Things to Do in Marseille France, with Kids
Things to Do in Marseilles France – France’s second city, its oldest city, is a harbour town with an attractive Old Town and good night life. It may have a tough reputation but strolling in the tourist areas felt as safe as any other city in the Med. Now take time discover things to do in Marseille France.
Old Port & Mirrored Canopy / Mucem / Cosquer Cave Museum / Forts & Towers / Visit the Cathedral / Food & Drink / Grab a photo at the Marseille Sign / Beaches / Soap / Street Art / Tourist Train / Corniche Kennedy / Day Trips
Explore the Old Port – Things to Do in Marseilles France
The Vieux Port is always buzzing. It’s the place to see live fish for sale at the fish market, stroll under Norman Foster’s Mirrored Canopy, eat, drink, promenade and people watch.
Fort Saint Jean, Harbour Walls & Fanal Tower
Continue walking along the harbour walls. You’ll pass the Lighthouse Tower, or Fanal Tower. Building started in 1644 due to Marseille’s role as a prominent trading port, and this tower was built to protect precious ships and cargo during fog, mist or at night. As well as providing good views back over the harbour and city, you can get attractive photographs out to sea, and the walk leads to two museums.
The two museums are MUCEM and Cosquer, and the footbridge (pictured below) is dramatic in its own right. Mucem is the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations, the first major national museum dedicated to the civilisations of the Mediterranean, if that floats your boat. It also boasts a terrace restaurant.
Cosquer can really capture the imagination. It houses a full-scale replica of the famous Cosquer Cave, an underwater prehistoric cave discovered in 1985 in the nearby Calanques with stunning Paleolithic paintings and engravings. Guests step aboard exploration wagons on rails to embark on a 35-minute circuit, a 220-metre tour conducted in semi-darkness. Commentary is provided via headsets, showcasing the cave decorative panels and handprints. Apparently the noise level, temperature, lighting and water quantity are accurate to the actual cave.
Cathedrale La Major, Things to Do in Marseilles France
Also named Sainte Marie Majeure the cathedral was built in a neo byzantin style by the architect Léon Vaudoyer between 1852 and 1893. This black and white striped beauty holds temporary exhibits, and we were lucky enough to experience Celestial Lights by Marcoville. The kids enjoyed the vast, colourful glass sculptures.
Street Art/Graffiti – Things to Do in Marseilles France
Marseille has a few significant areas of street art. Cours Julien is probably the best renowned, but was a bit out of our way in the hot autumn sun. As we were literally passing through Le Panier (close to the Old Port, Cathedral and Cosquer) we made the most of the district’s bold design and bright colour. Le Panier is the oldest district in Marseille and had a colourful reputation in the past, now it’s more of an open air art gallery!
Grab Lunch at Placette
A nearby lunch stop is Placette, think small plates, simple French food and ingredients, cooked well. Outdoor seating available.
Black Ice Cream for Dessert
Walk a few minutes from Placette to grab dessert at Vanille Noir (there are a few properties around town but we dropped into the 15 Rue Caisserie property). They offer over 20 flavours of ice cream but many people turn up for the signature black ice-cream. Kids love the way their lips and tongue turn black, sometimes even their clothes! Although the black colour comes from vanilla itself, there are rumours that activated charcoal or even squid ink are part of the recipe.
Marseille Sign – Things to Do in Marseilles France
After ice cream grab a tourist ‘I’m on my holibags’ shot at the Marseille sign on Mazeau Square (just next to Placette bistro).
Shop for Soap – Things to Do in Marseilles France
There were a plethora of beautiful ‘savon’ shops, pungent with rich and fresh scents alike. Take your pick, but we stopped at the attractive Le Bazar de Cesar in the Panier district. Artisanal products and rustic charm combine to create Marseille soap, a traditional hard soap made from vegetable oils.
Great Viewpoint – Things to Do in Marseilles France
Capture great views of the harbour and city outline from Fort Saint Nicholas. You can pay to enter the fort with guided tours, and the gardens are due to reopen in May 2026, but we just appreciated the vistas.
City Beach – Plage des Catalans
Plages des Catalans is a mere 15 mins walk from the Old Port (and even closer to our apartment), and was an ideal spot to end the day, swim, let the children chill and wash off the grime of sight-seeing before heading out for dinner with salt in our hair.
Tourist Train
If all the walking above sounds exhaustive, a tourist train tours the city on at least two different routes. We noticed that, even visiting in October, the trains were busy and the queues long, so we left them for people who needed help with mobility. Discover more here
Brasserie Barbotin
Marseille comes alive at night. We loved the square of restaurants and bars called Cours Honoré d’Estienne d’Orves. You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to food and drink but we chilled out and enjoyed Brasserie Barbotin, enjoying snails and mussels.
Foods to Try
Eat the simple rustic fish dish, Bouillabaise, and drink a Pastis. Available across the city, and beyond.
Corniche Kennedy & Plage du Prophete
The Corniche Kennedy runs from the Plage des Catalans to the Prado. A fantastic spot for walking, jogging, cycling or swimming, it pays homage to its namesake the American president who was assassinated in 1963. We drove out of town, along the corniche and parked up to swim at the Plage du Prophete – it’s easy to find little cafés and restaurants dotted along the corniche.
Where to Stay
We booked a two-bedroom apartment with a balcony. A big attraction was its free parking and central location, but there is lots of choice across the city.
Day Trip – Cassis/Calanques
Take a boat trip to see the region’s famous Calanques. These steep limestone cliffs are dotted along the Mediterranean coast, especially between Marseille and Cassis.
Day Trip – Aix-en-Provence
Discover the delights of Cezanne‘s hometown, Aix-en-Provence. Read a full guide here.
Enjoy Marseille!
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