Three Days in Marseille, France

My third stop during my tour of the South of France was the lively city of Marseille. As the second largest city in France, the streets are boasting with energy, shops, music and cultural celebrations. With a mild Mediterranean climate and a feast of world cuisines, I now know why Marseille sees over 4 million visitors annually. Marseille is a port city with a strong identity and is the leading cruise port in France with over 300 days of sunshine a year and about 35 miles of coastline.

After my first train ride, thanks to Rail Europe, I arrived in Marseille the evening of my fifth day in France. With the long days and short nights, I was barely functioning and turned in early for a night full of sleep at New Hotel of Marseille, a 4-star hotel located near Old Port.

The next morning I took a tour of the old city where I was able to see fresh-off-the-boats catches that are sold each morning. Walking through the city I was shown remnants of its past. A past that traced the way for its present.

I loved walking through the pedestrian streets, sandwiched in between tall buildings that served as retail establishments on the lower level and residences on the higher level. The old doors and worn shutters, something we try to recreate here, is part of every single building.

I can’t get over the doors, y’all! I’m embarrassed by the amount of door and building photos I took while I was in France. Seriously, how gorgeous is that door?

After a scenic stroll through the old city, I made a very quick visit to the MuCem and grabbed a quick lunch at Regard Cafe where I enjoyed a delicious pasta salad with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

Once lunch was over I took a tour of the Marseille Eternelle, a museum and exhibition about the city and its traditions. It’s filled with artwork from different artists and the gnome-like figures are quite amusing. I giggled like a young school girl. Since this is a G-rated site, I’ve decided to forgo those photos.

After the museum I went off of the itinerary and decided to visit a local Fish Spa. It was totally against my better judgement but I’m not noticing any ill effects from it, so I guess all is good.

Next up on the itinerary was to go to Grande Savonnerie to see how the soap of Marseille is made and to make some of my own. It was a really cool experience to be able to talk with the store owner and have him walk me through how he makes his popular soaps. What is interesting about his soaps is they are made with only three ingredients; water, sodium and olive oil. There aren’t any ingredients that are impossible to pronounce, just a combination of those three ingredients, heat and four days of cooking time.

After working up an appetite making soap, I headed over to the Rowing Club for dinner where when dining on the terrace you are given a beautiful panoramic view of the harbor.

In addition to the beautiful views, the food is a delight for the palette. I started with an appetizer of scallops and shrimp and ended with smorgasbord of desserts. Although I was unfamiliar with foam on my appetizers and squid ink with my fish, I thoroughly enjoyed every single bite.

After I filled my belly with delicious food, it was time for some much needed rest.

I awoke the next morning and enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the hotel before departing for a bus tour of the city. It was an open-air bus and allowed me to get a great view of the city, as it made its way up the winding roads.

The sights were simply beautiful and there was no way for me to capture it perfectly with my camera. It’s just something you have to see to fully experience. After the bus tour, touring the city on foot and a quick shower, it was time for dinner at Mathazar, a restaurant owned by chef Michel Portos, a former 2 Michelin stars chef.

It’s a very cool, open-air restaurant. And the food was amazing. Simply amazing.

One of the best meals I had while in Marseille, y’all. So good. On the walk back to the hotel, I was able to snap a quick photo of the boats in the harbor right after sunset. The way the lights from the buildings glistened in the water caught my attention as I was strolling by.

Since I had to get ready for a morning at sea, and another move to another city, it was off to bed for me.

I awoke early the next morning ready for a morning on the open sea with my travel mates. After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the harbor where we joined Yannick, the skipper responsible for showing us around the Mediterranean Sea. While it wasn’t the luxurious sailboat I had it mind, I enjoyed seeing France from a different perspective.

Marseille was definitely an adventure, and it didn’t end without a bang. Video courtesy of Diana.

I can’t wait to show you more of France in my upcoming posts. To get caught up on my 10-day France adventure, you can read about Nice, Aix en Provence, and get a photo tour of all the cities I visited.