Marseille is enjoying un moment. Always the black sheep of French cities, for years high crime and social deprivation meant tourists knew about its pickpockets and dirt long before they heard about its must-see sights. But in an era when diversity is celebrated, urban grit has made the port on the Med the latest go-to destination for people in the know, with its vibe of Hackney-on-Sea with a Gallic twist.
Perhaps the tide started turning in 2013 when the city was given a clean-up for its reign as European Capital of Culture, or in 2017 when it was Capital of Sport. Since then, Instagram influencers, their followers and the rest of the in-crowd have been hot footing it down to the western end of Provence to enjoy the buzzy cafés, pop-up restaurants and legendary pizza trucks. The final confirmation that Marseille is now the dernier cri came in May 2024 when high-end fashion house Chanel launched its Cruise collection on the rooftop of architect Le Corbusier’s iconic apartment block, the Cité Radieuse.
High above the huslte and bustle of Mareille (Photo: Stephen Brown)[Missing Credit]
Perhaps surprisingly, the city is also home to France’s second largest Jewish community, Europe’s third after London and Paris. That is just one facet of the dazzling ethnic diversity which strikes you on arriving at the main railway terminus Gare St Charles, or strolling down La Canibière, the grand, tree-lined boulevard leading right into the heart of the port. One of our party remarked that it didn’t seem all that European, more like a North African or Middle Eastern destination. True up to a point, but in other ways this place could not be more French.
With its centuries of maritime history, the Vieux Port is still the beating heart of the city. Nowadays it’s the hub where restaurants and tourists converge with heritage and history. Here, the magnificent The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (aka. the MuCEM) is sited in a contemporary building linked by a footbridge to the ancient Fort St Jean at the harbour mouth. Its superstructure, which seems to echo the lacy design of a mantilla, sits between the sea and Le Panier – the oldest and once the most disreputable district of the city, known for poverty and prostitution. The Germans did their best to raze the crowded tenements of Le Panier during the war, but by the turn of the twenty-first century an influx of creatives transformed what remained into a Boho village, its narrow streets crowded with artists’ studios, designer boutiques and edgy cafes.
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