Marseille with kids ⋆

As you might have guessed reading my blog, my family and I live in Aix-en-Provence. It’s a calm, elegant and quite wealthy mid-sized French town. Such a difference from the booming metropole big sister Marseille. To truly experience the Provence, I can only advise you to go and pay this vibrant and trendy city a visit. Here are some tips for a visit of Marseille with kids.

Mucem and Grotte Cosquer

One of the better parkings in Marseille is the Indigo parking at Le Vieux-Port/ Mucem. There are many spots and coming up you have just the most amazing view. Upstairs you find two interesting venues for your family. The most cultural is the modern museum Mucem. Besides temporary exhibitions (we have seen Jeff Koons and Fashion Folklore), there is a small kids department. Apart from that, kids can rent a tablet for free to animate their visit through the museum.

If you feel like a more ‘loose’ activity with your kid, then I can tip you a visit of La Grotte Cosquer. This place hosts a replica of the prehistoric cave that was found by diver Henry Cosquer in the 1980’s. It is an immersive experience that gives you a good impression of the real cave. Kids love it! I would recommend to book a time slot in advance.

Le Panier

Before heading to this ‘quartier’, you cannot miss the beauty of the iconic ‘La Major’, the roman byzantine cathedral of Marseille. From there you walk into the pittoresk area of Le Panier, this is the oldest district of the city. The neighborhood feels a bit like a Moroccan sook, with ocre plastered little shops and street food restaurants. Place des Pistoles is a nice place to take a seat on one of the terraces. Le Panier is definitely worth a stroll to experience the old Marseille.

Le Vieux Port

You cannot not visit Le Vieux-Port when in Marseille. This is such a picturesque part of Marseille, you will see lots of pleasure boats in this port and the beautifully located city hall. Around the port there are several places to drink a cup of coffee and enjoy the view. You could also opt for the ultra short ferry ride taking you from one side of the port to the other side, the shortest ferry line in the world (though it might save you a 15 minutes walk and is fun).

Notre Dame de la Garde

From Le Vieux-Port you can hop on a little touristic train: ‘le petit train’. This train will bring you all the way up to the prettiest church you can imagine, la Notre Dame de la Garde. The Marseillaise call this roman byzantine basilica ‘la Bonne Mère’. She is offering you an even more pretty vue all over Marseille and the Mediterranean.

When we just arrived in the region and our kids were only 2 and 5, we didn’t know of this train and walked all the way up to the Notre Dame. That was just a little bit too much to ask of them, the little train is such a relief for families, especially on hot summer days. You will feel over the top touristy, but you will forget about this when crossing La Corniche John F. Kennedy, along the raw yet beautiful coast (with great trendy coffeeshops and restaurant by the way!). The basilica itself is beautiful on the inside as well, decorated with sparkling mosaics. It breathes marine, the Notre Dame de la Garde is considered to be the guardian of the marines and fishermen. This is definitely an activity that I would recommend when visiting Marseille with kids.

Ferry to Château d’If

Another fun kid friendly activity is taking the ferry from Le Vieux-Port and sail off to Château d’If. This fort is a former prison, located on the island ‘If’. Château d’If is the inspiration for the story of The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas. During high season and in weekends you can check for a guided kids tour. You can only choose a tour in French, but our guide spoke some good English too.

Where to eat?

Marseille has uncountable good restaurants and bars. So many to choose from, as there is such a cultural diversity besides the typical Marseillaise cuisine. As we are in the South of France, I could not really describe a perfect kid friendly Marseille restaurant. But bringing your own coloring plate (like the one of Marseille by OMY) or card game, will be enough entertainment for your little one. Maybe one of these restaurants can be of your interest when you visit Marseille with kids:

Ciel: a rooftop Italian restaurant in a neighborhood full of nice boutiques and close to Le Vieux-Port. On the terrace you have just a wonderful vue on La Notre Dame de la Bellegarde.
Splendido: this Italian restaurant of the Big Momma group is an eclectic experience. The restaurant is decorated in a circus theme and so much fun! My Italian friend told me that the food and staff are truly from the Napoli area in Italy and Napolian pizzas are apparently the best!
Bouillabaisse: if you have fish lovers in your family, then why not try this ultimate Marseille dish. It is a Provençal soup containing different kinds of fish and sea fruit and is considered as a true delicacy (and pricey too!). MyProvence, the digital tourist office of the Department 13, made a great article about where to eat the best Bouillabaisse in the surrounding.
La Baie des Singes: Isabelle Bertolami, my Aixoise foodie Instagram friend, tipped this amazing experience of a restaurant. You head all the way up to the village of Goudes, preferably by taxi or a tiny car that can take in some damage. That’s because you have to drive through the tiniest village to end up where you can’t go further. On the private parking of the restaurant you have to leave your car on a cliff named Cap Croissette and from there you will walk (or better: hike, so not accessible for strollers and a bit difficult with the littlest ones) towards the most idyllic venue: the fish restaurant La Baie des Singes. We visited this restaurant with the four of us to celebrate the birthday of my hub. It was the most special birthday venue he ever experienced. The staff shows you the fresh fish that you will get on your plate, it’s incredibly fresh. You would absolutely have to make a reservation if you wish to experience this restaurant.

Where to stay?

Up until now I have never stayed in a hotel in Marseille. Although I do know of some well located hotels to hint you, like the brand new Odalys City where you can rent a clean studio for 2, 3 or 4 persons. When you wish to stay in a more cool hotel, be sure to check out Mama Shelter Marseille in the trendy ‘6ème arrondissement’. I love decoration of the Mama Shelter hotels and their breakfast is just ultimate. They have such creative interiors, that your kid will be amazed! Besides, their connected family rooms are just perfect. If you want to go for that beach view, you might check out NHow Marseille that is based on the trendy Corniche. This hotel with swimming pool is located right near the sea and is stunningly redecorated by designers. Looking very sunny and its offers family rooms and suites. Despite that it’s just a bit further away from town, it can feel like an oasis as well.

When traveling to Marseille with kids you might also want to have a look at Airbnb as many lucky homeowners in Marseille rent out their home when traveling themselves.