HOTEL AMORE Guide: Big Black Book on Marseille
Come to Marseille, bébé
Hello dear internet friends,
I hope you are doing well. I just came back from almost two weeks in Marseille and when I posted on Instagram that I will write a Marseille guide, a lot of you actually texted me that you are going very soon and you are impatiently waiting for one - so I tried to make the guide fast :)
I really fell in love with this vibrant city which has the spirit of an Athens or Mexico City and is also the oldest city in all of France. The city feels so alive, fun and pulsating, so open and warm-spirited. Marseille has all the cool and hip places, but also rough corners that remind the visitor to stay on their toes. It combines the beautiful ocean and beaches with great restaurants and bars and amazing nature in the Nationalpark Calanques. You are not far from places like Hyères, Avignon, Bordeaux, Île de Porquerolles or Cassis. It’s rough but it’s dreamy, Marseille really captured my heart. In the book Marseille Mix which I got at Ensemble, the city is described as “it is like a sea creature marooned on the land, uncertain as to whether to settle or move on.”
As a city, Marseille is wild and you have to just have that on your watch. I did land in some rougher corners with my bike, but generally I felt safe in the city - just make sure you are aware of your surroundings, don’t leave luggage in the car, don’t leave your valuables on the beach and avoid walking alone at night. Some side streets close to the harbour can suddenly feel a bit dogdy, also close to the central station Saint Charles it’s not recommended to hang out. We were told to avoid the North of Marseille, such as Belsunce and Porte d’Aix - in general, just use common sense while you are there.
How to get around: For my next Marseille trip I would probably rent a scooter, as it’s so convenient to get around with. Otherwise thanks to Lime bikes & scooters as well as Uber, you can get around pretty easily and fast. There are many Lime bike stations everywhere, even as far as in Les Goudes - I would recommend buying a cheaper week pass with Lime though, otherwise it will quickly get quite pricey. We only used the bikes during the day, not so much during the night - and just know, traffic is not for the light-hearted, red traffic lights don’t really exist and cars and scooters go quite crazy on the streets. When I was at Les Goudes, I saw there was a boat which gets you from Port Vieux to different locations for 5 Euro. Will do that next time!
What to eat: If you are in Marseille, you should try sardines, the ox heart tomatoes, bouillabaisse, tellines, and drink lots of Pastis, panisses - which are a Marseilles fried speciality made of chickpea flour with olive oil. These at least are the ones I have tried and liked :)
Accommodation
I think travel experiences change so much depending on where you decide to stay, for me location is first, then interior even though ideally, both comes together. The first time in Marseille, we stayed close to the old harbour which I would now not choose anymore as the area feels quite touristy even though it’s very central. For my next stay I would love to stay around Corniche Kennedy so that I could jump into the ocean every morning and get my coffee, Les Goudes would also be tempting, even though it’s a bit too far from the centre for me.
Here are the hotels and apartments which are on my wishlist:
A good friend of ours stayed here as an artist in residence hosted by curator, artistic director and artist Emmanuelle Luciani. Pavillion Southway is a beautiful house from the 1880s in the South of Marseille, closer to Les Goudes and Calanques than Marseille city center. Southway Studio has two artist-decorated rooms, each with a private bathroom with shared toilets on each floor and access to a beautiful kitchen, two incredible living rooms, an exhibition room, and a shaded courtyard which are meant for artists in residence and guests. Guests can ask for a personalized experience with guided tours of Marseille's key sites, led by art historians. The whole purpose of the house is to bring the works of artists into everyday use, aways from the sacredness of museums and the white cubes.
Jogging - Le Corbusier Cité Radieuse
You can stay in the Corbusier hotel in the Unité d’habitation - the famous Corbusier building, built in 1957/58. One of the rooms is bookable through Jogging here, my favorite concept store from Marseille as well as via the hotel on this website. What is special with Jogging is that you can get additional services such as breakfast and dinner prepared by the Jogging Epicerie team. After 6pm no guests are allowed into the building anymore, so you could have a picnic on the rooftop all by yourself, which is incredible! Price per night is 180 Euros.
You can also book rooms through Airbnb for example the seaview studio:
This is so special, 2 minutes from the water in the centre of the Malmousque village and owned by a Paris/Marseille-based curator.
I really love Tuba, I came also the first time I visited Marseille. I haven’t spent a night, but whole days, starting with lunch and stayed until the evening. The only problem is that it is so nice that you might not want to leave the place: In front of the restaurant, you can suntan on the rocks on small chairs with easy beach access. Only hotel guests get the beach tables and beach sunbeds, but it’s great nevertheless. The restaurant Tuba and rooftop Bar Bikini offer great food: Try the Ceviche with kumquats, it’s so good. At Tuba you are 7 minutes by foot from Les Goudes, can also go to restaurants there, to Marseille city centre it’s about 25 Minutes by car or 45 minutes by Lime bike to town. Personally I never minded it, I did the trip four times. Two nights minimum stay, from 250 Euro per night.
