30 Best Sights in Marseille, Provence

With the Port Antique in front, this modern, open-space museum illuminates Massalia's history with a treasure trove of archaeological finds and miniature models of the city as it appeared in various stages of history. Best by far is the presentation of Marseille's Classical halcyon days. There's a recovered wreck of a Roman cargo boat, its 3rd-century wood amazingly preserved, and the hull of a Greek boat dating from the 4th century BC. The model of the Greek city should be authentic—it's based on an eyewitness description by Aristotle.

In keeping with the Vieux Port's substantially spiffed-up image, the Marseille regional transportation service now offers efficient public ferry service, with hourly departures from the eastern side to Pointe Rouge (8 am–7 pm), L'Estaque (8:30 am–7:30 pm), and Les Goudes (8:50 am–7:50 pm). The nominal ticket charge (€5, available only on board) is well worth it for the fun and convenience of crossing the port by boat.

Considered at the time a radical experiment in collective living, Le Corbusier's masterpiece "habitat system" was completed in 1952. The mammoth building, set in the middle of a green park with unobstructed views of the sea, contains 337 apartments with 23 different floor plans that were groundbreaking in their simplicity, functionality, and practicality. Each came with views; light; and on-site access to a restaurant, a bar, shops, childcare, a rooftop jogging track, a playground, and a stage. The tourist office's guided tours (reservations can be made online) of the UNESCO World Heritage site take you to a model apartment, the rooftop, and several common areas. The Cité also now houses a restaurant, bar, hotel, and the MaMO arts center—all open to the public.

Founded in the 4th century by St-Cassien, who sailed into Marseille full of fresh ideas on monasticism that he acquired in Palestine and Egypt, this church grew to formidable proportions. With a Romanesque design, the structure would be as much at home in the Middle East as its founder was. The crypt, St-Cassien's original, is preserved beneath the medieval church, and in the evocative nooks and crannies you can find the 5th-century sarcophagus that allegedly holds the martyr's remains. Upstairs, a reliquary contains what's left of St-Victor, who was ground to death between millstones, probably by Romans. There's also a passage into tiny catacombs where early Christians worshipped St-Lazarus and Mary Magdalene, said to have washed ashore at Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer, in the Camargue.

Even if you've never read or seen Marcel Pagnol's trilogy of plays and films Marius, Fanny, and César (think of it as a three-part French Casablanca), you can still get a sense of its earthy, Old Marseille feeling at the bar in which it was set. The walls are blanketed with murals, and comfortable café chairs fill the place—all in an effort to faithfully reproduce the bar as it was in the days when the bartender César, his son Marius, and Fanny, the shellfish girl, lived out their salty drama of love, honor, and the call of the sea.

This gargantuan, neo-Byzantine, 19th-century fantasy was built under Napoléon III—but not before he'd ordered the partial destruction of the lovely 11th-century original, once a perfect example of the Provençal Romanesque style. You can view the flashy interior (think marble and rich red porphyry inlay) of the newer of the two churches; the medieval one is being restored.

A gracious 18th-century château houses the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, de la Faïence, et de la Mode (Museum of Decorative Arts, Faïence, and Fashion). The bright exhibition rooms feature brilliant lacquered ceilings and installations by French artists and designers, all the better to show off the gorgeous tapestries; furniture; Marseille faience pottery dating from the early 17th century; 18th-century hand-painted murals; and fashions from the 15th to 21st century. Touring the museum, taking in the château's large park, and grabbing a bite to eat in the café is the perfect way to spend an afternoon in this lovely part of the city.

In the 16th century, François I recognized the strategic advantage of an island fortress to survey the mouth of Marseille's vast harbor, and he built this imposing edifice. Indeed, it was such an effective deterrent that it never saw combat and was eventually converted into a prison. It was here that Alexandre Dumas locked up his most famous character, the Count of Monte Cristo. Though the count was fictional, the hole through which Dumas had him escape is real enough, on display in the cells. On the other hand, the real-life Man in the Iron Mask, whose cell is also erroneously on display, was not imprisoned here. The views aboard the boat ( www.lebateau-frioul-if.fr) between the Vieux Port and If's Port Frioul are alone worth the trip.

Spooked by rebellions, a young Louis XIV tapped military engineer Nicolas de Clerville to build twin forts strategically flanking the narrow passage of Marseille’s Vieux Port. It didn’t take long for people to notice that the cannons were not aimed at the sea but rather inward toward the city’s feisty inhabitants. Later used as a prison and then as a military base, the 12-acre site was declared a historic monument in 1969, but sat mostly empty until 2003, when the city hired heritage architects and the collective ACTA VISTA—which employs people in precarity to learn important skills on the job—to restore the structure. The fort is now open year-round, and you can stop by its café for a coffee or gourmet snack, the perfect accompaniments to eye-popping views of the port, esplanade, and city beyond. An exciting program of open-air theatre and live concerts is held here from May to October. 

