Marseille
France
Backpacking Marseille
Information on Marseille, sights to see, nightlife, activities and more.
Marseille is France’s second city and the capital of the South. It is a sun-scorched Mediterranean culture full of history, food and cool culture ranging from fine art to street art. A busy, bustling port, though not particularly touristy, Marseille is becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination. A classic French fishing city where you can watch the day’s catches come in and take a load off sat at one of the many port-side bars or restaurants. Marseille is a multicultural city with a large immigrant population Marseille can also easily cater for lovers of Caribbean, North African and Italian cuisine. One thing Marseille prides itself on even more than food is its beaches. While the temperatures and quality can vary you’ll be spoiled for choice. Marseille is filled with nightlife, tempting restaurants, theaters, museums, and an international soccer stadium. Marseille lacks the beauty of Paris but think beautiful waterfront and historic buildings mixed throughout give it a unique vibe.
Must See
Le Vieux Port - The Old Port of Marseille is ideal for watching fishermen sell their stock, indulging in fresh seafood, or hiring a boat for the day. You can cross the harbor via boat for cheap if you’d like to get on the water.
Visit Château d’If - Château d’If is a fortress in the sea, just off the coast of Marseille. This small island off the city was a penal colony for political prisoners, but It’s better known for its role in the novel by Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte-Cristo. You can take a ferry here and enjoy exploring the dungeons.
Must Do
Visit Le Panier - Built upon the site where the Greeks first settled in 600 BC, Le Panier became a neighbourhood for the workers and immigrants of Marseille. Today, though bearing the usual hallmarks of gentrification, Le Panier feels instantly like one of these French literary dreamscapes. Slightly shabby with narrow streets of pastel-colored shutters and steep staircases, it is somewhere to wander for several hours on foot.
Walk La Corniche - This striking seaside walkway winds along the coast for 5 kilometers, offering lovely scenic views over the sea, as well as Chateau d’If , and les Calanques (a steep-walled inlet made of limestone and dolomite) to the east.
Nightlife
Marseille is both a big city and a working port so it doesn’t lack for bars. Many of the best bars cluster around the Vieux Port, though these days, the hippest of all, gather in the streets around Rue Sainte et Rue d’Endoume, up above the Vieux Port in a previously little-visited district. Cours Julien, West of the port is also a square lined with bars & cafe’s worth checking out.
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