We ended up spending quite a lot of time in this place because we did an event here and shot a film. It’s a really beautiful location, it’s about a 7 minute walk to a range of beautiful beaches (for example Malmousque) as well as maybe 15 minutes to town. La Traverse is owned by the Belgian galerist Catherine Bastid and it’s first-and-foremost an art gallery. You can rent the single room which is very beautiful and has been furnished by the Marseille art collective Allez Passer. A lot of events happen in this place from the cool kids of Marseille, there might even be one if you stay there. La Traverse also has a brunch / lunch restaurant. Only one room, 180 Euro per night.
This place is said to be an institution in Marseille, and has a great price too. A lot of people recommended this place and the breakfast (thanks Gila for confirming all the good rumours!) Five rooms, from 90 Euro per night. Just note, it’s in the old port, so you don’t come for the area, but for the hotel :)
I also found some Airbnbs with great locations close to the beach (haven’t been there, but location is great):
Incredible Sea view, 7th arrondissment
For up to four guests, ocean-view, 175 Euro per night, super close to various beaches, close to the centre of Marseille
Close to Petit Nice, 7th arrondissment
For up to four guests, 130 Euro per night, super close to various beaches, close to the centre of Marseille
Small place in the heart of La Goude
Two guests, 120€ per night. It’s close to Tuba and La Baie de Singes, the Calanques Nationalpark, not so close to Marseille city centre but to nature instead.
Coffee
We never really did breakfast or coffee, focused instead on big lunches and dinners. But I do have some recommendations for you:
I came here a lot with my friends when I was in Marseille for the first time - really good coffee, central location (close to the port). One of the best coffee roasters in Marseille, few but some good food options, you can sit outside.
We thought from outside the place looked a bit like a We Work (that’s usually not a good thing), but the baked goods and coffee were good, so you can go :)
Close to lots of cute vintage stores, this place is nice for an afternoon coffee & snack crave.
Wishlist: Pétrin Couchette, the latest address from the team behind the restaurant La Mercerie, open from breakfast to 7pm.
Lunch
If you want to have a good lunch, I would recommend to stick to lunch hours which usually start at 12 and end around 2pm. If you want to eat post 3pm, the options get much thinner as most restaurants close which we learned on our first day. If you want to go to more hyped places, it’s recommended to reserve a table.
This magical lunch place belongs to the beautiful JoggingJogging concept store: The restaurant has an incredibly beautiful and dreamy courtyard, and usually hosts chefs in residence from all over the world, since 2016. When we visited, Paris-based chef Evelina Dimova, who usually cooks at Delicatessen in Paris, was chef in residence and made us so happy with the food she created. After you’ve been fed, you can slowly walk through to the store - when we went about 10 days ago, they had a 30% sale on most of the collection which is always good news! Also, at the entrance of the epicerie they have really cute glassware & ceramics, don’t miss those <3
Very original place which the owner, Fabien Rugi, filled with objects such as lots of sardine boxes that he had collected since 18 years when he opened the place. We ordered every course once and it was great - very good, non-salty anchovies, super fresh oysters and white wine. Perfect lunch.
Les Halles de la Major
This is where we went the time we were looking for something to eat after 3pm: It’s a big market hall where you can grab any kind of food you want, from tapas to sushi to seafood which would not usually be my go-to, but looking at the fact that everything else around us was closed, this was great. We had very good oysters and gambas, can really recommend, if you get to a time where you are suddenly outside French lunch hours.
As mentioned, Tuba is great for lunch to spend the time during the midday heat, have some of the ceviche with pastis!
Wishlist: Maison Calambo, great fish place. Chez Le Belge, a dreamy lunch on plastic chairs at the beach - best get here by car. Poissonerie Kennedy, easy lunch spot at Corniche Kennedy, close to the beaches. L’Epicery Ideal, a really cute place with local products to buy and have lunch. Crabe-Toro: Gourmet sandos
Shopping
One of my favorite concept stores: Last time here I bought one of my favorite pieces, a black Jacquemus blazer. You can find collections from Marine Serre, Coperni, Simuero, Charlotte Chesnais, Roa, Jacquemus and Courreges: Their buying feels very Marseilles! JoggingJogging was founded in 2013 by the photographer Oliver Ansellem and Charlotte Brunet. Besides the room at Corbusier, guests can also rent a house in Samena via JoggingJogging.