In 1985, diver Henri Cosquer discovered a mostly submerged cave with chambers containing more than 500 evocative images of bison, horses, deer, ibex, aurochs, seals, jellyfish, and human hands. On this simulated visit at Marseille's Villa Mediterranée, groups of six, equipped with headsets, are taken by cable car though a near-perfect replica of the cave to learn the story of these mysterious drawings, the original artists, and their relationship to the animals they depicted some 33,000 years ago.

This center of bohemian flânerie (hanging out) is a lovely place to relax by the fountain, in the shade of plane trees, or under a café umbrella. Its low-key and painterly tableau is framed by graceful 18th-century buildings, and the warren of streets surrounding it is full of young fashion designers, vintage shops, and hip boutiques.

Note that boats make round trips several times a day to the Calanques de Cassis from Marseille's Quai de la Fraternité (Quai des Belges). This company offers a 3½-hour round trip.

The Pharo, another larger-than-life edifice built to Napoléon III's epic tastes, was a gift to his wife, Eugénie. It's a conference center now, but its green park has become a magnet for city strollers who want to take in panoramic views of the ports and fortifications.

At this famous village north of Marseille, Cézanne led an influx of artists eager to capture its cliff-top views over the harbor. Braque, Derain, and Renoir all put its red rooftops, rugged cliffs, and factory smokestacks on canvas. Pick up the English-language itinerary "L'Estaque and the Painters" from the Marseille tourist office, and hunt down the sites and views they immortalized. The town is a little seedy these days, but there are cafés and a few fish shops that make the most of the nearby Criée (fishermen's auction), which moved here from Marseille's Quai de Rive Neuve. A novel way to see Cézanne's famous scenery is to take a standard SNCF train trip from the Gare St-Charles to Martigues; it follows the L'Estaque waterfront and (apart from a few tunnels) offers magnificent views.

This wide avenue leading from the port, known affectionately as the "Can o' Beer" by American sailors, once figured in popular songs and operettas and was once crammed with cafés, theaters, bars, and tempting stores full of zoot suits and swell hats. It's noisy but dull today, yet you might still take pleasure in studying its grand 19th-century mansions.

At the top of the Panier district lies this superb ensemble of 17th- and 18th-century architecture, which was originally designed as a hospice for the homeless by Marseillais artist-architects Pierre and Jean Puget and which now houses two museums. While visiting the complex, be sure to walk around the inner court to study the retreating perspective of triple arcades and to admire the baroque chapel with its novel, egg-peaked dome.

The larger of the two museums is the Musée d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne (Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology), with a sizable collection of pottery and statuary from classical Mediterranean civilization; unfortunately, descriptions of these items are rudimentary (e.g., "pot"). There's also an exhibit on the mysterious Celt-like Ligurians who first peopled the coast; alas, displays focus more on the digs than the finds. However, the Egyptian collection—the second-largest in France after the Louvre's—is evocative, with mummies, hieroglyphs, and sarcophagi exhibited in a tomblike setting.

Displays in the upstairs Musée d'Arts Africains, Océaniens, et Amérindiens (Museum of African, Oceanic, and American Indian Art) are theatrical: spectacular masks and sculptures are mounted along a black wall, lighted indirectly, and labeled across the aisle. The complex also has changing exhibitions that might focus on fine art, photography, filmmaking, or cultural anthropology, among other things.

Eighteen stories up, atop Le Corbusier's colossal Cité Radieuse—undertaken in 1947–52 to house the displaced of World War II—this sun-drenched sculpture center, complete with a theater and garden, replaces an ugly gym, added in 1964, that had obscured Le Corbusier's original tiled rooftop terrace. Conceived by notorious Paris designer (and Marseille native) Ito Morabito, aka Ora-Ito, the roof of the famous building has been restored to its original glory, complete with Charlotte Perriand–designed details, and now hosts a rotating schedule of sculpture exhibitions in the summer. The building still houses an apartment complex, shops, a hotel, and a well-regarded restaurant.

The heart of old Marseille is a maze of narrow cobblestone streets lined by shuttered pastel houses and punctuated by montées (stone stairways) and tiny squares. Long decayed and neglected, the quarter is now a principal focus of urban renewal. In the past few years, an influx of "bobos" (bourgeois-bohemians) and artists has sparked gentrification, bringing charming bed-and-breakfasts, chic boutiques, lively cafés, and artists' ateliers. Although wandering this picturesque neighborhood at will is a pleasure, be sure to stroll along Rue du Panier, the Montée des Accoules, Rue du Petit-Puits, and Rue des Muettes.

This garden in front of the Musée d'Histoire de Marseille stands on the location of the city's classical waterfront and includes remains of the Greek fortifications and loading docks. Restored in 2013, the site, with several nearly intact boats (now exhibited in the museum), was discovered in 1967 when roadwork was being done next to the Bourse (Stock Exchange).

In this broad, elegant stone armory, built for Louis XIV, a complex of upscale shops and restaurants has given the building—and neighborhood—new life. Its bookstore has a collection of art books and publications on Marseille, as well as gifts, perfume, clothing, and local specialties like olive oil, chocolates, and nougat. A book-lined restaurant serves sophisticated cuisine.

