A stroll through Marseille's new districts

(1) The esplanade, which marks the starting point, takes its name from a former port area that housed the J4 hangar. Today it is home to the Mucem (2) and the Villa Méditerranée, two museum spaces inaugurated in 2013 when the city was European Capital of Culture.

Since June 2022, the Villa Méditerranée (4) has housed a reproduction of the Cosquer cave, a prehistoric site found at a depth of 37 meters by a local diver, Henri Cosquer.

A third site completes the cultural offering: the Musée Regards de Provence (8), a former 20th-century sanitary locker. Then we arrive at the monumental Cathedral de la Major (9). Below it are the Voûtes, a real link between the old town, the Panier district and the new waterfront, where you'll find places to relax and shop.

Continuing on, the urban stroll leads to the historic Docks building (21) and the Terrasses du Port shopping center (14). Level 2 of this shopping mall boasts a 260-metre-long terrace offering a panoramic 180-degree view of the sea. The itinerary continues towards Cepac Silo (15), a former grain silo transformed into a concert hall. Step inside to admire the udder room.

Continue along the CMA-CGM tower (145 m high) (16) to the Archives Départementales (18). The FRAC (24), with its pixelated glass facade reminiscent of a Paco Rabanne dress with sequins, when in fact it's more a question of opening up the structure to a space of subdued light in the Japanese tradition, brings this urban ramble to a close.

Show less