Tour guides France > Marseille

5 ideas for guided tours in Marseille

• The Estaque

  

  On the docks, L’Estaque smells of salt, crackling frying oil, and the fresh paint on fishing boats. Stair-stepped alleys, pale façades, and a small port pressed against the rock. It’s easy to see why painters set up their easels here, with fractured light and a wind that clears the sky.

  From the slopes, the collines de la Nerthe block the mistral and keep the harbor sheltered. You climb up, then down, winding through a maze of alleys where the red-tiled roofs catch the sun. The pace feels unhurried, almost like a village.

  Corbière Beach, listed among the most beautiful beaches in Marseille, is just minutes away, with clear water, low breakwaters, and the smell of salt in the air. Farther on, the calanques of the Côte Bleue line up coves and cliffs, with trails skimming the water’s edge. And when the pull of the city returns, the Old Port is never far, full of voices, silhouettes, and boats turning sharply in the wind.

• Le Vieux-Port (Old Port)

  

  Every visit eventually ends up here — the Old Port pulls you in like a magnetic center. Fishing boats moored next to sailboats, morning markets, the mix of salt air and coffee drifting together. The place is noisy, lively, always in motion.

  Walking along the quays, the silhouettes of Fort Saint-Jean and Fort Saint-Nicolas frame the entrance, motionless sentinels standing watch for centuries. Terraces sit shoulder to shoulder, fishmongers sell their still-flapping catch. The sea’s reflections catch everything — façades, glances, moments.

  From here, the narrow streets climb toward Notre-Dame de la Garde, watching over all of Marseille. The view, wide and endless, pieces the city, the sea, and the islands back together. Coming back down to the port feels like closing the loop.

• The Frioul islands

  

  After wandering through the streets of Marseille, take a boat trip for a stunning view of the Phocaean city from the water. In barely 30 minutes, you’ll find yourself in a completely different world. The Frioul archipelago is made up of four islands. Ratonneau is home to the port of Frioul and is connected by the large Berry seawall to Pomègues.

  These two islands offer the best walks, with an astonishing variety of flora and fauna spread across beaches, coves, and wild landscapes. The Tiboulen islet is not served by the shuttle, and of course, there is If and its fortress, built by Francis I, which later became a prison during the Wars of Religion.

• The radient cité (Cité radieuse) and the Mamo

  

  Architecture lover? Don’t miss the Cité Radieuse, also known as “La Maison du Fada,” located at 280 Boulevard Michelet in the 8th district. Built between 1947 and 1952 by the architect Le Corbusier, it stands as one of his most iconic creations.

  Originally designed as a new style of housing, it was meant to offer families the highest level of comfort in a single living space. The building includes 337 apartments, a few shops, and even a hotel. On the rooftop, where the old gymnasium once stood, you’ll now find Mamo—short for Marseille Modulor—an exhibition space dedicated to contemporary art and design, opened in 2013.

• Le Vallon des Auffes (The Auffes dell)

  

  Along the Corniche Kennedy, the Vallon des Auffes appears as a tiny harbor tucked beneath its stone arches, with fishermen’s huts and colorful “pointus” boats bobbing at their moorings. The water slips gently inside, lapping softly against the stone, the air heavy with the smell of salt and wet rope. You sit for a moment on the quay, just to watch the light shift.

  In the morning, nets hang to dry, voices rise from the boats, talk of fish and weather fills the air. A few simple tables overlook the cove, no fuss, just the quiet rhythm of the port. If you feel like walking, Malmousque is close by, with its narrow lanes and rocks right at the water’s edge.

  As the sun sinks, the Vallon des Auffes glows orange, silhouettes framed against the arches, the sea almost still. Steps often lead on to the Plage des Catalans, just to breathe in the salty air before heading back to the harbor. Nothing grand, yet it lingers.