Up and going by 8 am every day, this market—immortalized in Marcel Pagnot's Fanny (and Joshua Logan's sublime 1961 film adaptation)—puts on a vivid and aromatic show of waving fists, jostling chefs, and heaps of still-twitching fish from the night's catch. Hear the thick soup of the Marseillais accent as blue-clad fishermen and silk-clad matrons bicker over prices, and marvel at the rainbow of Mediterranean creatures swimming in plastic vats before you, each uglier than the last: the spiny-headed rascasse (scorpion fish), dog-nosed grondin (red gurnet), the monstrous baudroie or lotte (monkfish), and the eel-like congre. "Bouillabaisse" as sold here is a mix of fish too tiny to sell otherwise; the only problem with coming for the early morning show is that you have to wait so long for your bouillabaisse lunch.

Made up of three sites designed by Rudy Ricciotti, MuCEM (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations) is all about new perspectives on Mediterranean cultures. Themes like "the invention of gods," "treasures of the spice route," or "at the bazaar of gender" are explored here. At one of the sites, you can access the 12th-century Fort St-Jean, built by Louis XIV with guns pointing toward the city to keep the feisty, rebellious Marseillais under his thumb.

If you're not the queasy type, walk across the suspended footbridge over the sea; it provides spectacular photo ops and unique panoramas. On the other side, you can visit a Mediterranean garden and a folk-art collection. A third building—the Center for Conservation and Resources, near the St-Charles train station—holds the museum's permanent collection of paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and objects. The museum's terrace café and restaurant (reservations required), overseen by Michelin three-star chef Alexandre Mazzia, are excellent choices for a meal with a view.

Set in a beautifully restored 17th-century house, this lovely little museum has one of France's foremost collections of Fauve and Surrealist art. It's a must for fans of the genres, with paintings by Signac, Dufy, Léger, Ernst, Arp, and Bacon, as well as Kandinsky and Dubuffet.

In 1943, Germans destroyed the neighborhood along the Quai du Port—some 2,000 houses—displacing 20,000 citizens, but this act of brutal urban renewal, ironically and literally, laid the ground open for new discoveries. When Marseille began to rebuild in 1947, workers dug up the remains of a Roman shipping warehouse full of the terra-cotta jars and amphorae that once lay in the bellies of low-slung ships. The Musée des Docks Romains was created around the finds and demonstrates the scale of Massalia's shipping prowess.

This beautifully renovated 1948 architectural gem by Fernand Pouillon was once Marseille's station sanitaire, where every immigrant entering France was systematically "disinfected" to guard against epidemic. An absorbing 45-minute film (in English) and the intact machinery tell a fascinating story of Marseille as "gateway to the East." The light-filled second floor has spaces dedicated to the museum's permanent collection of 18th- to 20th-century paintings depicting Provence and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as to temporary exhibitions of works by contemporary painters. There's also a lovely boutique.  The museum café (open until 7) has some of the best views of the redeveloped port and is a great place for a gourmet lunch, a light snack on the terrace, or a restorative beverage.

Prepare to get wet—preferably equipped with snorkel, flippers, and some goggles—at France's only underwater museum. Exhibits, which are 109 yards off Catalans beach at a depth of 15 feet, consist of 11 submerged sculptures that highlight marine diversity and the human capacity to both destroy or save what remains of this fragile and beautiful ecosystem.

Towering above the city and visible for miles around, this overscaled neo-Byzantine basilica was erected in 1853 by Napoléon III. The interior is a Technicolor bonanza of red-and-beige stripes and glittering mosaics, and the gargantuan Madonna and Child on the steeple (almost 30 feet high) is covered in real gold leaf. While the panoply of ex-votos, mostly thanking the Virgin for deathbed interventions and shipwreck survivals, is a remarkable sight, most impressive are the views of the seaside city at your feet.

Inaugurated in 1869, this grandiose hilltop palace was built to commemorate the completion of an 84-km (52-mile) aqueduct bringing the water of the Durance River to the open sea. The massive, classical-style building surrounds—with impressive symmetrical grace—a series of fountains and has a museum in each of its wings. In the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Museum) are 16th- and 17th-century paintings, including several by Rubens; French 19th-century paintings by such artists as Courbet, Ingres, and David; and fine marble sculptures and drawings by the Marseille architect Pierre Puget. There are also delightful sculptures by caricaturist Honoré Daumier. In addition to prehistoric and zoological artifacts, the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle (Natural History Museum) has a large aquarium with fish from around the world.

An ensemble of 18th-century Italianate buildings frames this popular center of activity, bounded by Quai Neuve, Rue Fortia, Rue de la Paix Marcel-Paul, and Cours d'Estienne d'Orves, where one sidewalk café spills into another, and every kind of bouillabaisse is yours for the asking. At night, the neighborhood is a fashionable hangout for young professionals on their way to and from the theaters and clubs on Quai de Rive Neuve.

As you wander along these streets, you may feel you have been transported to a Moroccan souk (market). Shops that serve the needs of Marseille's large and vibrant North African community have open bins of olives, coffee beans, tea, spices, chickpeas, couscous, peppers, and salted sardines. Tiny shoebox cafés sell African sweets, and the daily Marché de Noailles in the surrounding maze of streets is the city's most vibrant and colorful market.