MARSEILLE: The Most Criminally OVERLOOKED City in France 🇫🇷

MARSEILLE: The Most Criminally OVERLOOKED City in France 🇫🇷

Marseilles. This isn’t the polished postcard version of France you’re used to seeing. It’s not Paris with its grand boulevards, Bordeaux with its clean limestone facades, or Leon with its reputation for gastronomy. Marseilles is something else entirely. Louder, saltier, edgier, rough around the edges. It’s a port city that smells like Sea Spray and Bastis, a crossroads for thousands of years. And I felt that in every bite, every alley, every voice shouting across the market trying to sell the day’s fresh catch or tell me rather bluntly to move out of the way. Here, cultures don’t just coexist. They rub up against each other, banter, flirt, and ultimately make something new. Couscous is just as Marseilles as Booya. The hip-hop beat echoing from a scooter is just as Marseilles as the clink of Paton balls in the afternoon sun. It seems to be a city that doesn’t care if you like it or not. It wears its scars proudly. Every wall covered in graffiti, every crumbling stairwell, all part of the same story. I feel like I’m in a city that’s still fighting, still creating, still hungry. As one local put it, Marseilles is rough and ready. This is the version of France with its sleeves rolled up, and we’re here for 72 hours on a mission to have a few good meals and get an honest feel for this place. And in this video, I’ll be answering the two most commonly pondered questions. One, is it worth going to Marseilles? and two, how safe or unsafe do you actually feel on the ground in the more touristic areas? Alerti, let’s go. Marseilles sits right on the edge of the Mediterranean in the sunny south of France. It’s a port city about a 3-hour drive from Nice on one side and about 5 hours from Barcelona if you head west along the coast. It’s only 45 minutes from Exon Povvence and a couple of hours from the lavender fields and even the foothills of the Alps. With around 870,000 people, it’s a mix of North African, Mediterranean, and French influences, all blending under the 300 days of blazing sunshine that they get each year. And before I get into my first impressions of this city, let me blaze through the top 10, I’ll call them, postcard activities. The Old Port or Vup as it’s called in French, right on the water. The artsy Lup District, the oldest neighborhood in the city, located right above the Old Port. The Basilic Notredam de Lagard. the iconic hilltop church overlooking the entire city and sea that locals nickname lab the good mother because she watches over Marseilles. I would also add Cathedral Lour, the oldest church in France and the last cathedral built on French territory. The Chatif, a fortress turned prison made famous by the count of Monte Cristo, accessible by ferry from the oldport. A great film but an even better book written by French writer Alexandro Jima. Marseilles’s little tourist train ride to give you a good understanding and basic knowledge of the general layout and history of the city. They also have a hop- on hop off bus, but the trains way better. The museum of European and Mediterranean civilizations. A stunning modern museum blending art, history, and architecture connected to Fort Sanjon by a photogenic bridge over the sea. Kiulian, a bohemian neighborhood part of Marseilles’s creative hub filled with murals, lively bars, and the most graffiti I’ve seen in one place in my entire life. Laish and Valonov, a scenic coastal area with sea views, ending at a tiny fishing village full of charm and delicious seafood spots. Stadrome, home of the Olympic de Marles football club, known even by non-fans to have one of the most electric atmospheres on match days. And of course, the food. The top three most popular dishes to try here are buzzes, the popular panis and pastis combo, and the aioli pans. Now that we’ve quickly gotten that out of the way, here are my thoughts after walking 10 miles non-stop on my first day here. All right, we have made it to Marseilles. Marseilles is the second largest city in France and the oldest city in France and it’s also kind of has a reputation for being France’s most dangerous city uh just because of the gang activity and the the crime. 