Places to Buy Souvenirs in Marseille

One of the best and most popular things to take home is the Marseille soap, a little floral reminder of your stay in the Provençal region | © Tom Van De Peer/Flickr

People come to the Marseille area to experience the climate, the food, the architecture, the history and the culture. When they leave they want to take a little piece of those things back home with them. Here’s our list of the best places in Marseille to buy souvenirs; things that allow you to carry some of those amazing memories home.

Savon de Marseille (Every Street Market)

Soap is having a revival. And while it sounds like a clichéd thing that you might give your grandmother at Christmas, the soap in Marseille is made locally and revered in the region. Every home uses “savon de Marseille” and every tourist case is packed with it on the return journey. You can find the soap in every scent in a lot of shops, but the cheapest place to find it is in the markets (and the quality is just as good). Check out our list here for details on the best daily and weekly markets.

The soap is absolutely wonderful here and comes from Marseille © Vinicius Pinheiro/Flickr

Marseille in the Box

This interesting idea is great for taking stuff home because everything is in a box, already packaged. Marseille in the Box do some great gifts and souvenirs – sardines in a tin, survival kits and jigsaw puzzles. It’s located in the old port and has a great website.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 1.30pm, 2.30pm to 7pm. Saturday, 10am to 7pm. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

13 Rue Reine Elisabeth, Marseille +33 (0)4 91 91 32 39

La Maison Du Pastis

Pastis is one of the French national drinks and a great choice for return gifts. Head to the Old Port to “La Maison du Pastis” (The Home of Pastis) to discover what it is, how it’s made, to taste a little and to purchase some for those long nights when you return home.

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm. Sunday, 10am to 5pm.

108 Quai du Port, Marseille +33 (0)4 91 90 86 77

Take home a little bottle of Pastis, to remind yourself of the wonderful memories and that all-distinctive smell | © Evan Bench/Flickr

Zig Zag

If you’re looking for something a little more touristy, head to Zig Zag. They’re in the Old Port area and do lots of T-shirts, baby clothes and other paraphernalia with Marseille – or cute French expressions – written on them.

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 7pm. Closed Sunday to Tuesdays.

27 Rue Caisserie, Marseille +33 (0)4 91 33 62 70

Delices de la Marque

Situated again in the Old Port area (as many souvenir shops are), this little store sells lots of lovely edible items to remember your stay. You can find lots of lovely sweets in tins, great tapenades to have on your bread when you get home (vegetable relishes), bottles of divine olive oils and wonderful chocolates.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm. Sunday, 11am to 4pm. Monday, 2pm to 7pm.

6 Rue Pytheas, Marseille +33 (0)4 91 21 95 42

It’s absolutely essential to return home with something made from olives, either oil, soap or tapenade | © Harry Metcalfe/Flickr

Ambiance et Matieres

This is a little concept store that specialises in objects for the home and interesting gifts. It’s perfect if you want to take a little of the decor home with you. It has bags and wash bags in local fabrics, as well as more expensive household items.

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm. Closed Sundays.

3 Boulevard Notre Dame, Marseille +33 (0)4 91 54 94 87

Saladin World of Spices

This is a great little store for souvenirs because it’s authentic (locals shop here) but it’s just chic enough to be perfect for souvenirs. It has barrel after barrel of wonderful spices, great olive oils and hard-to-find ingredients for many of those African dishes you’ve tried during your stay. Just make sure you’re clear to take them through customs on the way home.

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 7.30am to 7pm. Closed Sundays.

10 Rue Longue des Capucins, Marseille +33 (0)4 91 33 22 76