Marseille in August - any areas to avoid?

[SarfE4sticated]

Hi there! Hope you can help - we are thinking about going to Marseille for a 'cheap-ish' holiday over the summer. Going via eurostar (BIL can get us a discount) and staying somewhere central. We love modern art and galleries etc, but DD would also love to be near the beach for swimming. Don't want anywhere seedy or too noisy (although I have earplugs), but don't want to spend ages on a bus to get into the center. Any suggestions for areas to stay in? We're happy to go AirBNB but just need some tips of bits to avoid. Merci!

Le Panier is the area is was thinking of, the Old Town, although largely rebuilt after WW2. www.google.com/search?q=panier+marseille&client=ms-android-motorola&prmd=misvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjusfDKpP7iAhVKilwKHcFoCZwQ_AUoAnoECBEQAg&biw=320&bih=441

Wasn't as impressed as others appear to be with the Port as it had almost no shelter from the baking sun and a large and busy main road right round it which meant that all the cafes and bars have a main road between them and the waterside rather than being by the waterside iyswim. Have been to much nicer ports both in France and elsewhere.

I liked it, the harbour is lovely and we climbed up the big hill but we had local friends. Nice beaches either side of the city. One of the best meals ever overlooking the Med.

I was in Marseille for work last year. I enjoyed it - bit different from being on holiday though. I stayed south of the old port in the pharo/endoume area. Felt safe walking alone at night to and from old port. Swam in sea at lunchtime - lots of beaches/places to get in around that area and the water is lovely. Cassis and the calanques worth a day trip. Museums around old port. Nice seafood and wine. I think i could manage a holiday there! Not sure on rest of city though.

Marseille is the place I'd be avoiding if I was flying into Marseille. It's ok for cheap flights but that's about it. It's nothing more than an industrial port. Head inland to Aix or Luberon villages. Or Avignon - I'm not keen but lots do like it.

Get of the train in Avignon.

I'd recommended Lyon too, but the old city reminds me of the old town in Edinburgh, absolutely rammed with tourists and almost every shop sells tourist tat. Totally disneyfied. But other areas of, the city are definitely worth exploring and in the summer there is a city beach. Good tram/bus system too;

Lyon is the 'capital' city of food in France. Honestly I would stop off there and have your break. I wouldn't be going to Marseille it's not particularly safe either. I say that as a French national, there are so many other places to go, Marseille would be firmly at the bottom of a very very long list.

A few years ago I would have agreed with all the negative commentsabout marseille, but much less so now. Yes there are areas that are seedy but now i found it much more interesting. I prefer it to Nice as long as you find a quiet area to stay.

I thought Marseilles was grim. Almost any other coastal city would be better.
Aix is beautiful but might not be enough for a long break and not on the coast.

Has anyone been to Saint Cyr Sur Mer? We're thinking of going for a beach holiday there.

I play tennis there but only park and dont know the town minne. Plenty of people seem to go to the beach there so imagine that is nice. Is close to lots of nice places that i do know, like bandol, sanary sur mer and la ciotat ( lots of work going on in bandol and la ciotat but hopefully will stop or be finished shortly.

We've booked a week in August via Eurostar (DIrect trains thanks to you @Camelos), and staying around here (see pic).
@People Who Like Nice,
If you have any recommendations for cheap places to eat, nice areas to visit, please share. We'll definitely head to the Muceum and visit Aix, hopefully a boat trip to the Calanques too.

Oh dear - that should say

People.who.like.Marseille!

Le mange tout in mejean, a restaurant on a calanque the other side of marseille has been highly recommended by some friends. If you visiting that side of marseille, would book though since it is very small.