42 murders, 11 murders, 15 homicides. There is a huge problem of organized crime in Marseilles. And I got to say, you know, we were a little bit on the fence about coming here just because we had brought it up to some French people and like their first reaction was like, why are you even going there? Which honestly caught me off guard because I had heard mostly good things from people had visited Marseilles, but I didn’t realize that in some parts of the city, yeah, crime is a serious concern. I just got finished walking around their four main neighborhoods. mostly I guess you’d consider these mostly touristic neighborhoods. La plen where we’re staying which is full of like coffee shops and has a great view of like the whole city. Lup which is the oldest neighborhood in all the city uh which also is just was really charming. Noai which is their shopping center with a lot of uh restaurants. Actually there’s a lot of exotic restaurants with food from around the world. That’s something that’s really surprised me. I think the food scene in Marseilles is insane because they have food from literally anywhere you can imagine. Right now I’m making my way from the old port the view towards Laish area which is like the coastal area. The closest beach from here is called de Catalon which is the main beach within walking distance from the city center. I might get an Uber or take public transportation and go a bit further. But I am really zonked because I’ve literally walked the whole city center it feels like today. And honestly my first impressions it feels very similar to any other major city. I didn’t feel unsafe. I didn’t feel surrounded by, you know, shady characters. It didn’t feel sketchy really. Yes, there’s homeless people. Yes, there are occasional people that are on drugs. But, uh, in these main neighborhoods and districts close to the Old Port, it’s totally fine. You know, at night, on the other hand, I don’t really know. I mean, just like every major city, you got to practice common sense and, you know, be prudent and use situational awareness. But we’ve been here for 3 days now and honestly I’ve spoken to quite a few locals and they’ve been so friendly, like more friendly than a lot of places we’ve been to and just like super down to earth and easy to talk to. So our first impressions of Marseilles have been really positive. We have some really good food on the agenda. I’m mainly excited to try their seafood being here on the water, but aesthetically this city’s been beautiful. Real quick before we get into some incredible food in Marseilles, I want to tell you about the first thing we do when we land in a new country, and that is get an eSIM for our phones. And this month, we’re using Aerillo, the partner of this video. ESIMs have been the easiest and most streamlined way for us to stay connected in every country we go to and feel at ease the moment we land. Because we’re traveling for the unforeseeable future, we’ve actually paused our American service provider and are purchasing a new eim in each country. Back in the old days, we’d either have to pay our big cell provider a crazy day fee or go find a convenience store that sold physical SIM cards, which just took a lot of time. But Heirl removes all that hassle and allows us to seamlessly get an eSIM within minutes. We’ve used Aro for almost 3 years now in over 15 different countries so far. They cover more than 200 countries and regions, so you can choose your destination, install and activate the ESIM before arrival, and be connected the second you land. It’s so easy to set up, and the app will guide you through all the steps. If you want to give Aerolo a try on your next trip overseas, feel free to download the app using our link in the description below and use our code to get $3 off your data plan. Merci. All right, we have just sat down at Mar. This is like a serious local seafood staple and we are right here on the water in Marseilles Vupo. And I don’t know if you could hear it around me, but it’s busy, dude. It’s full. Every single table here is taken. And we have a restaurant next door to me. And they’re also packed. And they’re having a party. They got like seven bottles of wine on the table. But I’m just so excited to finally try this. I went with the mixed seafood. So I’ve got calamari, shrimp, octopus, all kinds of goodness in here. And then right here, I got essentially their local kind of popular snack food. It’s called a panise. It’s like a chickpea fritter essentially. And she also provided me with three amazing homemade aiololis. And a cone in French is like basically like a cone, like one of these. And they have these holes in the table that you can just like literally set them in perfectly, which is honestly so practical and strategic. I’m actually starving. I haven’t eaten anything all day. Oh my god, that’s so good. I love when places like lightly batter their seafood, not you know coat them too heavily so you can actually taste and enjoy the calamari or the I got to say for value they give you a ton. Oh my god. Wow. I got to