Things to do in Marseille
Museums and galleries, attractions, special things to do
The Vieux Port boasts iconic views of Notre-Dame de la Garde and access to the steep Panier with its Vieille Charité museums. Beyond the Cannebière, within Longchamp, is the sumptuous Musée Grobet-Labadie, while further south, past La Corniche, the MAC displays art from the 1960s onwards. You can catch a boat to the Chateau d'If, a 16th-century fortress, or towards Cassis for Les Calanques cliffs. Most museums are open Tue-Sun 10am-5pm/6pm.
Museums and Galleries
Expand all1. La Vieille Charité Centre - 17th-century museum complex
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The Mediterranean Archaeological Museum and the Museum of African, Oceanic and Native American Art occupy La Vieille Charité complex, a former 17th-century workhouse in Marseille's Panier district. Intrigues include a display of shrunken heads and a domed Baroque chapel.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€2 per museum; 10-17s €1; under 10s free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5pm (11am-6pm Jun-Sep)
Address
Centre de la Vieille Charité, 2 rue de la Charité, Marseille 13002
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 91 14 58 38
Transport
Metro to Joliette
2. Grobet-Labadié Museum - Eclectic art collection
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Bequeathed to Marseille in 1919, the Grobet-Labadié Museum, in the Longchamp area, is a sumptuous bourgeois town house. Its salons, bedrooms, boudoirs and libraries contain treasures such as paintings by Fragonard and Constable, 18th-century furniture, Renaissance etchings and Gobelin tapestries.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€2; 10-17s €1; under 10s free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5pm (11am-6pm Jun-Sep)
Address
boulevard Longchamp, Marseille 13001
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 91 62 21 82
Transport
Metro to Cinq-Avenues; bus 81 to the Longchamps stop
3. Contemporary Art Museum (MAC) - Inspiring modern art
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Set within a statue-studded garden near the Corniche, the MAC showcases major French and international art from the 1960s onwards, including New Realist, Fluxus, Arte Povera and Support Surface Art. You can admire the installations without the crowds.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€3; 10-17s €1.50; under 10s free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5pm (11am-6pm Jun-Sep)
Address
69, Avenue de Haïfa, Marseille 13008
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 91 25 01 07
Transport
Metro to Rond-Point du Prado then bus 23 or 45 to Haïfa Marie-Louise
Attractions
Expand all4. Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica - Marseille's landmark church
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The Romanesque-Byzantine-style Notre-Dame de la Garde is the symbol of Marseille, lending its name to the surrounding quarters. Set on the highest point of the city, it offers breathtaking panoramas. Admire Carpeaux's exquisite Mater Dolorosa statue in the crypt. Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Apr-Oct daily 7am-7pm; Nov-Mar daily 7.30am-5.30pm
Address
Rue Fort-du-Sanctuaire, Marseille 13006
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 91 13 40 80
5. Chateau d'If - Mysterious 16th-century fortress
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Just off Marseille's shoreline, the Château d'If was built under François I as a military stronghold. You can take a boat from the Vieux Port to visit the prison cells that inspired Alexandre Dumas' novel The Count of Monte Cristo . Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€5; 18-25s €3.50; under 17s free; boat €15
Opening Hours
Apr-mid-Sep daily 9am-6pm (Apr until 5.30pm); mid-Sep-Mar Tue-Sun 9am-5.15pm
Address
Marseille 13001
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 91 59 02 30
Special Things to do
Expand all6. Les Calanques - White cliffs, paradisiacal beaches
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Les Calanques are a 20km stretch of creeks whose dramatic cliffs shelter idyllic beaches and exceptional flora and fauna. Discover them by boat from the Vieux Port, or Sormiou and Morgiou Calanques can be reached by footpaths from town.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Cost
€25; 12-18s €18; under 12s free
Opening Hours
Every other day 9.30am (call for schedule); daily 2pm Apr-Nov
Address
Croisières Marseille Calanques, quai de la Fraternité, Marseille 13001
Telephone
+33 (0) 8 25 13 68 00
