Marseille

Any got any sights / eating recommendations for Marseille. I'm heading there in June with no plans on pedalling but keen to see / eat / relax and keen not to miss out on anything particularly good

Suggestions gratefully received

La Caravelle - real old hotel beside the pier, great for a cocktail/wine and watch the world go by
Madam Jeane - Fancy food/wine
L'unic Bar - Stinky wee dive bar

please go see this building!!

https://citeradieuse-marseille.com/

its a MASTERPIECE from LE CORBUSIER

https://www.hotellecorbusier.com/

Thanks for all suggestions...will look to report back when I'm back from trip

Had a great time in Marseille taking early train from London (Eurostar changing to TGV in Paris) and arriving Monday mid afternoon stayed there through to Friday morning then a couple of evenings in Cassis.

City reminded me of Berlin twenty years ago with a urban bohemian feel to it, street art everywhere and a sense that commerce doesn't dominate the city. Locals are friendly and the weather was great (although imagine it can get pretty hot in the middle of summer)

Highlights
Pension Edelweiss lovely collection of furniture, good location, friendly staff and affordable.
Food was great with the city providing a melting point of different influences and apparently a more affordable place to get a start than some of the more traditional French centres. Particular recommendations being Regain, Caterine and ample lashings of ice cream
Calanques, we made it to were Sugiton (from Marseille) and En-Vau (from Cassis). En-Vau was particularly magical and is apparently accessible by bike (gravel/mountain) over a longer route than that traditionally taken by hikers. Traditional walking routes both require a fair hike in with some relatively solid footwear (ie not sandles) and you'll need to bring your own food and drink as there's no facilities at the calanques. There's a need to register to visit Sugiton during prime summer months although this apparently isn't the case for En-Vau. We used the return journey back from Sugiton to pop into Corbusier Marseille
We spent a lot of time kicking around the Notre-Dame-du-Mont district in the evenings and stumbled across a few interesting wine bars to while away the time
We missed out on indulging in one of the pizza vans which are apparently something of an institution
Cassis provided a good place to access the calanques from the west but it was Marseille that did more to capture the imagination

Heading here for a couple of days in the middle of October. Really looking forward to it. Won't have time to head out to the calanques, I don't think. Apart from that, anything 'unmissable'? I'm staying right next to the old port.

Do what we did - watch the Anthony Bourdain episode in Marseille then try to visit all the same spots....

Where did you go in Cassis? Am there for the next two days…

Heh. As a vegetarian, that might reduce the options somewhat. But the JD Pizza van looks doable.

E2a: except that it looks to be temporarily closed, according to Google Maps. Shitsticks.

Quality city and will definitely go back again. Spent the first night drinking and eating around the 'hip' Cours Julian area, which was OK but probably trading on its reputation a bit. Nipped into the bar where Anthony Bourdain had a pastis and while it was OK, it wasn't as good as other places. Brasserie Communale probably the best place in the area, but there was plenty of choice and I only have one liver. Finished the evening at the Bière Academie near my hotel, which was decent without being amazing.

Following day spent wandering around the old port, the fort and the Mucem (museum of culture) before wandering around the streets of the le Panier district. An absolute joy as I was a bit hungover and there was lots of shade, plus loads of cool graffiti, narrow lanes and good cafés. Dined out later up near the Cathedral of Saint Victor at a Sicilian pizza place (Pizze e Sfizzi), which was great. Pretty much all Italian/Sicilian staff, excellent pizza and very good wine. Then stumbled upon Victor Bière, a brilliant little craft beer place just over the road. Highly recommended. Had a great range of local, French and international beers with six on tap and several well-stocked fridges.

All told, it felt a bit like Barcelona before the Olympics. Scuzzy, working class, bit of threat, incredible scenery and very alive. I barely scratched the surface but felt like I'd done loads. Taking the train there was a doddle too - Eurostar at 10.30am UK time and I was at Marseille St Charles by 6pm French time. £55 one way.

I’ve had family in Marseille for about 15 years (just near Cour Julian). Crazy how much it’s changed and how I don’t think I’ve been to many of the places in this thread.

Fantastic city though, reminds me of Hackney 15 years ago.

Are folks using air b n b there?

Yeah, I really enjoyed it there. Quite fancy heading back next year.

I looked into AirBnB but there was a deal on a hotel near the old port that worked out better.

We stayed here, not far from the station in an area that is interesting but not especially gentrified

https://www.pension-edelweiss.fr/EN/index.htm