© pa picture alliance
If you take the detour to the French coast, you will be rewarded with plenty of sun, wind and creative chaos. Marseille is in a state of upheaval, with work, renovations and improvements going on everywhere. And so the city is transformed into a hip labyrinth of museums, harbor promenade, city beaches, boutiques, cafés and restaurants. Laisser-faire is the credo, let go and enjoy. Marseille is like the first jump from the five-meter board: once you’ve done it, your body demands repetition. All the better that the city is so close. Erika Burri, who guides us through Marseille this month and reveals the best places, also appreciates this.
© pa picture alliance
Living
A popular meeting place fortravelersis the Mama Shelter, a small design hotel with a bar and restaurant on the first floor, where locals also meet. The ping-pong table on the terrace is always busy and the perfect place to meet other people. For the smaller budget, there are the two Vertigo hostels, one of which is located right next to Saint-Charles train station and one at the old harbor. You can also get a good room at a decent price at the Hôtel de Rome et Saint Pierre in the middle of Noailles, the Arab-influenced district with a daily market right next to the old port.
Mama Shelter, 64 rue de la loubiere, 13006 Marseille, mamashelter.com
Vertigo Hostels, 42 rue des petites Maries, 13001 Marseille, hotelvertigo.fr
Hôtel de Rome et Saint Pierre, 7 Cours Saint-Louis, 13001 Marseille
© pa picture alliance
© pa picture alliance
Food
The Longchamp Palace is a wonderful place to eat and linger: a small menu, a daily changing fish menu, selected wines. Culinary delights are served at Chez Mama Africa, where you can also meet an Olympique de Marseille footballer. Don’t miss: The oriental breakfast at Place Lorette. You can also get the best couscous in town here.
Longchamp Palace, 22 boulevard Longchamp, Marseille
Chez Mama Africa, 57 rue d’aubagne, 13001 Marseille, mamaafricamarseille.com
Place Lorette, 3 place de Lorette, 13002 Marseille
© pa picture alliance
Shopping
You can shop well around the Rue Paradis (near the old harbor) and recently also at the converted docks in Joliette, where many small boutiques sell pretty little things and clothes. The Terrasse Du Port is located next door. Standing on the terrace of the shopping center, you really feel like you’re on a cruise ship. The Panier is home to small decoration stores and second-hand stores such as Ou est Marius, a store where the owner can tell a story about almost every product. Chez Lucas is also worth a detour. And don’t miss it: The Maison Empereur in Noailles. You could say it’s a hardware store, but it’s actually an institution as the second oldest store in Marseille.
Rue Paradis, Rue Paradis, Marseille
Docks, 10 place de la Joliette, 13002 Marseille, lesdocks-marseille.com
Terrasse Du Port, 9 Quai du Lazaret, 13002 Marseille, lesterrassesduport.com
Ou est Marius, 48 rue du Lacydon 13002 Marseille
Chez Lucas, 6 Rue du Panier, 13001 Marseille, chezlucas.fr
Maison Empereur, 4 Rue des Récolettes, 13001 Marseille, empereur.fr
© pa picture alliance
Party
In Marseille, cozy aperitifs are more important than big parties. Sitting together after work and drinking pastis or a white wine is sacred to the Marseillais. There are of course a few boîts (discos). But when the Marseillais celebrate, they call it a festival. There are plenty of them, preferably outdoors in summer, such as the Mimi electronic festival on the Frioul Islands or the Vitrolles Sun Festival with live bands and DJs. Ventilo magazine provides an overview.
Mimi electronics festival, 41 rue Jobin, 13003 Marseille, amicentre.biz
Vitrolles Sun Festival, Quartier les Pins, 13127 Vitrolles, vitrolles-sunfestival.com
© pa picture alliance
Quarters
In the evening, shortly before sunset, the large ferries depart for Algeria. You can watch them from the Pharo viewpoint. In summer, tango is danced at weekends in the square in front of the Hôtel de ville or at the Opera – an experience! There’s always something going on around the Cours Julien: bars and restaurants, street musicians, eccentrics, hipsters – the whole city gathers here.
Pharo, 58 Boulevard Charles Livon, 13007 Marseille
Square in front of the Hôtel de ville, 1 Place Daviel, 13002 Marseille
Opera, Place Villeneuve Bargemon, 13002 Marseille, opera.marseille.fr
Cours Julien, Cours Julien, Marseille
© pa picture alliance
Must do
When the sea is right at your feet, you have to take advantage of it! The best thing to do is to take a boat out of the old harbor and see the city from the water. There are ferries to the offshore islands or to l’Estaque. Or you can take a sailing course and take the boat out of the harbor onto the open sea yourself.
Events
Festival de Marseille
24.6. until 19.7.
This dance, music, theater and cinema festival is held every year between June and July and is one of the city’s highlights.
17 rue de la république, 13002 Marseille, festivaldemarseille.com
© pa picture alliance
Erika Burri
is a journalist.
loves wind in her hair and sun on her face.
hates it when the TGV gets stuck.