I came here onto the recommendation of my friend Lauren: Ensemble is an amazing bookshop close to the old harbour in downtown Marseille, founded by the owners of Loose Joints publishing company, Sarah Piegay Espenon and Lewis Chaplin. I bought a beautiful book called Marseille Mix - can recommend to buy and read it in Marseille. Ensemble hosts film screenings, talks and book launches.
Together with the very cool restaurant Ripaille they hosted a book launch and signature for the new book of David Luraschi - Stop Following Me on the 12th of July which I cannot believe I missed! Anyways, you can still get the book there I think.
The coolest hardware shop and the oldest in France (yes, they really call themselves hardware shop, German Baumarkt, listen up!) you will ever see, big and overwhelming, with lots of beautiful things which make you dream to furnish your own French countryhouse. I bought an ensemble Blanc de Chine, a fish scale peeling device (I never peel fish scale, but maybe I will now) and a bag, I would have liked to buy a comb (but didn’t really need one), soap, and all the dishes but I didn’t want to bring even more luggage so I controlled myself, but you can really spend hours in this place.
They also had these hemp plasticana garden clogs as well as wellies which Emily Bode featured in a Bode Fall 2020 fashion show which I almost bought..
Curios cabinet de curiosités et brocante
For our dinner we did the set design shopping in Marseille - and I came across this beautiful and weird shop: They sell lots of glasses, shells, animals in formaldehyd and other things - I think it’s definitely worth a visit even though it’s a bit weird.
Vintage Shops
Vintage shopping is fun in Marseille, we all bought something in different shops: They somehow had quite a similar assortment, different to what you find in other cities, very inexpensive, and you have to dig a little bit. I bought a very fun Kenzo jacket for 23 Euros which I was happy about!
Shops we went to: Coco Vintage, Mélanine Vintage Shop, Kitsh Vintage.
Wishlist: Azur World: Two women who create beautiful pleated silk pieces. Herboristerie Pére Blazie: Les Puces de Fifi: A vintage design store. Chose Commune, a beautiful bookshop. Criée-Market which is a daily fishmarket at the old port, Marseille Antiques - The Village Antiques
Culture
Generally, it’s very worth to look out for the architecture in Marseille, you’ll see so much beauty around, also sometimes quite random, but in the mix it’s very special.
I found this open-air sculpture park, run by the Parisian gallery Galerie 54 on AmiGo and I am so happy I went. The old lead factory features a cabana by Jean Prouvé and a lot of modern sculptures. It’s close to Tuba & Les Goudes (I came with the Lime bike), you can visit by booking a free 1.5 hours tour led by architect students. The tour I did was entirely in French and my French is very basic, but the tour was still great. Come with sneakers: I wore flip flops and had to walk a steep uphill with lots of loose rocks which I don’t recommend. Also - if you book the later slot it’s really hot, so might be worth doing the 9am one.
I love Corbusier so much and visiting this house, which is also an Unesco world heritage and the founding work of architectural Brutalism, is incredible. It has 330 apartments and was completed in 1952 to serve as a communal living space for inhabitants to live, shop, play and come together. As mentioned you can stay the night here as well, either in the Hotel Corbusieur, Airbnb or through JoggingJogging. Beautiful book store in the 3rd floor and cafe, make sure you visit the roof terrace for fantastic views over the city. You can book a tour on their website (which I missed) to see some apartments - but if you ask kindly, some people might let you in.
Wishlist: Museum Mucem. Musée Cantini. Hamam Rafik. Le Parc du Mugel, 30 minutes from Marseilles by car and look at this - omg.
Aperitivo
If you don’t stay for sundown at the beaches, it’s highly recommended to go to aperitivo instead and to enjoy it there - the evening light in Marseille is something else.
This very vibey place is close to the harbour and next to Le Repaire de L’écailler - a spot to see and to be seen, always busy. Amazing sundown views, very easy-going. Just drinks.
Come here around 6pm, this place is directly next to L’Abbaye and has full sun. Great for people-watching. Easy dinner or aperitivo - however you see it - with oysters, gambas, fish & chips and the famous panisses.
I went here last year, super nice natural wine bar in a nice street, owned by the French hospitality legend Christophe Juville who also owns Ippon in Marseille and Lolo In Paris. Small plates and good natural wine, interesting people.
Dinner
Marseille has an abundance of amazing dinner places if you know where to go. I would recommend to stay away from the old port: It’s very touristic and also it’s recommended to reserve the places you want to go to: In the hot spots you don’t get a spontaneous table - while saying that - we got a spontaneous table at Livingston, but we also had to sit inside. It’s always better to reserve…
I already came here in 2023 and it was great. The place is a bit tucked away in a small street in an alley in Cours Julien. It’s a fixed menu for 48 Euro per person for six courses, great natural wines, and good music. Fun fact, the new manager of this restaurant previously managed Beuster in Berlin. Didn’t love the area, but the food at Livingston is fantastico.
