For as long as I can remember, I’ve had this unshakeable desire to visit Marseille in the south of France. Not to do anything or try anything particularly new though. In fact, I’d forgotten why exactly I even THOUGHT to travel to this gritty, rough port city with its accented French and notoriously tough reputation. And then I arrived. And it all came back to me…..

“Quoi?” – my teacher looked at me quizzically. I had tried to say “I want to go there” in my elementary French but probably managed to insult her in some way (not an unusual occurrence during my university days). On the screen was a picture of a beautiful Mediterranean port, with dazzling blue water and ships with tall masts. It was Marseille and it looked spectacular.

Marseille’s beautiful old port is best experienced at sunset

Why go to Marseille?

France’s second largest city, Marseille is, and always has been, a melting pot of cultures, food and styles. Back in the old days the city belonged to the Greeks, Romans and countless others before becoming synonymous in the late 20^th century with immigration from the former French colonies and there is now a large North African population. These days, Marseille is well-known for its musical scene and within France as the home of French hip-hop. And in 2013 the city was designated the European capital of culture.

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The Le Panier district of Marseille

We made our way back down into the city after a while and headed towards Marseille’s trendy Le Panier district. Filled with small cafes, street art and a funky bohemian vibe, it’s hard not to love this area. We stopped at one of the bars which spilled out onto the road to rehydrate and take in the atmosphere, but before long we were being ushered off into the kerb as a firetruck – yes a FIRETRUCK – came down along the road. It was a bit of a tight squeeze but literally as soon as it had passed, everyone came rushing back and not a drop was spilled during the whole operation!

MuCEM and Fort St Jean

Drinks complete we wandered off in search of two of Marseille’s highlights: the MuCEM and Fort St Jean. Wandering through some alleys we finally made our way around to the Museum of European and Mediterranean civilisations (or MuCEM for short). Wow, it instantly strikes you as a spectacular work of art/architecture. It’s a brand new building (2012) by architect Rudy Ricciotti and looks fresh, contemporary and cutting edge. It also makes for a stunning night shot!

Inside the museum is a bunch of cafes and of course art, sculptures, etc. They have a really good collection of ancient artefacts (Marseille has been a port for the Greek, Romans, Visigoths and numerous others throughout time) which provides a good overview of the city’s history. Entry is €9.5.

When you are finished at the MuCEM, if you head to the roof and cross the walkway you will enter Fort St Jean. This 17th century port has been restored and opened to the public and is a really cool attraction for visitors. It has this interesting mix of history with some contemporary art pieces and some pretty outlandish sculptures thrown in for good measure! Entrance is free to just walk around, etc.

Sitting just behind the MuCEM and Fort St Jean is Marseille’s Cathedrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure. There is something about churches in Marseille: they are just so cool! Take this cathedral for example, its striped, candied design is pretty unusual but looks amazing.

Palais Longchamp

If you are a fan of majestic French architecture and consider yourself somewhat of a romantic, then Palais Longchamp is for you! This 19^th century monument houses a few museums and is surrounded by an expansive beautiful green garden, one of the finest in France.

La bouillabaisse and Marseille’s most famous dish

Of course, no self-respecting Francophile would visit Marseille and NOT gorge themselves on its world famous dish: La Bouillabaisse. Originally a fisherman’s stew consisting of at least three different types of fish, the rich flavours and fresh seafood became an instant hit and has since been imitated many times around the world.

So after some extensive research (literally 4 and a half minutes on Google in our apartment…), I decided to try out the offering at La Voille Marsellaise down in the port area. Now La Bouillabaisse is expensive (some reaching up to €100) but this place was around €40 or so. And it was spectacular! The sauce was creamy but not too overpowering, and the seafood was to die for. If you’re a seafood fan, you must try Bouillabaisse in Marseille! 

Generally, the food in Marseille was really good, reasonable prices (sometimes difficult to find in France) but all of exceptional quality. I inhaled one of the best burgers I’ve ever had at the port – (ask for the ‘charolais’ burger and thank me later!).

Plage du Prado

While we were tromping around Marseille, we also decided to head outside the city to the beach, or Plage du Prado as its known in French. Hopping on the No. 19 bus to ‘La Plage’ will drop you off at a nearby shopping centre and you can then cross the road over to the beach. Though it was warm it was a bit too windy for our liking (like a freaking hurricane actually!), the beach was quite large and we were all a bit disappointed not to be able to enjoy it more.

Other things to do in Marseille (that we didn’t get to)

There was a whole heap of things we didn’t get to do in Marseille, but if you do have the time, be sure to fit these into your schedules somewhere:

• Calanques are narrow rock formations on the coast which look like beautiful isolated lagoons and they have the most amazing blue Mediterranean water. They are mostly outside of Marseille city along the coast so you’ll have to organise a tour or hire a car to reach them. We’ll be back for these!
• Cruising the harbour – Marseille is a port city so what better way to explore it than hire a boat to take you around. You’ll get stunning views of the port, forts and buildings on the headlands and even see some of the sights outside of the port and its surrounds.

The verdict

Hell, I loved Marseille! All of it. The city was buzzing and alive and much more enjoyable than other reviews had led me to believe. It’s also one of the most stunning French cities I’ve visited with just the right mix of new and old architecture, lively streets and natural beauty. Even the food was noteworthy, but then I never could go past fresh seafood…. What I’m trying to say is Marseille is cool and if you haven’t ever thought about visiting before, definitely include it on your wanderlust list for the future.