Marseille: The edgy city emerging as Europe’s new capital of cool

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A huge and teeming Mediterranean port with a gritty reputation, Marseille isn’t typically seen as one France’s classic destinations, yet the country’s second biggest city by population has recently found itself in the spotlight.

First it was couture house Chanel putting Marseille on the fashion map when it brought a major summer show to the city’s Radiant City Art Centre. Then one of its neighborhoods was voted the coolest in the world.

Suddenly, the oldest city in France was on weekend getaway hit lists.

As soon as you visit, it’s easy to see why. It has stunning historical architecture — both dating from the Byzantine period and modernist examples like a post-war residence (now a hotel and museum) designed by architect Le Corbusier.

Marseille is an inspiring blend of the cultures brought here by the various immigrant communities who’ve found their way to the city over the centuries.

That’s partly the reason why the food scene is wildly good.

Marseille’s chefs take the attitude to fresh produce from the surrounding region of Provence, and add the flair of multiculturalism. Ambitious young kitchen creatives are also experimenting and combining the results with the region’s wines, many of the best from vineyards run by women.

And it’s France, so good cheese comes as standard.

Then there’s the sea, which hugs the city protectively and, on a sunny day, glistens invitingly (and the town’s residents oblige by jumping in).

There’s also an edge — which is exactly what attracts the cool crowd. It’s got port city grit. Those 18th-century stone facades are plastered in graffiti, the backdrop noise is the thrum of revving motorbike engines. There are regular protests. There is sometimes violence. And the unmistakable smell of weed follows you around.

Despite being a city in Provence, this is not a rural idyll of the kind the region is known for — and it’s riotously more exciting for it.

‘City of 100 neighborhoods’

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Like visiting any big city for a break, visitors will need to prioritize where to go. Marseille is enormous: dramatically demonstrated when you climb the steep hill up to the Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica, which at 150 meters (492 feet) above sea level, offers an amazing panoramic view of the sprawling city.

It’s fascinating to see how over the centuries (the basilica dates back to a smaller church building built in 1214), houses, streets and neighborhoods (Marseille is called the “city of 100 neighborhoods”) have sprung up, pushing all the way out to giant futuristic tower blocks teetering at the edge of distant mountain ranges.

Having gained its fame and fortune from maritime trading, Marseille still places great importance on its historic Vieux Port (Old Port). Still the heart of the city, it’s a good place to begin explorations. The beautiful harbor (cleaned up when Marseille became a European Capital of Culture in 2013), has markets, waterside restaurants, late-night bars and plenty of buzz.

There’s the majestic Abbaye St-Victor, the oldest church in Marseille. Founded in the fifth century, abandoned during the French Revolution and restored in the 19th century, it’s still attracting pilgrims and tourists today.

Then there’s the medieval hospital known as Hôtel-Dieu, built on Roman remains, and now reincarnated as the five-star InterContinental Marseille - Hôtel-Dieu. Positioned just up the hill from the harbor, with a well-lit façade (classed as an historic monument in 1963), it can be glimpsed from several vantage points around the port. For a trendy new coffee spot, Chez Moe offers coffee and cardamon buns by day and organic wines by night on Grand’Rue, at the bottom of the Dieu’s steps.

North of the port are the charming, winding streets of Le Panier, filled with cafes and independent boutiques selling crafts (peer through the shuttered windows and you might see them being made). With colorful buildings and cobbled streets, it has the feel of a provincial town rather than a bustling city.

Beach life

Craving a dip in the sea? It’s an easy walk back around the quay to the city beach under the Citadelle de Marseille, also known as Fort Saint-Nicolas. On a sunny day you’ll be pressed to find a square inch of empty sand, but the inviting water more than makes up for it.

Further along the coast is another beach, Plage des Catalans. And a walk along the delightful La Corniche Kennedy waterside path leads to Piscine maritime Vallon des Auffes: a seawater swimming pool sheltered by a small rocky harbor. For waterside sunsets, locals take corner store beers and takeout pizza onto the rocks under Les Bords De Mer hotel.

Marseille is great for shopping. Down on the luxe Rue Grignan, where the white-stoned buildings are distinctly less graffitied than elsewhere in town, there are the high-end stores like Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Cartier.

Slip one street back for more moderately-priced contemporary French fashion stores including the Marseille-founded Sessùn on Rue Saint, along with Sandro and Maje nearby. Bargain-hunters will love Du Côté D’Estelle on Rue Jean-Baptiste-Estelle, which sells beautiful like-new versions of all the above (cash only).

For chic homewares, there’s Sessùn Alma, on Rue Sainte. The brand’s homeware line, only available in this standalone store, focuses on beautiful, mainly local, crafts.

Maison Empereur on Rue des Récolettes is a magical four-floored treasure trove of homewares from Sabre knives to brass jelly molds to vintage linens and an entire room of Marseille soaps.

Michelin stars and sandwiches

For many, the main draw of Marseille is its exciting food scene. The traditional local dish is bouillabaisse, a Provencal fish soup, but finding a decent rendition among the many waterfront restaurants advertising it is tricky — locals rarely eat it out so it’s generally laid on for tourists.

If you can afford it, the three-Michelin star Le Petit Nice Passedat serves some of the best options. The restaurant’s “bouillabaisse menu” costs 390 euros ($412) and must be ordered 48 hours in advance.

Not that you need official Michelin stars to eat well in Marseille.

Down the wending Rue de Lorette is Ripaille: a cute restaurant lit by candlelight with snug tables, extremely friendly staff and a confidently small menu. Unassuming neighborhood joint Kennedy Poissonnerie serves up plump oysters, enormous prawns and bulots (sea snails) in its fish platter. La Mercerie, in a former haberdashery near the port, serves beautifully styled plates, reasonably priced for a three-course meal, paired with sommelier Laura Vidal’s wine selection.

Even when it’s super-casual, food here is done well. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better and more stuffed sandwich anywhere than at Razzia — there’s barely room to sit in so take your bulging lunch to the nearby Place Jean Jaurès, itself lined with street food options, to eat with locals on lunch breaks. Because isn’t that always the best way to see a new city?

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