Clemmie Recs: A Guide to Marseille
France's second biggest city where the sun shines 300+ days a year.
Home to 64 different nationalities, the port city of Marseille in the south of France is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines where olive oil — not butter — reigns supreme. From afar, it ticked all my boxes for a solo getaway - walkable, relatively cheap, home to a thriving food scene and replete with places to perch by the sea to lounge and swim. But when I started to tell people of my travel plans, I was met with a few funny looks, and Google didn’t seem to help the cause either:
Undeterred, I arrived in early September and after a week of exploring the city it quickly became one of the most interesting places I’ve ever eaten and drunk in. I jumped at the opportunity to visit the following year with friends.
Marseille is home to an enviable food scene that rivals some of the best in Europe: larger than life fresh food markets, North African-inspired dishes, pizza that gives Naples a run for its money and a healthy sprinkling of the ‘new wave’ natty wine/small plate combo establishments. It’s enough to make any Londoner (or Melburnian) feel at home.
Although France’s capital is the nation’s best-known food destination, my first trip here challenged that preconception. The second city couldn’t be more different from Paris, and the locals like to define themselves as Marseillais first and French second.
Second to food, their other religion is sport, especially their beloved football club Olympique de Marseille — the only French club to win the Champions League (against Milan in 1993). You can still find inscriptions and tags of ‘1993’ plastered on rocks and walls around the city.
Despite its reputation for being a dangerous city, I found the locals to be very welcoming and friendly. One proudly showed off his ‘1993’ tattoo despite being born in 1995. He wasn’t a bad kisser either.
Start your day at:
@petrincouchette / petrincouchette.com $
The perfect people-watching spot to fuel up on coffee and a small breakfast (like a perfect 6.5-minute boiled egg with buttered sourdough soldiers).
Great filter coffee, pastries with inventive combos, and focaccia sandwiches & ficelles to take away.
Eat & drink:
@livingstonemarseille / livingstonmarseille.com $$$
A set menu-only restaurant with regular rotating chef residencies. Book ahead as the place is tiny, and — as with many restaurants here — opt for an outside table for a front row seat to all the happenings in the street.
@merceriemarseille / lamerceriemarseille.com $$$
They do a five-course set menu for dinner for €65, but I think the best value is their set lunch menu: a starter, main and dessert for €38. If dining solo or with one other, a seat up at the bar watching the chefs prep and serve can’t be beat.
@bardelareleve / larelevemarseille.fr $$
Daily changing menu of flavour-packed dishes and great wines with lots of terrace tables.
Low-key spot for great sunset views, drinks and snacks.
📍Chez Yassine
@chezyassine_officiel / chezyassine.com $
A Tunisian restaurant with tables plonked in the middle of a buzzy street in Noailles. Enjoy cheap and cheerful dishes like Lablabi (chickpeas in a cumin flavoured broth) that is calling out to be mopped up with fresh torn baguette. Don’t skip on the house-made lemonade either.
Cool down with a fresh Cassis or mango sorbet at Lou Lous.
Pick up provisions at:
A trip to Marseille wouldn’t be complete without a day lounging on the rocks at Malmousque with a book and cold beer in hand. Obviously this is a super strenuous activity that works up quite the appetite, so it’s important to come prepared.
@epicerielideal / epicerielideal.com
A great selection of cheese, meats, olives and dips by weight, plus fresh baked goods.
@cecilefoodclub / ceciledeli.com
Ever-changing menu of salads and sandwiches to go, plus they make a mean espresso tonic.
Shop:
I had to exercise a lot of restraint in France’s oldest hardware shop, which first opened its doors in 1827 and is still wildly popular today. A windy treasure trove of a place that sells kitchen, garden, DIY, homewares and everything else in between. An ideal place to visit on your last day in the city to pick up a few presents for lucky friends, like a big block of Savon de Marseille — a hard, olive oil based soap which has been one of the city’s biggest exports for the last 650 years.
🪰 Do on the fly: If you begin to tire from the fiddly small plate places, pick up a takeaway pizza from La Bonne Mèrre or L’Eau à la Bouche and walk up a (very steep) hill at Basillique Notre-Dame de la Garde for spectacular views of the city and port at sunset.
🧗♀️ Must do: A hike to one of the nearby Calanques, ending at one of the gorgeous pebbly beaches with icy cold water, a great respite on a 30c day. I opted for Calanque d'En-vau, a medium-ish difficulty hike which I started from Cassis (50 min train ride from Marseille)
Avoid: Staying in Noallies. Although central and adjacent to a lot of great squares and streets, it’s not the safest place at night, especially when travelling solo.
Amazing