20 Unmissable Attractions in Marseille
Marseille is often overlooked on a visit to the French Riviera but it has lots of delightful places to visit. Here’s our list of the top 20 must-see attractions.
Corniche Kennedy
Natural Feature
Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde
Building, Cathedral, Church
Le Vieux Port
The Old Port is now the city’s harbour and a key destination. You’ll find the fish market here every morning from 6am onwards and it’s a great place to take a ride on the Ferris wheel, have an ice-cream and watch the buskers. A great place to have lunch, dinner or an “apéro” (pre-dinner drink).
Grande Roue de Marseille
It might be cheesy but one of the best views in Marseille is from the big wheel in the Old Port. It’s not cheap, but well worth the views.
Cours Julien
Market, Theatre, Bookstore, Store
Parc Borely
Park
Palais Longchamps – Musée des Beaux Arts
Museum
This palace is beautiful and now houses the art museum, with a collection spanning the 1500s to 1800s. It’s stunning and a must-see on any itinerary.
Natural History Museum
Art Gallery, Museum
Parc Longchamp
Park
This is a lovely park to escape the beach crowd or the city heat. Take a picnic after visiting one of the nearby museums.
Museum of European & Mediterranean Civilisations (MUCEM)
Museum
Parc Valmer
Park
Cathédrale La Major
Building, Cathedral, Church
Le Panier
Historical Landmark
Corbusier's Unité D'Habitation (Housing Unit)
Apartment
Corbusier was a legendary architect who built a concrete city in the 1950s to house everyone cheaply after the war. Called the “Cité Radieuse” it’s a great example of Brutalist architecture (which literally means, “made out of concrete”). A lovely place to walk around and it offers great views over the sea.
Friches Belle de Mai
Theatre
Les Goudes
Goudes is a little fishing village that locals call “the end of the world”. It’s the last place you reach along the coast before you get to the Calanques and a great place to hike, swim (if you can brave the rocks) or just contemplate life.
Les Calanques
The Calanques are one of France’s natural wonders – little inlets of water amongst beautiful cliffs. There are lots of them along the coast on either side of Marseille but people love the Calanque Sormiou because of its great swimming and restaurants.
Chateau d'If
Building
This old fortress was turned into a prison and became the setting for the classic book, The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s a few minutes off the coast of Marseille by ferry and worth a stop.
Iles de Frioul
If you take the ferry a little further out from Château d’If, you reach the island of Frioul. It doesn’t have many residents, and is mostly a nature reserve and a great place to swim and have lunch. Take proper footwear and lots of water.
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