Vieux-Port
Marseille, without the guesswork.
An independent guide in English and German, written by people who live here: routes, boats, prices we have checked and opinions we stand by.
Start here
Four pages that answer the first questions
What to see, how to get here, how to move around, what to know before you land. Then dive into the boats, the language question and the honest opinions.
Boats, sea and getting there
The practical pages people ask us about most
Boats, transfers and the port · 9 min read
Private boat rental in Marseille with a skipper: the 2026 guide
How to rent a private boat with a skipper in Marseille: which port to leave from, what a half day and a full day cost in 2026, motor versus sail, the questions that separate good operators from bad ones, and the alternatives if the budget does not stretch.
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Boats, transfers and the port · 7 min read
Marseille Airport to the Vieux-Port: every transfer option compared
How to get from Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) to the Vieux-Port and the city centre: shuttle bus, train via Vitrolles, taxi, ride-hailing and private transfers, with realistic times, indicative costs and the mistakes to avoid.
Read the article → Boats, transfers and the port · 9 min read
Private boat tours of the Calanques from Marseille: how to choose
Private boat rental with a skipper in Marseille, explained by locals: where the boats leave from, how far you can go in three hours or a day, what the National Park allows, what a fair quote includes and the questions to ask before you pay.
Read the article →Marseille in your language
A city that speaks little English, decoded
Marseille in your language · 7 min read
How to find an English-speaking guide in Marseille (and what to ask)
Marseille speaks less English than visitors expect. Here is how to find a guide who really speaks your language, the difference between licensed guides, hosts and shared tours, what to ask before booking and what a private tour should cost.
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Marseille in your language · 9 min read
Marseille for English speakers: a first-visit field guide
Everything an English-speaking visitor can do in Marseille without struggling with French: museums with English guides and audio, tours and boat trips in English, restaurants that welcome you, bookshops, football, and the phrases that make the rest easy.
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Marseille in your language · 7 min read
English-speaking boat tours in Marseille: shared trips, private boats and what you actually hear on board
Which boat trips from Marseille are really available in English: the Château d'If and Frioul shuttles, shared Calanques cruises with their 'bilingual' commentary, small-group trips with English-speaking skippers, and how to choose between them.
Read the article →Honest takes
Safe? Worth it? Better than Nice?
Honest takes · 9 min read
Is Marseille safe? An honest answer from people who live here
Marseille's reputation versus what visitors actually experience: which areas are fine day and night, where pickpockets work, the neighbourhoods that make the news and why you will never see them, safety for women and solo travellers, and the ten habits that matter.
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Honest takes · 9 min read
Nice vs Marseille: which one should you visit?
Nice or Marseille for your trip to the south of France: beaches, food, prices, safety, sights, day trips, weather, how easy each is in English, and who each city is for. An honest comparison from people who live in one and visit the other.
Read the article → Honest takes · 7 min read
Marseille rooftop bars: where to drink with the city at your feet
The rooftops of Marseille compared honestly: the big terraces above the docks and the Vieux-Port, the hotel rooftops with pools, the museum roof, the bars on the hills, what a cocktail costs, when to book and which ones are worth the queue.
Read the article →Get your bearings
Marseille at a glance
Sea to the west, hills to the east, the Vieux-Port in the middle: our illustrated map shows how everything connects. The numbers are the places our articles come back to most.
- 1 Vieux-Port Where boats leave from, where the fish market is, where every visit starts.
- 2 Château d’If and the Frioul Twenty minutes by boat; the classic half-day on the water.
- 3 Calanques National Park White limestone and turquoise coves, on foot from bus 20 or by boat.
- 4 Cruise terminal and airport Both far from the centre. We explain the shuttles and the fair taxi fares.
- 5 Towards Cassis The prettiest day trip, by train or by sea.
How this guide is made
First-hand, or not at all
Our own photos, only
Every image was shot in Marseille by the people writing these pages. No stock, no Wikimedia.
Routes we actually walk
Timings, stairs, bus numbers and the shortcut through Le Panier come from doing it, not from copying a brochure.
Written for you, in your language
Marseille speaks less English and almost no German. We tell you where that matters and how to get around it.
Honest about money
Some links earn us a commission. We say so, we list the alternatives, and we never recommend a boat or a bed we would not book ourselves.
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Marseille tips, once a month
New guides, seasonal advice and the prices we have checked. Written from Marseille in English. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Private boats and boutique hotels
Want it arranged rather than researched?
For a skippered yacht day, a full-day charter to Cassis or a hotel that actually answers emails in English, tell us what you need. We pass your request to a partner we have vetted and reply within 24 hours. No fee for you.
