How Marseille Found It's Magic
I have a hazy memory of being six and driving through the centre of Paris with some family friends. Cars honked at us, people shouted; one elderly man even shook his fist at me. I turned to my mum next to me on the back seat. ‘We have a Marseille number plate – they all think we’re trouble,’ she explained. Much of the maternal side of my family is from France’s ‘second city’, so naturally I didn’t get it – I’d only ever witnessed rows about parsley ratios in tabbouleh, and nothing more serious.
But as I grew and we continued to return to the region each summer, I began to notice the grittier side of the city. On the drive to Marseille from the airport, the industrial boat yards loomed, casting a shadow over the landscape. The buildings were mostly covered in garish graffiti. Many areas smelt as if every dog in the area had chosen that exact spot as its toilet. And then there were the people – they were everywhere. Marseille is home to more than 800,000 and in the summer the streets would swell, overrun with bodies dancing through the hot alleys.
For me, all this is what made it exciting. It was unlike anywhere else I’d been in Europe. But for many years, unless you were a fan of the rapper Jul or the footballer Eric Cantona (the biggest stars from the area), it went mostly avoided. Until now: Marseille is having a major moment. In fact this month Chanel presented its cruise 2025 collection in Marseille.
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The fashion designer Jacquemus could be thanked – having grown up splashing around the city, he has hosted numerous shows in the surrounding areas, released collections inspired by its people and even published a book, Marseille Je T’aime, about his love affair with the city.
Now, there are new restaurants opening every week, a burgeoning art scene, a flourishing circular- fashion movement – plus shopping good enough to justify paying Easyjet for an extra hold case. There’s even been an influx of Parisians who left the capital during the pandemic for a new life of bowls of bouillabaisse (Marseille’s signature fish soup) washed down with Pastis by the ocean.
‘I love Marseille for is depth and realness – the city has grit and honesty. It’s not the easiest [place]. You really have to dig for things here. But the light is spectacular, and there is no better city to enjoy the Mediterranean in the summer,’ says supermodel Erin Wasson, who recently opened the vegan-friendly Cécile Food Club in the city with her husband, who comes from the area. ‘One of my favourite places for a drink is Ivresse, a lovely natural-wine bar in Le Panier. I also love to have long lunches at Sepia. It backs onto a park, and often there are dogs and kids just running around.’
Le Panier, the neighbourhood that Wasson mentions, has become the place to go. Famous for its three steep hills rising up from the sea, it has narrow, interlaced alleys leading to pretty squares filled with cafés. But food all over the city is booming. For doorstep sandwiches to drool over, try Pétrin Couchette, or its sister restaurant Livingston for tapas and natural wine on the terrace. Or, for something fancy, head to AM par Alexandre Mazzia, which now has three Michelin stars but still offers a €60 lunch menu. And don’t leave without a meal at Limmat, for the best moules-frites you’ll ever try.
Art and design have always pulsed through the city, and architect Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse – a colourful 1920s towerblock – is still an unmissable visit. But a new scene is emerging, too: La Pavillon de la Reine Jeanne, an early-20th- century mansion perched high on a hill in the port of Malmousque, has been restored to house new artists’ studios and a gallery, and opened this summer.
The shopping in Marseille has also become a big draw for fashion lovers. Head to Maison Empereur for classic French kitchenware and a lifetime supply of lavender soap . Concept store Jogging is the place for looks from Wales Bonner to Telka, and Azul mixes tablescaping accessories with the best totes in Europe. No shopping expedition would be complete without a trip to Sarah Espeute’s new store Sensible, which sells her renowned embroidered table- cloths. Finally, print junkies will swoon for Ensemble, a bookshop, exhibition and events space on a quiet street behind the city’s central Vieux Port district.
‘My favourite thing about Marseille is that you can go from hiking and a swim in the sea with locals to buying fancy soap while wearing your favourite tailoring, all in the same day. It allows for all sides of you and accepts them. There’s beautiful art, achingly cool shops and seared scallops. But there’s also grilled street meats, stalls selling woven gifts and an air of acceptance,’ says creative director Lydia Pang. Her choice hangout in the city is a little café called Deep Coffee Roasters. ‘I love this shady hole in the wall, from the Indian breakfast bowls to the merch and walls of illustrated zines. And I don’t even drink coffee.’
Now, when I return to Marseille each summer with my own kids, I want a quieter, sleepier kind of trip, so we head south to Les Goudes, a fishermen’s village on the outskirts of the city. Off the beaten track and surrounded by the Calanques National Park (the limestone cliffs that soar above the sea), it has plenty of private coves in which to lounge by the twinkling Med, undisturbed by the chaos of the metropolis.
This area has also recently become a fashionable destination with the opening of Tuba Club, a five- bedroom restaurant-with-rooms built into the rocks on the coast. Bottega-green tote bags and mesh Alaïa pumps lie beside yellow candy-striped deck chairs, and the crowd wouldn’t look amiss clinking orange wine at Dover Street Market. ‘It’s basically London-on-Sea at Tuba,’ said an ELLE Editor after a recent visit. ‘I bumped into loads of photographers and stylists from back home while eating incredible ceviche and Greek salads.’
I always stay at the tucked-away Cabanon des Goudes, a brightly painted, two-bedroom cabin that feels like a night in a Modern House holiday listing. ‘Les Goudes is life in slow motion that’s pleasant in all seasons – hikes in the Calanques in winter, lazing on a rock in spring, dinner of grilled fish without fuss in summer and swimming all autumn,’ says its owner Camille de Laurens. Be sure to sure to hike by day, eat the fish at the infamous Chez Paul, and walk over the rocks to Baie des Singes for a bowl of spaghetti and an afternoon on their iconic orange sunbeds overlooking the sea.
It’s clear that Marseille is changing. Take a wrong turn and the canine whiff will remain – but, with a promising new food, art and fashion scene emerging, it's future has never smelt so sweet.
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