What to do and where to eat in Marseille

Hi. My partner and I were in Marseille (and Nice) last month and had a wonderful stay. I didn’t do a trip report, but I wrote about our experiences and recommended some restaurants. Reach out if you have any questions. Silvia.

Marseille is possibly the oldest city in France. It has a long and complex history.

One museum that might be of interest to your grandchildren, if they had an appreciation about history and the span of time in, say, North American towns versus European towns such as Marseille, would be le Musée d'Histoire de Marseille.

It's an improbable story: a development company in the late 1960s received permission to develop a shopping center a few blocks northeast of the Vieux Port de Marseille, on land where buildings had been destroyed in the first half of the 20th century. Shortly after excavation for the construction began, a treasure trove of hitherto unknown artifacts dating from the Roman era and even earlier to the Greeks was encountered.

It was decided that a museum to house the discoveries should be built onsite, and that's how the museum came to be. It's worth a visit.

As far as restaurants, I can't make any specific recommendations but, if you want to visit spots where tourists are less prevalent and locals are more so, walk away from the waterfront of the Vieux Port and try to find some restaurants tucked away on small streets. Shy away from those that have menus posted in several languages -- focus on those just in French. The smaller the venue the better. For dinner, it's best to scout things out earlier in the day and try to make dinner reservations while they're open at noon for lunch either for that evening or the next. That should work for any but the most highly in demand spots. Two takeaways: small, and reservations ahead of time.

Edited: If the weather is forgiving, try to arrange a boat trip to the calanques. These are limestone gorges carved by river erosion during the ice ages when sea levels were much lower due to so much water being locked up in continental glaciers. As the glaciers melted and sea levels rose, these steep-sided erosional valleys were flooded by rising sea levels in the Mediterranean and now appear as impossibly blue, clear-water coves, one after the other, along the coast near Marseille. There are places on Earth where a person gets to see something unique or nearly so. The calanques near Marseille collectively are one of those places.

Marseilles has a hot music scene and plenty of football enthusiasts, so if the kids are soccer or hard rock fans, have them do a little research ahead of time on their socials to find some good spots.

If they are into motorcycles, Johann Zarco is a local racing hero,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Zarco

and there is a nearby Formula racetrack built by Ricard, the liquor magnate behind pastis --
which you should all be drinking a lot of in June! (one way to get some ice cubes)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_Paul_Ricard

" Marseille is widely recognised as the home of French rap and hip hop, producing many of France's leading rap artists and groups."

https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/marseille-discovering-the-citys-legendary-rap-venues/

For some great Marseillais pizza, or some pissaladiere, or any good fish dish, go to the Vallon Des Auffes. Chez Fonfon or Chez Jeannot have both been there for years and have great food. The Vallon is an inlet from which the fishermen leave in the wee hours to get the day's catch.

Other things that may interest the grandchildren are a boat tour to the calanques, or a tour of Chateau d'If (where the fictional Count of Monte Cristo was imprisoned...in the book), or the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde, which still has the bullet holes from the WWII attacks and inside, lots of model ships hanging from the ceiling, representing the fishermen lost at sea. If you are staying near the Vieux Port, there are some restaurants that are more touristy. Ask at your hotel if they have some recs more popular with the locals. I am not a fish eater, so I usually find some lamb or poultry for dinner. And pasta is good there. After all, the Italians have been trading ownership of the French Riviera for centuries, even as far west as Marseille. Bob's advice is good.

Bonne chance!

Thank you everyone. I appreciate all the input. I wasn't considering a museum but I will look into it. It does sound interesting. I also did look at the boat trips out of Marseille. I think a whole day might be too much but a couple of hours sounded good. I was considering kayaks but it sounds like "sea kayaking" might be a challenge for we have just done kayaking on my lake. Snorkeling too sounded good but it sounds like the water is very cold based on reviews I've read. I did read your blog Silvia, and I hope to check out the pizza. It sounds delicious!
One more thing, as I mentioned this is a stop for a couple of days before we head to a villa we are staying in and then onto Paris. Did you feel safe in Marseille? I've heard some things from people that have me very concerned. I actually changed our hotel to be near the waterfront since that I read it to be a safer area. Being someone who grew up in New York, I know what it is like to be in a city but I didn't think Marseille was in that category.

I felt safe in Marseille, or at least as safe as I feel anywhere as a woman. I’ve come to suspect that when people describe a place as “gritty,” like Napoli, Athens or Marseille, it’s often code for ethnically or racially diverse. Having familiarity, like you, with living in NYC, it’s the usual rules of being aware of your surroundings, securing your belongings and avoiding desolate areas.

I would highly recommend the « Petite Train Touristique de Marseille » which you can catch at the Vieux Port. It will take you on a very scenic and enjoyable tour around the city. There are two routes - we took the circuit that eventually led up the mountain to Notre Dame de La Garde. https://www.petit-train-marseille.com/en/. Beautiful and unforgettable. Enjoy your trip!

Ditto to redheadedlibrarian re "gritty".