Ooh that looks lovely @humphriescushion thanks 🙏🏻😊

aixcentric.com/2019/06/26/this-weekend-gourmand-in-marseille/
This blog is good for aix and marseille. It mentions the colorbus a new hop on to get to beaches etc.
Also a local speciality is panisse and is a nice snack.
In aix the caumont is worth a visit. An old mansion that has been beautifully restored and now has art exhibitions. Get tickets online to avoid the queues. Has a nice restaurant/cafe in the garden. Opposite this is an english bookshop ( not really exciting for you) is cool and has a cafe if it is too hot ( book in bar).
We often go the cinema in aix where they have plenty films in english - once again not very exciting for you but in august they are very cool. (The renoir, cezanne and mazarin)
Maybe have a look at marseille on netflix, a french series with gerard depardeui, i loved it for its images of marseille, so maybe worth a look.

An interesting mix of responses

I like cities too & lived in Valencia for a while. Even in a ‘dudgy’ Night it feels a million times safer than Marseilles I hate the place, but clearly others like it... I’d live it if you ‘report back’ when you come home & tell us what you all thought of it!

I’m ‘watching’ the thread and will re read everyone’s suggestions next time I end up having to go there.

I loved Marseilles. Went as a group of ladies didn’t feel threatened at all. I thought it was beautiful and I much preferred it to Paris

I too loved Marseille, yes it's a bit edgy, to me it's a quintessential port city. But it's got beautiful bits and it's not very touristy, lots of good bars and restaurants, and an atmospheric market in Noailles, that could be in Morocco. I think the comparison with Naples is apt, and that's another city I love for its character. But it's not for everyone.

Hi everyone! Bonjour from Marseille.
Whoever said it smelt of pee was right, but it is a great place to visit if you like art and markets. We are by a little beach which is busy but sandy, and not far from the old port which is pretty and nice to walk around. We have been to the Mucem which is really nice and have been on a day trip to Cassis on the bus. It was an interesting experience going on the bus, as once the coach is full you have to wait for the next bus. This was fine on the way out, as we were about 20mins early for the bus and got a seat easily, but getting the return bus from Cassis was horrible. Like a scene out of a disaster movie, with peoples shoving a pushing others out of the way to get on the bus. absolutely horrible, so if you're doing the same trip, I would suggest getting the train back. We did a 45 minute boat tour around the Calanques which was quite long enough, and really beautiful.
Haven't eaten out yet as everything is so expensive, but hoping to visit the Notre Dame cathedral where you an eat a meal prepared by nuns. Just need to muster enough school girl french to book a table.
weather is gorgeous, hot, but with a lovely breeze, and the area where we are is really peaceful (thankfully).

OP I like your positive spirit. As you can tell Marseille ,is very love it or hate it. Its inhabitants tend to be fiercely patriotic about it. I’ve been going there since I was a kid as I grew up in Algeria and my grandparents lived in Aix. We took the ferry over the Mediterranean from Marseille a few times. Sometimes when I go back I get flashbacks to being in Algeria, because of the smells in some streets such as the rue du tapis vert. I think it’s a city to be experienced rather than visited, I hope you enjoy going to Notre dame de la garde, it’s worth it for the view alone.

On our way home today, and we really loved our time there. We did have a lovely AirBnB near the old port so that really helped. Nice view of the sea and breezy balcony. Dd and I are really pale so the normal pool and sun lounger holidays don’t suit us. We also love galleries markets and exploring so Marseille was great for us. The beaches are nice (and busy) and the sea warm and clear so dh and dd has great fun swimming every day. Our neighbourhood was really friendly and on two occasions some very dapper old
Men offered us assistance. In fact a very nice lady offered me a spot under her sunshade as she saw me skulking in the shadows on the beach one morning. 🤣
We didn’t properly eat out at all - just marvelled at the amazing fruit and veg on offer at the carrefour, and took ham rolls and peaches out with us during the day and cooked at home in the evening and ate on the balcony watching the sunset.
We went to Mucem, Le Corbusier la radieuse, Notre Dame de la Garde, Cassis (plus boat trip), the Frac and another modern art gallery.
All lovely, and when you get used to the busses they’re very useful.
All in all perfect for us.