist Office
11, La Canebiere
Phone: 00 33 (0) 826 500 500 (€ 0.15)
Website

Pick up a map from the tourist office. The map is very detailed, with addresses of every attractions as well as pharmacies etc. and has transport directions to each.

If you plan to spend time in Marseille, visiting different attractions, buy the City Pass from the Tourist Office: 1 day 24 euros; 2days 31 euros; 3 days 39 euros. The City Pass gives you free entry to the museums; free transport; crossing to Chateau d’If; one tour on the little train and reduced fare for the Open Bus Tour

L’Open Bus Tour: Get a ticket in advance from the Tourist Office, or at your hotel, or wherever you board for the 1 ¼  hour tour. You can get on and off at any of the 13 stops and the ticket lasts for 24 hours. 1 day 19 euros; 2 days 22 euros (10% less with City Pass). Pay the driver when you board. Daily journeys every 45 minutes in high season. Closed Jan 5-23.

Le Petit Train.  Circuit 1 up to Notre Dame de la Garde goes daily in high season about every 20 minutes from a stop along the Vieux Port 10am-12.20pm & 1.40-6.20pm.  At other times, check the timetable as the train goes daily but at less regular intervals. Duration with a 30 minutes stop at Notre Dame around 1 ¼ hours. Adult 8 euros; 3-11 years 4 euros.

Circuit 2 Le Vieux Marseille departs every day from April 1 to November 15 approximately every 30 minutes from a stop along the port of Vieux from 10 am to 12:30 pm and from 2 to 6 pm The duration with a 30 minute stop at Le Panier is about 1 hour and 5 minutes. Adult 7 euros; 2-11 years 3 euros.

Check the Petit Train schedule.

Buy your tickets at the Tourist Office, your hotel or at the boarding point in the Old Port.