Port guide: Marseille, France

This city was once crime-ridden and rundown. Now it’s a capital of culture, a tourist hotspot and one of cruising’s most-visited destinations.

Who goes there From zero to hero, Marseille has become Europe’s third most visited cruise port after Barcelona and Civitavecchia (Rome), with over 2.5 million passengers disembarking in 2024. You’ll be spoiled for cruise-line choice, with large, small, budget and luxury ships calling in on western Mediterranean and wider Mediterranean itineraries.

Sail on in Nothing to get too excited about if you’re sailing towards the main cruise terminal, some distance from the city. Still, Provence’s purple hills make for a fine backdrop, and to starboard you should spot Marseille’s iconic hilltop basilica. If your ship docks at La Joliette, however, you sail right towards the city and dock under Fort Saint-Jean, topped by the contemporary architecture of the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem).

Berth rites Most ships, especially big ones, dock at Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal from which free shuttles take you into the city centre eight kilometres away. If there are long queues, hop aboard the public tram. The terminal is divided into several zones and is very functional, so no need to linger. If you’re on a smaller ship, you may dock at La Joliette, across from the cathedral and a walk into the old port.

Going ashore The older parts of Marseille have a worn Mediterranean beauty scrubbed up for the twenty-first century, and are full of life. Vieux-Port has been settled for 2600 years and hosts a fish market. Walk the ramparts of Fort Saint-Jean and visit Mucem, which kickstarted Marseille’s renewal when it opened in 2013. Nearby you’ll find newly trendy Joliette district and hillside Le Panier, which has had an arty overhaul and is filled with wine bars and eclectic boutiques. Don’t miss Les Halles du Major, a gastronomic market below the cathedral. Elsewhere, the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde is a dramatic city emblem, erupting in Byzantine-style mosaics and commanding wonderful views.

Don’t miss Many visitors miss the Musée des Beaux Arts, a few kilometres inland and located near a tangle of railway lines. But if the area isn’t eye-catching, this lavish palace of the arts is, and permanent exhibitions – mostly Italian and Provencal paintings and sculptures – are free. Adjacent Parc Longchamp has fabulous fountains and attractive botanic gardens.

Get active No shortage of options in this sunny town: you can kayak, sail, windsurf and swim. The town is very walkable, and the slog uphill to Notre Dame will give your lungs a good workout. Calanques National Park, 15 kilometres south of the city, has lovely beaches and hiking trails.

Best bites France’s famous bouillabaisse (fish stew) originated in Marseille and traditionally must include racasse (a type of rockfish), olive oil and saffron. It will also contain various fish and shellfish and Provencal herbs. You’ll find the best examples served in Le Rhul, Chez Michel or Chez Fonfon. Other typical Marseille dishes are anchovies with capers in olive oil, lamb offal, and pistou soup that contains pasta, garlic and Mediterranean summer vegetables. Thanks to its many immigrants, the city is filled with restaurants and snack bars serving Middle Eastern and North African dishes.

Further afield Out in the harbour, romantic island-fortress Chateau d’If was made famous as the count of Monte Cristo’s prison in the 1846 Alexandre Dumas novel. Thirty kilometres inland is Aix-en-Provence, which has a grand cathedral and baroque city centre, while 25 kilometres east is Cassis, one of this coast’s prettiest towns. Old papal city Avignon, Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard and the lavender-draped Luberon region are more distant options.