try this aioli though. This one It’s maybe a dill. Dude, why are these sauces so good? That’s like a garlic ioli, but like super garlicky. I swear France, they make the best sauces. That’s crazy. Oh my god. I honestly didn’t think I was going to like this. I’m not a huge chickpea fan. These chickpea fritters are good. They also commonly serve them in like a stick shape, which I haven’t had yet. But I’m in heaven right now just being by the water. The seafood’s so fresh. The vibes are amazing. I mean, it’s definitely the opposite of serene right now. It’s more uh just bustling, vibrant, busy. But it’s definitely a vibe to be here in Marseilles and to feel this kind of energy from people around you. Oh yeah. Something I picked up on that I really love about Marseilles is the locals just seem super chilled out, really laidback, and looser in their shoulders. They kind of walk with a little bit more of like swagger, kind of just enjoying themselves. They don’t take themselves too seriously. They’re not snobby in any way. That’s something that’s really nice, obviously, compared to like Paris or somewhere like that. They just have a good time, enjoy, you know, the company of friends and enjoy the sunshine. Every day since we’ve been here, we’ve been here three days. It’s been sunny every single day. The Marseilles French accent is also very charming. It’s almost like a mix of a little bit of that singy songy Italian kind of sound. They have their unique slang to go along with it. All right, we are currently walking through Le P, which is the oldest quarter here in Marseilles. And first impressions, I mean, lots of street art, lots of murals, lots of graffiti. Definitely kind of a bohemian, artsy, creative type vibe happening here. Lots of cobblestone lanes, lots of little galleries and shops. It’s surprisingly quite clean as well. Some really good coffee shops. We just found this really cool coffee shop down these stairs in this lane in this really like private and quiet area. That was really nice. It is very hilly, hence why I’m so out of breath. It’s not just because I’m out of shape. There’s a lot of ups and downs in this neighborhood. So, I’m glad we didn’t bring the stroller cuz that would have been a nightmare. But just as you can see behind me, people just chilling, having a nice cup of coffee, nice bite to eat. This is a really cool spot, a really cool area of Marseilles that’s really laidback. A good place to grab a bite to eat, hang out for a few hours. It’s literally right above the Vipo. But we’re going to head back down now to the old port and grab that touristic train I’ve been wanting to take. I know it’s a touristy thing, but I feel like it’s a good way to get a lay of the land and an understanding for the layout of the city and the infrastructure. So that’s what we’re going to do next. I need to catch my breath. The most beautiful monuments of Marseilles, the old harbor in Notraam. Marseilles could be in the Guinness World Record. But do you know why? So this is the tail end of our trip through France. We spent time in the French Alps, Leon, Bordau, and now here. And Marseilles’s been an interesting one. In spite of all the warnings we got from fellow Frenchies, what seems clear to me is Marseilles is a very polarizing city. You either love it or you hate it. It may not be for everyone, but I personally feel like it’s one of those cities that anyone that’s considering traveling here should absolutely do. It’s this wild cultural collision of France and North Africa. So, if you’re looking to come to France for that classic French vibe, this is definitely not the place. Along with some rough spots, it has some seriously gorgeous pockets that honestly blew me away. Yeah, it’s loud and chaotic at times, but I think it’s rougher qualities and edgginess are actually what make it more, not less, attractive to certain people. It just comes down to what you like. I’ve heard people say that Marseilles is to France what Naples is to Italy. So if Naples is your favorite city in Italy, then I would probably guess you’d love Marseilles. It makes me think if you took the grit and underground culture of like a Berlin or an Amsterdam, sprinkled in some uniquely French sensibilities and then plopped that on a coastal port city with a strategic geographic location with beautiful beaches and super sunny weather year round. That’d be Marseilles. The contrast between the scenic stone beaches, rebellious spirit of the people, and graffiti everywhere is something I’ve never really seen anywhere else. And I probably saw the most independent small working galleries and art studios of any place I’ve ever been