Marseille – the picturesque Mediterranean city

As the oldest and second-largest city in France, Marseille is a fascinating Mediterranean port city, an international metropolis, and an idyllic village at the same time.  

Today, we give you our local guides’ travel tips for Marseille’s top sights for your free walking tour Marseille and self-guided walking tour Marseille.

Marseille Walking Tour

There is so much to see in Marseille: the typical and vibrant “Panier district,” the “Vieux Port” (the old port), Notre Dame de la Garde, the food … you could spend days and weeks visiting the European capital of culture and enjoying countless different walking tours Marseille, France. 

Finding a local tour guide in Marseille is the best way to discover the city, and it is a mix of culture and atmospheres. 

Below, we are giving you some of the insiders’ tips to visit the vibrant best city of Provence 2013 and discover the real, local lifestyle of Le Panier district and the most iconic sights and tourist places in Marseille.  

 Tours in Marseille

To visit a new city, choose a local guide. This way, you can explore and understand the city through its famous touristic sites. Furthermore you learn to understand the people, the culture, and list down some locations for your self-guided tour in Marseille.

Choose your free walking tour Marseille in English, Deutsch or Espanol,… 

 … and let’s start exploring Marseille most famous places:

• Head to the Vieux Port – the old port:

You wouldn’t have seen Marseille without seeing it. Every morning, the fishermen still sell their fresh catch on light blue bowls on the harbor’s narrow side, the Quai des Belges, just like in earlier times. 

• Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica:

Go up to Notre Dame de la Garde’s pilgrimage church is called La Bonne Mère by the locals – “the good mother.” From up there, you will enjoy a fantastic panoramic view all over Marseille and the islands. 

• Le Panier district:

Climb the hill to the Le Panier area with its winding streets, alleys, artist workshops, and small shops. 

• La Vieille Charité:

The “old Charité” in the Panier quarter from the 17th century was a hospice for the poor, sick, and homeless until the last century. Today it is used as a museum and cultural center. 

• The Canebière:

It is the shopping street in Marseille. It stretches directly from the port to the far east of Marseille. 

• The MUCEM and Fort St. Jean:

The Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean ( Musée des civilizations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée ): the gray block from which you can walk through the open-air café upstairs via a steel block after visiting the museum Bridge to Fort St. Jean 

And the list is long with many more sites and more sightseeing in Marseille such as : 

• Cathédrale de la Major
• Chateau d’If
• Port des Vallon des Auffes: a small old port is a traditional fishing 

Insiders’ tip: go to the bistro below the statue with beach chairs and bathing access!

• Palais Longchamp at the end of the Canebière
• Borély Castle and Park
• Cité radieuse by Le Corbusier
• Visit the bust of Fernandel: the local French and Provencal actor and singer

… ask your local guide to tell you more about alternative walking tours and unique things to discover.

Book your Marseille Walking Tours