The amazing traveling Berlin restaurant LOBB had a pop-up here which was incredible - the restaurant is in a very cute, small street that makes the whole experience feel very much like a neighbourhood restaurant. For a majority of the evenings we sat on the street outside with wine which was really nice. I didn’t have any food from Ripaille just from the LOBB pop-up (which was amazing), but my friends did and they were really impressed.
I had spend the day at Tuba and planned to leave to go back into Marseille, when my husband sent me this restaurant recommendation, which was 200 metres away from Tuba and was called La Marine Des Goudes with chefs Camille Gandolfo and Paul Langlere. I took the close distance as a sign - I had really good gazpacho and pasta with clams, and was surrounded by mostly locals. Ask for a table directly outside, facing the harbour. Alternatively it’s also very nice to sit in front of the restaurant with locals, having an afterwork pastis.
Wishlist: Limmat: Some people say is the best restaurant in Marseille and one of the hardest to get a reservation. Ippon: a Japanese restaurant, also owned by Christophe Juville. La Mercerie: Set 5-course dinner. Chez Yassin: A Tunisian restaurant in one of the busiest market streets in town. Le cabanon de Paulette: Don’t go without reservation, it’s a very busy but fun beach restaurant. Atelier Renata: Beautiful Italian place.
Beaches
Marseille has lots of beaches, some are nicer than others in different ways: I love that there are lots of city beaches too, mostly around the area of Corniche Kennedy. Many people also come for the sundown, and bring pizza!
Here are my favorite beaches:
Anse de Malmousque
Malmousque is a small quarter in the 7th arrondissment with a lot of tiny cute streets. There are different spots - if you put Malmousque into maps, you land at a spot which was already recommended to us by Erin Wasson the year before - a spot by a small harbour, where everyone sits on rocks and small platforms. You can get in with a ladder - easy entry and exit, and sit on rocks together with lots of locals.
Add 43°16'51.7"N 5°20'49.3"E into your google maps, and you get to different beautiful locations with rocks and platforms - it’s harder to get into the water, you will have to climb between the rocks - but it’s cute to chill there.
Anse de Maldorme
Another spot is Anse de Maldorme: Here you can find a pebbly beach, just next to an incredible house that sits on the rocks as well as the possibility to sit on rocks. From the afternoon the pebbly beach will loose sun - for some people this is great :)
You can also go to the area next to it where you sit on rocks, and jump in from a platform or enter through a ladder. But as said - in this location the sun disappears behind another house much earlier than in other locations, so you have sun until approximately 6:30pm max.
Plage Calanque de Samena
We came here for the restaurant right next to it which ended up being a funny experience (our food took more than 1.5 hours so we eventually left, just to see a wildpig herd had entered the restaurant). I saw the beautiful, calm beach with dreamy steps and a couple of young people who did a bbq which looked really sweet, would definitely come back here!
Beaches at Les Goudes
This is the cutest port in Les Goudes where you can arrive with the boat from the old harbour or ride the bike from the city (approximately 10 km). In Les Goudes you can swim almost everywhere, there are some little beaches around which are very easy to find.
Beach at La Baie de Singes, Cap Croisette
La Baie de Singes - it’s the ultimate end of Marseille. I came here with the idea to hang out all day, but in the end decided to go back to Tuba. You have to reserve a table at the restaurant beforehand (25 Euro) and also have to eat in the restaurant. But it looks super nice and I am sure it is! It was a 20 minutes walk from Les Goudes, better done with sneakers - even though I managed with flip flops, I was 100% the only person doing that.
I passed by here when I was on the way to the above La Baie des Singes (thanks for this recommendation, Tanja) walking from Les Goudes - this is a very empty beach, easy to get in, surrounded by nature, 10 minutes from the village of Les Goudes by foot. Loved it.
Tuba Club Beach
This is not like an official and encouraged beach place, but you can hang out here after lunch and also order drinks to your seat which is pretty great. The deck chairs are reserved for hotel guests, but they also have these small chairs you can sit on, sometimes there are some free ones. The location is full in sun until sundown - I loved it!
Wishlist: Anse de la Faussee Monnaie: Next to Corniche Kennedy. Vallon de Auffes: To swim, go under the arches of the bridge and head for what the locals call ‘the Vallon swimming pool’.
Okay, these are my hot takes on Marseille! Enjoy the city, if you like Athens and Mexico-City, you’ll likely also enjoy Marseille. For me this is one of my top destinations, and I can’t wait to go back!
See you soon!
Your Close Internet Friend,
LKD
Love this! Makes me want to go to Marseille so badly!