The port city of Marseille, France has long had a pirate vibe: It’s scruffy, charming, and just a bit dodgy. But in recent years, Marseille (pronounced mar-say) has become a popular destination for tourists drawn to its exciting food scene, historic neighborhoods, and cultural offerings.

In our five-minute guide to Marseille, you’ll find recommendations for what to see, where to eat, and where to stay in this vibrant city.

3 reasons to buy travel insurance for France

1. Emergency medical benefits are crucial. While French hospitals provide high-quality care, don’t expect your U.S. health insurance to cover you! Medicare and Medicaid don’t provide coverage overseas, and most doctors and hospitals overseas don’t accept American health insurance.¹ Fortunately, the emergency medical benefits in your travel insurance plan can reimburse the cost of emergency care for a covered illness or injury.
2. Traveling to France is expensive. While Marseille isn’t quite as pricy as Paris, it’s not a budget destination. On average, a traveler can expect to spend 233 euros (around $250) per person, per day when visiting France, according to Budget My Trip.² That doesn’t include airfare, which may be the most expensive part of your trip. Travel insurance with trip cancellation/trip interruption benefits can reimburse you for nonrefundable, prepaid trip costs If you must cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.
3. Travel insurance is your best defense against travel delays. France is notorious for frequent strikes that affect air travel. Luckily, strikes are one of many covered reasons for a travel delay, which means your travel delay benefits can reimburse you for eligible expenses. If your plan includes SmartBenefits®, you can opt to receive a fixed inconvenience payment of $100 per insured person, per day for a covered delay. You don’t need to provide any receipts—just proof of the delay!

3 of the best travel insurance plans for France

1. OneTrip Prime is our most popular choice for international travel. It includes a wide array of benefits and also covers kids 17 and under for free when they’re traveling with a parent or grandparent (not available on policies issued to Pennsylvania residents).
2. AllTrips Premier is ideal for frequent travelers, especially those 65 and older. Get protection for every trip you take in 365 days!
3. OneTrip Basic is an affordable plan that provides all the key post-departure benefits. This plan is a smart choice for travelers who are trying to save money on their trip to France.

3 of the best things to do in Marseille

1. Watch the sun set from Vieux Port. Marseille’s harbor has been bustling for millennia. Boats come and go, vendors hawk flowers and fresh-caught fish, buskers perform, and tourists relax in the many bars and cafés.
2. Tour the famous Chateau d’If. A 20-minute ferry ride from the Vieux Port will take you to “the black and frowning rock on which stands the Chateau d’If” (to borrow a few words from Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo.) Built in 1531, this fortress housed the fictional count as well as many other well-known prisoners. Today, it offers visitors magnificent views of Marseilles.
3. Bike to Calanques National Park. Southeast of Marseille, along the coast, rise the craggy cliffs and hidden coves called calanques. You can see the area’s wild beauty by boat or on foot, or join one of the many e-bike tours that leave from Vieux Port and include stops at fishing villages and a swimmable beach.

3 of the best hotels in Marseille

Looking for a hotel that’s delightfully different? Le Ryad is a Marseille boutique hotel with just 11 rooms, a garden courtyard and Moroccan décor. If you don’t mind climbing stairs, then book the 4^th-floor Mogador. The sun-drenched room includes access to a rooftop terrace where you can look out over the rooftops and see the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde.

The Hôtel La Résidence du Vieux-Port is a stylish option that’s not too expensive, with brightly colored furnishings and sweeping views of the harbor. If you’re in the mood to splurge, get the suite “La Notre Dame,” with a private living room and spacious bathroom.

Built as a hospital in 1866, then renovated and reopened as a hotel in 2013, the InterContinental Marseille – Hotel Dieu is one of the best luxury hotels in Marseille. Of its 194 rooms, 68 overlook the Vieux Port and 33 have private terraces (and five are fully accessible for guests with disabilities). Its location in the oldest quarter of Marseille allows you to walk to the harbor or the historic Le Panier neighborhood.

3 of the best restaurants in Marseille

Marseille is renowned for bouillabaisse, a seafood stew that’s traditionally made with rockfish: any small and spiny sea creature that fishermen couldn’t sell, marinated in white wine with herbs and spices. The bouillabaisse served at tourist restaurants is far from authentic, notes New York Times writer Elaine Sciolino, as the real deal is a soup “opaque and mud-colored… heavy, viscous and gritty.”³

If that doesn’t sound appetizing, then skip the stew and sample some of Marseille’s other culinary delights! La Poule Noire is a Michelin-starred café that serves fresh and inventive dishes: lamb in black olive crust, cod with sumac, and several variations on beef tartare.

Le Petit Nice Passedat is a famed seafood restaurant founded in 1917 by the family of current chef Gérald Passedat. Every exquisite dish is an homage to the Mediterranean, including Passedat’s Bouille Abaisse: a deconstructed, three-course version of the iconic stew.

For seafood that’s a touch less fancy (and quite a bit more affordable), try La Boîte à Sardine. “Simple and delicious” are the words many diners use to describe the menu, on which you’ll find local specialties like razor clams, oysters, sea urchin, and sea anemone. The owner is known for personally describing the catches of the day to diners; it helps to speak French, however.

Hungry to explore Marseille? See travel insurance options from Allianz Travel Insurance.

What do I need to travel to France?

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