The best areas to stay in Marseille in 2025

A buzzing district in the 6th arrondissement, Notre-Dame-du-Mont is the unmissable meeting point of Marseille nights. Its sloping streets converge on the square of the same name, a party hub lined with terraces, concert bars and alternative cafés, with l’Estaminet and La Muse still reliable favourites. By day, the vibe stays bohemian and arty: street art splashed across façades, browsing in indie bookshops like Histoire de l’Œil, or climbing up to Cours Julien, packed with lively bars and restaurants. 

Stay here: Just steps from La Canebière, the boutique hotel Provencia offers a little calm after the storm, while Le Grand Juste plays the hybrid card with a digital reception that lets you slip in at any hour of the night without feeling judged.

If you can’t decide between the city and the coast, Endoume is the place for you. Perched to the west of the Old Port, this neighbourhood winds down steep little streets to the coves of the Vallon des Auffes, a picturesque fishing port where traditional boats share space with lively terraces. Here, you breathe in the salty air along the Corniche Kennedy, with its endless views of the Mediterranean and the Frioul Islands, before slipping down secret stairways towards small urban calanques where locals dive in at sunset.

Stay here: Plenty of guesthouses and Airbnbs in Endoume let you live like a local – like Maison d’Endoume, with its 450m² garden and pool. But the holy grail is Le Petit Nice, a five-star run by Marseille’s gastronomic legend Gérald Passedat… with sea views, of course.

A working class district in Marseille next to its Old Port, Noailles has been long overlooked – but it’s finally getting the recognition it deserves. Nicknamed the ‘Belly of Marseille’, it’s home to markets overflowing with spices, fruit and veg from all over the world. In this maze of narrow streets, you’ll stumble across halal butchers, grocers like Saladin, selling Mediterranean and Middle Eastern spices, the century-old herbal pharmacy Père Blaize, or the legendary, lively Marché des Capucins, a bustling fresh produce market open every day of the week. 

Stay here: This raw vitality now also attracts new hoteliers, like Hôtel Amista with its 24 rooms recently revamped by Dorothée Delaye (with impeccable taste, of course). Breakfast here comes courtesy of Pétrin Couchette, a neighbourhood bakery and sandwich counter with (among other things) spectacular walnut and orange blossom rolls.

At the very edge of Marseille, where the city dissolves into the calanques, you’ll find Les Goudes – a former fishing village with charm carved into the rock, where life follows the rhythm of the sea. Its cabanons lined up by the sea, tiny ports and sun-facing terraces create a postcard setting, sometimes swept by the mistral. People come here to savour the catch of the day at La Marine des Goudes, before a little post-lunch dip at the Baie des Singes. The star of the neighbourhood is, of course, Tuba – a former diving club turned hype hotspot, with views from its eight rooms that have taken over our Instagram feeds (it’s also one of our best restaurants in Marseille).

Stay here: For those who crave freedom, or just don’t like doing what everyone else does, Villa Pita with its Balinese-style pool and 130m² of space throws open its doors. 

Perched above the Old Port, Le Panier is Marseille’s oldest neighbourhood – and probably one of its most photogenic, with narrow lanes lined with colourful façades, artisan workshops like Céladon, and cafés tucked into shady little squares. It’s a maze made for cooling off and getting lost. Once a working-class stronghold, Le Panier now feels like a village with a Marseille twist, mixing omnipresent street art with historic landmarks like the Vieille Charité. From its stairways, the view drops down to the port and the sea, a reminder that this was once the city’s commercial heart.

Stay here: The surrounding hotels are living witnesses to that history, whether it’s Le Couvent, with its 10 luxurious suites set in the former 17th-century Royal Foundry, or the very chic Hôtel Dieu Intercontinental with its 179 rooms built on the remains of two medieval hospitals dating back to 1593.