Life on Mars
A loose guide to Marseille and some places you might quite like...
Hi! Excuse my hiatus last week, we were in Marseille having a sweet but fleeting blast of the South of France.
Jack and I caught a flight after closing the bar last Sunday – chasing the sun of the summer solstice – and landed in the small hours of Monday morning, when the city, for a rare moment, felt like a ghost town.
While Marseille is fresh in my mind, I thought I’d put together just a handful of highlights to peruse for your own trip to the city. While doing so, I also remembered I wrote about our fleeting stay in Marseille when we were chuffing around France in our Bongo named Penelope, which you can read here.
Full disclaimer: The internet does not need another guide to Marseille. It’s awash with them. And while I’m certainly no expert on the port city, I’m a sucker for the city-guide format. Why? Because they can (and often do) save me from wasting time or money. And, I can be reading a city guide on a rainy afternoon in London and be instantly transported to a seafront bar with sweeping views over craggy white cliffs.
I will also say, inspired by an article by sommelier Robin Van Liebergen for the FT, Marseille is a city to loose yourself in. It’s hard to find a bad meal, the beach is a stone’s throw from the centre and even the most unassuming wine bar in Marseille, is still a wine bar in Marseille.
Waffling aside, consider the below a non-prescriptive, very loose guide to supplement your own wanderings and discoveries of France’s second biggest city.
Allons-y!
You’ll start by landing at Marseille Provence Airport. It’s not a big but there are a handful of good mod-cons – namely Relay and great vending machines.
For the quickest access into Marseille city centre, hop on the Ligne 91 Navette Aéroport. It’s not the most glamorous ride but the buses are frequent, cheap and delightfully air-conned. From door to door, depending on traffic, you’ll be pulling into Marseille St Charles train station in approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Breezy.
The highlights
Maison Empereur | 4 Rue des Récolettes, 13001 Marseille
This is a list put together in no particular order but really, Maison Empereur has to be at the top. It’s Marseille’s oldest hardware-store-meets-museum. From the outside, it looks like any other shop. But inside it’s a warren of copper pans, chore jackets and clogs, kitchen gadgets, ceramics, serrated knives and a nook of a café. This place isn’t just about tools and industrial-use toilet cleaner. It’s a way of appreciating the city’s affection for craft and care through the centuries.
Épicerie L’Idéal | 11 Rue d’Aubagne, 13001 Marseille
A few steps down from Maison Empereur, you’ll find Julia Sammut’s dreamy deli and eatery. The space tunnels from the street way back to a high-ceilinged, skylit room and all around the store, you’ll find shelves stacked with own-brand teas, granola, spices, biscuits, olives and freshly made dips, cured meats and cheese. It’s a Mediterranean pantry. And after a browse, when you inevitably start to feel peckish, you can perch up for lunch.
Plus Belle La Vigne | 36 Cours Julien, 13006 Marseille
Run by Laurent Bonfiglio, who looks more like a wizard than a wine merchant, this little shop is crammed with bottles. The labels read like a Who’s Who of the natural wine world; Éric Pfifferling, Olivier Cohen, Jean-Yves Péron, Ruppert-Leroy, Val Frison, Vouette & Sorbée, L’Anglore, they’re all here! It was the last place we stopped at before hopping on the bus to the airport and Jack was cursing the fact we only had hand luggage.
Cécile Food Club | 116 Corniche Président J.F. Kennedy, 13007 Marseille
A short bus ride or walk from the city centre, Cécile Food Club is a cute spot for a coffee and a takeaway sarnie. On this particular trip, we had our minds blown by a filter coffee poured over tonic and ice.
Jogging | 107 Rue Paradis, 13006 Marseille
Here, clothes, books, designer bags, fragrances and objets are all wrapped up in a minimalist-designed, beautifully scented package. On the rails you’ll find a mix of Jacquemus ready-to-wear and Ami Paris basics. It’s prime window-shopping territory. Or actual shopping territory if you can happily blow €95 on a vest top. Two doors down is Jogging Trattoria, which has a decidedly Italian leaning serving silken pasta dishes and dainty salads.
Cocotero (Les Catalans) | 47 Rue de Suez, near Plage des Catalans
It was only after we had a disappointing sandwich at Bikini Café that we walked past Cocotero and realised the error of our ways. All the more excuse to go back.
Bagnat | 124 Blvd de la Corderie, 13007 Marseille
Pan Bagnat (aka Pan Bagna) is like a Salade Niçoise sandwiched into a bun that’s liberally doused in olive oil – bagnat (or bagna) means “soaked”. Because we’re practically in the Med and because it’s France, of course there’s an organisation to defend the original recipe, called the Commune Libre du Pan Bagnat with its own website. At Bagnat, all the fundamentals of the South-of-France staple are generously packed into a round roll and the result is truly sensational.
Bonnies | 89 Cr Lieutaud, 13006 Marseille, France
Bonnies is a total vibe. It’s from the mind of chef Megan Moore – who I don’t know but Jack and Gaetan worked with at Planque – and I’ve been following her journey closely, as she’s candidly documented the project through its various stages on socials. I’m frankly in awe of her move to open a place in Marseille, which out of all the French cities I’ve visited, seems like the most challenging place in terms of competition and pleasing the crowds. However, the city has also been tipped as being the coolest hub for female chefs, so what do I know? De toute façon, Megan appears to be onto a winner with a short menu covering breakfast, lunch and a daily plat du jour – which, when we were there for our second dinner last Monday evening, was a clam risotto with a side of tomatoes licked in olive oil. Trop bon.
Le Cours Julien | 13006 Marseille
Like one big playground with bars, a cinema, vintage shops, live music, water fountains and an actual playground. It’s a perfect spot for people watching at any time of day but particularly good around 6:45pm with a cold demi pression.
Vallon des Auffes | 3 Imp. de la Girelle, 13007 Marseille, France
This fishing village baked into the cliffs between the Catalans beach and Malmousque bay is pinch-me-to-believe-it picturesque. There’s something about the craggy rocks and the pastel-hued houses that will never not please me.
Final tips
Walking pace: Slow. It was 35 degrees and climbing when we were there earlier this week so we stuck to the shady side of the street and stopped regularly for cold drinks and ice creams (shout out to the lavender flavour from Glacier Bio Le Métropole)
Transport: Bus (the No. 83 from the Vieux Port will get you to Catalans beach, the Calanques and beyond for no more than €2) Lime bikes (actually!) or walk.
Packing: Sunglasses, robust sandals but not flip flops (I saw three people accidentally stepping on the backs of others and it just looked painful), something to sit/dry yourself with if you’re going for a swim, reusable water bottle. Omit: Any hard and fast plans or agenda but do arm yourself with this map!
Until next time, have a good one!