Marseille, marked
The most underrated city in France: the swim spots, wine bar dinners, coastal hikes, and vintage shops.
Marseille was the sleeper hit of my European summer. We only booked it because we needed to fly in and drive out to the Luberon Valley in Provence, and figured a night or two would make the stop worth it. Then we started researching, found way too many things we wanted to do, and it turned into a meaningful leg of our trip. It ended up being one of my favorite cities we’ve visited in Europe, and I’d argue it’s the most underrated city in France – still nowhere near as touristed as everywhere else we went this trip.
Below is where to stay, including a swim spot I’d go back to Marseille just to experience again, plus the full coffee and bakery rundown, where to go for lunch and dinner, wine bars, shopping, and my favorite hike along the water.
Where to stay
A beach club, a design hotel, and a cliffside splurge – ordered roughly by price.
Tuba Club: The highlight of our whole trip. It’s an old diving club turned beach club, restaurant, and small hotel in Les Goudes, a small fishing village at the southern edge of the city. During the day it’s basically a locals’ hangout – everyone’s just there floating around, drinking, and lounging on the rocks. Guests staying at the hotel get the best tables at dinner, which is a nice perk after a full day in the sun. We loved it so much we’d plan another Marseille trip just to stay there again.
Hôtel La Relève: A retro guesthouse in Endoume with just four rooms, each done up in its own bold color and theme. There’s a bar downstairs that doubles as the neighborhood hangout, and breakfast happens right there in the morning.
Le Petit Nice – Passédat: The splurge option – a cliffside hotel near Malmousque, a quiet cove neighborhood on the coast, with its own Michelin three-star restaurant and a pool built right into the rocks above the water.
Coffee & bakeries
For slow mornings, or the reset before dinner.
Cécile Food Club: A cute little café and deli with really good coffee and sandwiches. There’s an original location in Malmousque and a newer one in Les Goudes, just down the road from Tuba Club – an easy stop on your way to or from the beach club.