Marseille in 4 days
France's second city sits on an amphitheatre of limestone hills facing the Mediterranean, between a working Old Port and twenty kilometres of calanques you can reach by city bus. It makes no effort to please: tired façades, noisy markets, and a light around 6pm that makes up for all of it.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Notre-Dame de la Gardefree · about 1 h 30The hilltop basilica is full of gold mosaics and sailors' votive offerings, model boats and naive paintings recording two centuries of port life.
- Afternoon
The Old Port and Quai des Belgesfree · about 1 h 30The ancient Greek harbour is still the city's centre, with Norman Foster's mirrored canopy and a morning fish market where fishermen sell the day's catch.
- Late afternoon
Le Panierfree · about 2 hThe oldest quarter, north of the port, with lanes too narrow for cars and the arcaded 17th-century Vieille Charité, now home to two museums.
Day 2
- Morning
MuCEM and Fort Saint-Jeanabout 2 hA lattice concrete cube on the water, linked by a 115-metre footbridge to the old fort, with exhibitions on migration, religion and farming.
- Afternoon
Vallon des Auffesfree · about 1 hA tiny fishing harbour under the arches of the Corniche bridge, with about forty wooden pointu boats, net workshops and three long-standing restaurants.
Day 3
- Morning
Château d'If and the Frioul islandshalf a dayThe island fortress where Dumas imprisoned Edmond Dantès; visit the cells on two levels, then take in the whole city from the terrace.
- Late afternoon
Le Corbusier's Cité Radieusefree · about 1 hA 337-flat block on stilts, built 1947 to 1952, UNESCO-listed and still lived in; walk the third-floor shopping street and the rooftop terrace.
Day 4
- Morning
Calanque de Sormioufree · half a dayMarseille's largest calanque, with cabins, a sandy beach and a waterside restaurant; in summer the road closes to cars, so you walk in.
Where to sleep in Marseille
- Hôtel Hermès · €95 a night
- Vertigo Hostel · €70 a night
- easyHotel Marseille Euromed · €65 a night
- New Hotel Le Quai · €110 a night
- Escale Oceania Marseille Vieux Port · €100 a night
- Hôtel La Résidence du Vieux-Port · €165 a night
- Sofitel Marseille Vieux-Port · €280 a night
- Le Petit Nice Passédat · €650 a night
- Les Bords de Mer · €290 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.