From the center of the Vieux Port, walk along the left side, Quai de Rive Neuve. You’ll pass a bunch of bustling bars and pubs which are great for a pastis or other apéro in the afternoon sun. You might recognize the interior of Bar de la Marine from the scene in Love Actually where Colin Firth awkwardly proposes in Portuguese. Continue past Fort Saint Nicolas on your left and up the hill. You’ll eventually arrive at the entrance to Parc Émile Duclaux on the right-hand side of the street, and I highly recommend taking a quick detour inside the park to get an incredible view over the harbor—but beware, this hill is often very windy! The park is also known as Le Pharo because of the Palais du Pharo planted in the center. Built in 1858 by the Emperor Napoleon III for his wife Eugénie, this grand palace is now a convention hall and also houses some offices of the Aix-Marseile University. After exiting the park, continue to the right on Boulevard Charles Livon. You’ll basically stay straight on this road for the rest of the walk. After the road curves to the left, you’ll come across Plage des Catalans. This beach is admittedly not Marseille’s very best, but its accessibility makes it a really popular spot for locals and tourists alike. Take a slight right onto Corniche President John F. Kennedy (no joke- there’s also a Cours Franklin Roosevelt elsewhere in the city!) and soak in the gorgeous glittering blues of the Mediterranean. You’ll eventually reach the stately Monument aux Armées d’Afrique, a memorial to soldiers who fought in the Algerian war. Cross the street from the monument and head down the stairs, Escalier du Vallon des Auffes to arrive in the small fishing port.

Head to the right side of the Vieux Port, Quai du Port. Turn right at the fancy Hotel de Ville onto rue de la Mairie. Go through the big plaza towards the impressive Intercontinental Hotel, housed in a former hospital, and turn left on rue Caisserie. Continue around rue Caisserie and take a slight right onto Place de Lenche, a square with a killer view surrounded by cafés and often buzzing with activity. You’ll pass by a biscuiterie, Les Navettes des Accoules, which has been making traditional navette cookies for years. I am super obsessed with these slightly chewy cookies lightly flavored with orange blossom, and always pick up a bag when I’m in the neighborhood. From Place de Lenche, I highly recommend wandering through the winding alleyways of Le Panier; you are sure to stumble across something interesting, be it a wacky boutique or some surprising street art. To continue on the itinerary on the map, head straight onto rue de l’Évêché and then right toward rue Sainte-Françoise. Take a minute to pop into the Undartground boutique where local street artists sell some of their work, or stop in Bar des 13 Coins for a café in a very local atmosphere. Turning left on rue du Panier, you’ll pass several quaint shops and narrow streets. Continue until you find the staircase on rue des Moulins. This will lead you to Place des Moulins, where three windmills that used to power the city once stood. Continue down the hill on rue des Moulins and take a right on Montée des Accoules. If you continue straight ahead, you’ll end up back at the top of Place de Lenche!

From there, let’s head toward the impressive Cathédrale La Major. Make your way back to rue de l’Évêché and turn left this time at rue Four du Chapitre. Continuing onto Place de la Major, you can’t miss the massive cathedral on your right, nor will you be able to resist the beautiful blue of the sea beyond it. From the parvis of the cathedral, head down the stairs towards Esplanade J4 and Marseille’s newest museum, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilization or MuCEM opening in 2013. This museum has an eclectic interdisciplinary permanent collection, and regularly hosts really interesting temporary exhibitions on all manner of subjects that reflect the cultural melting pot of Marseille and Mediterranean cultures. Once inside the museum, feel free to pay for entry into the exhibits, or follow signs to the top floor terrace (entry here is free) where you will be able to cross the pedestrian footpath into Fort Saint Jean. Explore the many levels and lookouts from the fort which has been recently renovated and now has tons of seating areas for a picnic or just a little rest. This fort was built in 1660 by King Louis XIV. With its position at the mouth of the city’s port, one would naturally assume that it was an important protection against invading forces. In fact, the fort was built in response to a rebel uprising “in order to subdue the spirit of independence of the city of Marseille” as Wikipedia puts it – the canons pointed toward the town, not out to sea. When you’ve finished exploring the different levels, take one of the exits out of the fort back to Le Panier or the Vieux Port.

From the top of the Vieux Port, head to the left towards Quai de Rive Neuve. Walk about halfway down and turn left on rue Fort Notre Dame and continue straight until the roundabout. Take the second exit to the right, turning onto rue des Brusques. Continue straight ahead and you will see the leafy Parc Pierre Puget. You could continue the climb through this hidden gem of a park, or turn right and then left to stay on Cours Pierre Puget. Turn right onto Boulevard André Aune and walk up the giant hill…… don’t forget to turn around and see the view of the Vieux Port as you ascend! Take the stairs at the top of the hill and turn right onto Montée de la Bonne Mère. Follow the stairs (yes, more stairs) until you arrive at the church. Enjoy the spectacular 360° views!

From our original starting point (my apartment!) near Cours Julien, cross the street towards rue de la Bibliothèque. Turn left and descend rue Curiol. This street is always interesting because of all the prostitutes that hang out in the doorways! They probably won’t bother you, but if you’d prefer to avoid them, you can take one of the parallel streets instead 🙂 Once you reach the bottom of rue Curiol, you will have arrived at La Canebière, Marseille’s famous artery, often called the Champs-Elysées of Marseille, so well-known there’s even a song about it! The Square Léon Blum in this upper part of the Canebière is quite nice; I especially like the two huge giraffe statues that house little free libraries. Turn right on the Canebière, towards the Réformés church and follow the tram tracks through Square Stalingrad to Boulevard de la Libération. Feel free to hop on the tram (you’ll need to buy a ticket for 1,60 euro), or take the 20 minute walk up the pleasant boulevard all the way to the monument.