other than maybe Montreal. And to address safety, we felt safe the entire time, but did stay primarily in the touristy areas. From what the locals told us, the high crime rates you hear about are not a concern for tourism since it’s linked to drug wars in neighborhoods tourists never go to. We had absolutely no issue doing the normal tourist stuff around town. I would say just practice situational awareness like you would in any major city and just do your research on which areas to avoid. I can name off quite a few major cities around the world with a similar gang undercurrent and organized crime scene. So just practice common sense. Overall, the people of Marseilles were really helpful and chatty with us. We really like the people we interacted with. Locals also told us that the city’s really cleaned up over the last couple years. So in conclusion, I would say give Marseilles an open-minded chance. And I’ll leave you with this quote by Jean Clizo. I got I’m standing now at the old port. It’s an early morning here in Marseilles, and right now they have their iconic fish market happening behind me. There’s only about 12 stands today, but the fish are very much alive and fresh. Right now, you’ve got mostly tourists, I want to say, from a cruise ship that just docked over there to the right. But, um, yeah, I got my coffee. It’s a nice chill morning. Things are starting to pick up. It’s nice to kind of hear a lot of the local vendors doing their thing and selling their fish. Man, the weather here has just been absolutely perfect. Fantastic. Feel like this is a regular occurrence here. Just being on the cook. They get over 300 days of sun, which is pretty nice. All right, we have just sat down at Epon, which is a restaurant that comes highly recommended here in Marseilles by locals. And the first dish I ordered is a brazed tripe with guanchal, which I love guanchal. It’s Italian pig. Visuals outstanding. I mean, I’ve never seen tripe look so good. Oh, look at that. Oh my gosh. This bite first right here. It’s got tons of guanchal on top. Here we go. That is so freaking good. It is so freaking good. Wow. The flavors are so on point. First starter. Things are looking good. All right, moving on to another starter now cuz we ordered three starters. This one is like a white bean soup. Wow, that is phenomenal. So, this is like this is like the sea in a soup. I think this is little like fish eggs and it has that kind of flavor which is very original. Like I don’t know if I’ve had a soup like this before. Oh yeah, those are definitely fish eggs. And for our other starter, we got more fish eggs. I believe these are cod with a special oil. She says it sort of has like a hummus kind of texture, but we’re gonna find out right now. Oh wow. Oh wow. I’m a huge fan of anything dill. You got little pieces of pulp on top with the cod eggs and then that beautiful oil, that creamy texture. I mean, this just blends together so well. I have to pair it with their their bread. This is making me think of Denmark of Copenhagen. This flavor profile. So fresh, so light. Gosh, they’re good. These guys are these This team is good. So, what I’ve got in front of me is a budanoa. So, blood sausage on top of an apple puree and this beautiful reduced sauce all around it. This looks presentation wise, it looks outstanding. Oh my lord. Oh my goodness. That is so so tasty. Is that banana? No, I don’t know. This is like a brazed I don’t think it’s blood sausage actually. Oh, it’s like a Basque style. And once again, you have some kind of fish egg on top, which I ain’t mad about. Moving on now to this beautiful pasta dish. This is withilier riate. It’s made with like a parmesan cream and like a garlicky oil, but oh my gosh. Yeah, there’s the cream underneath sitting on top of it. Oh wow. Pasta’s perfectly cooked. Nice little bite. I don’t know what this brown stuff is on top. My goodness, this place really does keep surprising me. Keep on doing work, man. Honestly, everything so far been on point, man. Amazing. Yeah, it’s been great.

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Olivia and Nathan here!
France’s Marseille has been an interesting one! It definitely surprised us in more ways than one, not just from the sheer amount of things to do and variety in foods to eat, but also by the friendliness of the people. It’s definitely got that grittier, edgier side to it and kinda feels like you’re in a rap music video sometimes lol In this video, we did our best to answer the questions of whether Marseille is worth visiting and whether we felt safe or unsafe anytime during our visit!

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