© pa picture alliance
If you take the detour to the French coast, you will be rewarded with plenty of sun, wind and creative chaos. Marseille is in a state of upheaval, with work, renovations and improvements going on everywhere. And so the city is transformed into a hip labyrinth of museums, harbor promenade, city beaches, boutiques, cafés and restaurants. Laisser-faire is the credo, let go and enjoy. Marseille is like the first jump from the five-meter board: once you’ve done it, your body demands repetition. All the better that the city is so close. Erika Burri, who guides us through Marseille this month and reveals the best places, also appreciates this.
© pa picture alliance
Living
A popular meeting place fortravelersis the Mama Shelter, a small design hotel with a bar and restaurant on the first floor, where locals also meet. The ping-pong table on the terrace is always busy and the perfect place to meet other people. For the smaller budget, there are the two Vertigo hostels, one of which is located right next to Saint-Charles train station and one at the old harbor. You can also get a good room at a decent price at the Hôtel de Rome et Saint Pierre in the middle of Noailles, the Arab-influenced district with a daily market right next to the old port.
Mama Shelter, 64 rue de la loubiere, 13006 Marseille, mamashelter.com
Vertigo Hostels, 42 rue des petites Maries, 13001 Marseille, hotelvertigo.fr
Hôtel de Rome et Saint Pierre, 7 Cours Saint-Louis, 13001 Marseille
© pa picture alliance
© pa picture alliance
Food
The Longchamp Palace is a wonderful place to eat and linger: a small menu, a daily changing fish menu, selected wines. Culinary delights are served at Chez Mama Africa, where you can also meet an Olympique de Marseille footballer. Don’t miss: The oriental breakfast at Place Lorette. You can also get the best couscous in town here.
Longchamp Palace, 22 boulevard Longchamp, Marseille
Chez Mama Africa, 57 rue d’aubagne, 13001 Marseille, mamaafricamarseille.com
Place Lorette, 3 place de Lorette, 13002 Marseille
© pa picture alliance
Shopping
You can shop well around the Rue Paradis (near the old harbor) and recently also at the converted docks in Joliette, where many small boutiques sell pretty little things and clothes. The Terrasse Du Port is located next door. Standing on the terrace of the shopping center, you really feel like you’re on a cruise ship. The Panier is home to small decoration stores and second-hand stores such as Ou est Marius, a store where the owner can tell a story about almost every product. Chez Lucas is also worth a detour. And don’t miss it: The Maison Empereur in Noailles. You could say it’s a hardware store, but it’s actually an institution as the second oldest store in Marseille.
Rue Paradis, Rue Paradis, Marseille
Docks, 10 place de la Joliette, 13002 Marseille, lesdocks-marseille.com
Terrasse Du Port, 9 Quai du Lazaret, 13002 Marseille, lesterrassesduport.com
Ou est Marius, 48 rue du Lacydon 13002 Marseille
Chez Lucas, 6 Rue du Panier, 13001 Marseille, chezlucas.fr
Maison Empereur, 4 Rue des Récolettes, 13001 Marseille, empereur.fr
© pa picture alliance
Party
In Marseille, cozy aperitifs are more important than big parties. Sitting together after work and drinking pastis or a white wine is sacred to the Marseillais. There are of course a few boîts (discos). But when the Marseillais celebrate, they call it a festival. There are plenty of them, preferably outdoors in summer, such as the Mimi electronic festival on the Frioul Islands or the Vitrolles Sun Festival with live bands and DJs. Ventilo magazine provides an overview.
Mimi electronics festival, 41 rue Jobin, 13003 Marseille, amicentre.biz
Vitrolles Sun Festival, Quartier les Pins, 13127 Vitrolles, vitrolles-sunfestival.com
© pa picture alliance
Quarters
In the evening, shortly before sunset, the large ferries depart for Algeria. You can watch them from the Pharo viewpoint. In summer, tango is danced at weekends in the square in front of the Hôtel de ville or at the Opera – an experience! There’s always something going on around the Cours Julien: bars and restaurants, street musicians, eccentrics, hipsters – the whole city gathers here.
Pharo, 58 Boulevard Charles Livon, 13007 Marseille
Square in front of the Hôtel de ville, 1 Place Daviel, 13002 Marseille
Opera, Place Villeneuve Bargemon, 13002 Marseille, opera.marseille.fr
Cours Julien, Cours Julien, Marseille
© pa picture alliance
Must do
When the sea is right at your feet, you have to take advantage of it! The best thing to do is to take a boat out of the old harbor and see the city from the water. There are ferries to the offshore islands or to l’Estaque. Or you can take a sailing course and take the boat out of the harbor onto the open sea yourself.
Events
Festival de Marseille
24.6. until 19.7.
This dance, music, theater and cinema festival is held every year between June and July and is one of the city’s highlights.
17 rue de la république, 13002 Marseille, festivaldemarseille.com
© pa picture alliance
Erika Burri
is a journalist.
loves wind in her hair and sun on her face.
hates it when the TGV gets stuck.