France’s oldest city has swapped its rough edges for natural wine bars, an exciting food scene, beach clubs and plenty of spots to cool off in the sea – here’s how to do it in a weekend.
France’s oldest city has been having a moment, with chefs, artists and creatives breathing new life into its sun-bleached neighbourhoods. As a result, Marseille has become one of Londoners’ favourite weekend trips in recent years – the hipster wine bars, good food, sunshine, and sea being catnip for us city types that want a bit of everything. After seeing our Instagram feeds fill with everyone’s tips for a weekend in Marseille, we finally decided to make the trip ourselves, and were happy to find it lives up to the hype.
Marseille still has an edge. It’s not all grand boulevards like Paris, but it has character and good vibes in spades. And if you’re looking for somewhere to combine swimming and chilling but without giving up that city buzz, then it’s an ideal spot. Another thing we liked is how you can get so much out of even just a quick weekend visit. It’s small enough to walk or Lime bike everywhere and there’s not so much going on that you feel like you have a huge to do list.
We jumped on the 8am flight from Gatwick and were sitting by the Vieux Port with a pastis before midday; you could easily just do that on a Friday and come back Sunday night and still make it a worthwhile trip. If you do get that early flight, we can’t recommend enough using Blacklane for your airport pick up. The chauffeur service provides easy booking with their app and they are unbelievably reliable, notifying you every step of the way about your driver’s arrival. It’s more expensive than a regular uber of course but worth it for the swish cars you get and the peace of mind you get knowing they are actually going to show up – which is exactly what you need for a 5am pickup.
Where To Stay
Marseille isn’t short of characterful hotels, but Grand Juste nails the sweet spot between affordability (it’s cheap!), style and location. The rooms are simple rather than luxurious, but everything is nicely designed, with comfortable beds, plenty of natural light and even terraces on some of the rooms. It’s pretty no-frills service wise but everything worked smoothly and you really don’t need much more if you’re out and about most of the time. From here, you’re within easy reach of the Vieux Port, and many of the places on this list, making it an ideal base for a long weekend.
Where To Eat
Poissonnerie Kennedy – This was best meal we had in Marseille, which was a nice surprise as only one person recommended it to us (amongst the mountain of tips we received). Set in an old auto-garage, it’s a little boujee, a little hipster, and definitely the most expensive dinner we had – but worth it for the fresh fish, crisp wines, and cool vibe.
Bonnie’s – this wine bar is on everyone’s list and as a result, every single person in there on Friday night was from London. We even bumped into someone we knew. The food is good, the wines are great and it’s 100% worth checking out, but the service was almost comical. We had a booking for 10pm, arrived and got told it was far too late to get food, but managed to argue our way to a few plates eventually. Other than that, the servers seemed like they were tripping, forgetting absolutely everything, and generally providing a chaotic night. Perhaps make it your first stop of the night rather than your last!
Figure wine bar – we stopped here for an early evening glass or two plus some snacks like the tapenade and the taramasalata but on our next visit to Marseille, we’ll definitely be coming back for a full dinner.
Livingston – Set in the graffiti-covered streets off the Fontaine du Cours Julien (itself a vibe, absolutely packed with bars), is Livingston, a surprise set menu-only spot run by Head Chef Mads Christensen. You don’t know what you’re going to get when you book it but it’s worth rolling the dice. We had a Thai-themed menu which did feel slightly random in Marseille but it was undeniably tasty, and a great place to sit outdoors on a hot night.
Maison Journo – There’s so much great Tunisian food in Marseille, and we made this little family-run café our very first stop. We loved the brik (deep-fried filo-like pastry, stuffed with potato, tuna, parsley, a runny egg, and capers) and the fresh AF lemonade.
Tuba Club – Another one on everyone’s hit list, Tuba Club is Insta-famous for its yellow parasols and tables laid out each day directly on the rocks by the water. It’s a beautiful spot. They also recently opened hotel rooms and a separate bar, called Bikini Bar, which has a huge terrace looking out to sea. Worth even just popping in for a drink and a snack even if you don’t want a full meal.
La Baie des Singes – a little further along the coast from Tuba Club is La Baie des Singes, a restaurant you can only reach via a 15 minute scramble over the rocks, where the restaurant sits perched directly overlooking the water. There’s also a small beach so you can swim before and after lunch in the crisp water – the restaurant does have some sun loungers but it’s not worth paying for them in all honesty. The food is not up to much, but it’s worth coming for the setting. Make sure you book and ask for a table right by the water in the comments – we wrote this in French and ended up with one of the best tables, much to our surprise.
Les Lumières – Tucked into the lower Panier on Grand Rue, this one’s got a bit of everything going on: specialty coffee and a runny omelette in the morning, an easy prix-fixe lunch menu, then à la carte at night with a serious natural wine list to match (over 300 bottles, if you’re the type to ask). It’s run by three friends – one ex-pharma, one ex-barista, one ex-pastry chef – which somehow makes total sense once you’re sitting there. Go for the sea bream carpaccio if it’s on, and don’t rush the wine list; the sommelier knows her stuff.
What To Do
We loved how you could Lime bike to beaches on the outskirts of town, even taking rides as long as 45 minutes, so stock up on lime passes and you’ll be free to go where you please. Other than La Baie des Singes (above), we loved Plage des Sablettes, a tiny but nice beach with beautiful blue water. For lunch you can grab a takeaway rotisserie chicken sandwich from Rotisserie Ô French Coq.
On any given evening, you can hang with the local cool kids on the rocks at Maldormé, jumping into the water to cool down. As the sun goes down you can grab a takeaway pizza from town, and a bottle of wine from Mademoiselle and watch the sunset. A quintessential Marseille experience.
Climb up to Notre Dame. The walk up to Marseille’s iconic hilltop basilica is worth every step. There are stunning views of the surrounding area and a bar called Le Bon Air serving wines and beers. It’s hot though, even at sunset, so come prepared.
The iconic Maison Empereur is a bit like Liberty but for homeware. Established in 1827, Maison Empereur is a gloriously old-fashioned emporium selling everything from beautiful kitchenware and brushes to linens, soaps and gardening tools. You can easily spend a good half hour browsing the little nooks even if you have zero intention of buying anything.
