Why this art-splashed city is the Riviera’s real star
One of France’s host cities for September’s Rugby World Cup, the ancient port of Marseilles has flipped an unfair reputation and brings an intoxicating mix of vivid street art, fabulous seafood, unique museums and widescreen scenery, says our writer
“You can’t compare Marseille with Paris. It’s a Mediterranean city, with the energy of a Mediterranean city,” says tour guide Alexandra Blanc Véa during a walk through Cours Julien, an effervescent hilltop neighbourhood where there’s barely a square inch that isn’t used as a concrete canvas for the city’s most talented street artists.
Blanc Véa is from Paris, so she should know. But then again, Marseille is hard to compare with its fellow Mediterranean counterparts too. France’s oldest city, boats have ferried visitors and cargo from its glittering mast-strewn port for over 2000 years, starting with the Phoenicians followed by Romans, Visigoths colonialists and more. Over time, Marseille expanded into a coastal metropolis.
Nice may have its parasol-filled beaches and Cannes its glitzy overpriced bistros, but Marseille has an allure all of its own. Yes, the city’s rather abrasive reputation has been unkind, but in recent years that narrative has faded. Marseille is colourful, capricious and can become intoxicating, the longer you spend here.
“For a long time people were not coming here to visit Marseille, they were just coming to catch a boat or a train.” says Blanc Vea. “The image changed in 2013 when we became European Capital of Culture.”
My attention dances like a firefly as we walk past the bug-eyed cartoons and surreal neon shapes sprayed along Cours Julien’s narrow sidestreets, as the rhythmic hum of chatter and laughter spills out from lively bistros at the central square. But though I’m fascinated by the creativity of the artists here, 2013 brought some serious international kudos down to the Old Port.
A favourite with first-time visitors, the cinematic harbour is lined on both sides by lively bars, al fresco seafood restaurants and imposing 17th-century forts. And with the Capital of Culture announcement, the ancient port was soon embellished by original projects such as the Mediterranean culture museum Mucem and Norman Foster’s quirky mirrored canopy Ombrière.
But despite these new additions, a stroll through Marseille’s oldest neighbourhood is still my biggest thrill. Sitting just behind the port’s north shore, Le Panier was settled by the ancient Greeks, and its hilly cobbled streets, hanging baskets and pastel-green shutters are evocative of a sleepy Mediterranean island. Flanked on one side by the Cathédrale de la Major soaring Byzantine onion domes and the palatial opulence of the Hôtel Dieu Intercontinental on the other, sun-dappled corner cafes like Mamma Cucina make this feel like an quaint enclave hidden within a major metropolis.
A Marseilles classic
Back at the north shore, I have a lunch appointment with one of Marseille’s most iconic dishes. The impeccably-dressed waiters at Miramar restaurant click-clack their gleaming shoes between tables before presenting me with their take on the classic fisherman’s soup, Bouillabaisse. This unctuous Provençal broth of John Dory, Anglerfish, Eel and potatoes is as intimidating as it is delicious, and demands to be sampled before leaving Marseille.
In a satisfied postprandial haze, I stumble into the afternoon light in need of a walk and the Corniche Kennedy provides the perfect outlet. A sun-drenched coastal balcony, the route bestows me with widescreen views of glittering turquoise waters, craggy cliffs, sandy beaches and the distant silhouette Château d’If, the notorious island prison.
I finish with a sweet glass of regional rosé while soaking in a golden flare of early evening rays at Vallon des Auffes, a tiny secluded fishing port surrounded by rustic wine bars and charming fisherman’s cottages. It feels like I’ve serendipitously uncovered a closely guarded secret, but waterside restaurant Chez Fonfon has long been a well-known darling of the Michelin guide for its exceptional seafood.
Tomorrow could bring a boat trip out to Château d’If to see up close the fortress in Alexandre Dumas’s epic revenge tale The Count of Monte Cristo. Or I may hike the Calanques National Park, a majestic 5,000-hectare coastal park formed of rocky limestone cliffs and sheltered coves.
But for now, I ease into the night by celebrating Marseille’s deep North African heritage in the Nouilles neighbourhood with a meal at local institution Restaurant Fémina, where I order a succulent beef stew on a bed of barley couscous, that’s spiked by a fiery dash of harissa.
Much like Marseille itself, it’s an experience to savour and it makes me want to stay much, much longer.
Book it: Kirker Holidays offers three nights at the NH Collection hotel in Marseille, just 10 minutes’ walk from the old port area, from £768pp, including return London flights; kirkerholidays.com
Contact Kirker Holidays via the TTG Travel Suppliers Directory
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