A guide to Marseille: beaches, bouillabaisse and street art on the French Med

This shortarticle was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

“Marseille has a strong character,” states trip guide Alexandra Blanc Véa as we take in the art of the graffiti-splashed Cours Julien district. A Paris native who’s been a local of Marseille for over 20 years, she leads me down streets quickly sprayed with calls for strike action, to reach the grand, climate-conscious mural Man vs Wild. This piece by regional artist Mahn Kloix covers the side of a home and reveals a guy in yellow trunks and flippers swimming to fulfill an huge turtle.

“You either like it here or you wear’t, however you can’t stay in the middle,” states Alexandra. Marseille has a interesting previous, and gets more sun than anywhere else in France. It has a flashing harbour, splendid seafood and simple gainaccessto to the rugged charm of neighboring Calanques National Park. But bits of it are undoubtedly falling apart, after a mid-20th century downturn in its fortunes that has just justrecently started to enhance. Marseille wouldn’t be the veryfirst excellent trading port to integrate grit and splendour, however its unpolished image sets it apart from most French cities.

At least there is plenty of product for street art trips. Cours Julien’s vibrant streets spider off from a main square lined with restaurants and bars, all abuzz with chatter. Almost every square inch of concrete is a canvas for bug-eyed animations, surreal patterns or devitalizing political declarations.

This hill area is the heart of a vibrant and contemporary Marseille, however down at the cinematic Vieux Port (‘Old Port’) there’s likewise a buzz from the leaving trip boats, harbourside coffeeshops and anglers selling their earlymorning’s catch at makeshift stalls. Bouillabaisse, a standard seafood stew, stems in this city and is stated to haveactually been developed by its anglers, who boiled some of their catch in seawater while out at sea.

Maritime history runs deep in Marseille, where a set of enforcing forts flank the harbour entryway and a spreading of little, rocky islands lie in the shimmering sea simply beyond. It was established by Greek-speaking Phocaeans 2,600 years ago, making it France’s earliest city. As French colonial guideline broadened throughout the world in the 19th century, Marseille’s tactical area on the Mediterranean changed the city into a location where all kinds of individuals, products and concepts assembled. But its hard-edged credibility in the late 20th century indicated it neverever got the exactsame attention as Cannes and Nice, more east along the Riviera.

Things altered in 2013 when Marseille served as European Capital of Culture and its waterside was decorated with attractive tasks. Foremost of these is the vibrant glass and black concrete lattice structure of Mucem, the Mediterranean culture museum, developed by Algerian-born designer Rudy Ricciotti. Next to it is the angular, cantilevered Villa Méditerranée, which homes a reproduction of the south-coast Cosquer Cave and its ancient rock art inscriptions. And at the inner end of the Vieux Port is L’Ombrière de Norman Foster, with its creative, mirrored canopy, dreamt up by the eponymous UK designer.

“Because of this, a lot of travelers allofasudden came to see and they understood the city was really fascinating,” Alexandra states. “And that you have to go additional, beyond the credibility.” Ten years after it drew the eyes of the rest of the world, and as it prepares to host anumberof videogames at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Marseille is when onceagain in the spotlight.

What to see & do

Mucem

Part of Marseille’s post-2013 revival, this is the veryfirst museum devoted completely to the culture of the Mediterranean. Exhibitions cover whatever from trade and dispute to concerns on why the Mediterranean dietplan is idea to lead to longer lives. The museum’s concrete lattice shell increases from the Vieux Port’s north coast, and is connected by a footbridge 60ft above the lapping waves to the 17th-century bastion of Fort Saint-Jean, offering spectacular harbour views.

Street art trip

Alexandra Blanc Véa’s trips of the Cours Julien area and its street art provide context and colour to Marseille’s unique identity. Learn about how hip hop affected the city’s graffiti culture, why brand-new art is being painted straight onto street surfaceareas and what avoir la banane (‘to have the banana’) indicates. There’s likewise a possibility to satisfy regional street artists, such as Mahn Kloix, in their studios. Book trips in English through groupes@marseille-tourisme.com

Le Panier

North of the Vieux Port, Marseille’s earliest district was settled by the ancient Greeks. These days, it’s a usually Mediterranean street scene, with hanging baskets and pastel-green shutters. Street art and sun-dappled corner coffeeshops include evenmore colour. Downhill from the area is the grand, 19th-century Marseille Cathedral, with its Byzantine-style domes.

City beaches

Marseille’s coast might absence the glamour of Saint-Tropez and Antibes, however its 21 beaches still supply a modification of speed. Those of the Prado are the biggest, while Plage des Catalans is the closest to the centre, simply a 15-minute walk from the Vieux Port. Its 10