Marseille: know before you go

Marseille Provence Airport sits north of the city at Marignane. The direct A1 shuttle runs between the airport and Gare Saint-Charles every 10 to 20 minutes, day and night, and takes about 25 to 30 minutes. Saint-Charles is the main station, on a rise above the centre, and the metro links it to the Vieux-Port. Long-distance trains also arrive there, and ferries and cruise ships dock in the port district north of the Joliette.

The centre is walkable but steep in places. The Vieux-Port, the Panier and the Joliette waterfront connect on foot, and the climb from the south side of the port to Notre-Dame de la Garde gains about 160 metres; bus 60 rides the same hill from the Vieux-Port to the foot of the basilica if you would rather not climb. RTM runs the metro, tram and bus network, and one €1.70 ticket covers 59 minutes of transfers. You can tap a contactless bank card at metro gates and validators instead of buying paper. The flat, easy walks are the Corniche seafront and the rebuilt Joliette waterfront, while Noailles and the Cours Julien sit behind the Canebière, a short walk or one metro ride from the port.

Cards are accepted almost everywhere in the centre, though a few small market stalls and cafés in Noailles prefer cash for small amounts, so keep some change. Marseille charges a nightly tourist tax per person, added to your hotel or rental bill by the accommodation. The permanent collections at the Vieille Charité and the Palais Longchamp are free year-round, and the city's municipal museums open free on the first Sunday of each month, as does the MuCEM. Many city museums close on Mondays, and the Palais Longchamp pair opens Tuesday to Sunday.

Marseille asks for ordinary big-city street sense around Gare Saint-Charles, the metro, the Vieux-Port and the Noailles market. Keep your phone and wallet out of back pockets, wear a bag across your body in crowds, and don't leave a phone sitting on a café table. Lock valuables out of sight if you park near the Calanques trailheads, where car break-ins are the common risk. The Panier and the Cours Julien are busy at night and fine to walk, but stick to lit main streets after dark and use a licensed taxi or a ride app rather than an unmarked car.

Tap water is safe to drink in Marseille, and you will drink a lot of it in summer. The sun is strong, the Corniche has almost no shade, and the walk up to Notre-Dame de la Garde is 160 metres of uphill, so carry water and a hat from June to September and climb in the cool hours. Swim at the city beaches: the closest is the Plage des Catalans below the Pharo, with the Prado beaches further south. Keep out of the water at the port itself, and reapply sunscreen often, especially on the water and on the exposed seafront benches.

Marseille has good mobile coverage across the city and along the coast, and most hotels, cafés and the museums offer wifi. An eSIM or a French prepaid SIM works throughout the city and the Calanques. Download offline maps before you walk out to the rocky coves, where the signal can drop in the valleys.

Say bonjour when you enter a shop, a bakery or a small café, and bonsoir after dark; skipping the greeting reads as rude before you have said anything else. Service here is relaxed, so you usually ask for l'addition when you are ready to pay. A little French goes further than launching straight into English, and locals are direct and warm.

French is the language, spoken in Marseille with a fast, musical accent and its own local words. Bonjour, merci, s'il vous plaît and l'addition cover most of a short visit, and a few food words help in the Noailles market. English is common in hotels and at the big sights but less guaranteed in neighbourhood shops, so have your phrase ready. Locals call the basilica la Bonne Mère and the big square near the Cours Julien La Plaine.

The main obstacle in Marseille is the terrain. The Panier is a tangle of steps and steep lanes, and the climb from the south side of the port to Notre-Dame de la Garde gains about 160 metres; bus 60 runs from the Vieux-Port to the foot of the basilica for anyone who cannot make the climb. The flat, step-light options are the Corniche seafront, which follows the water south from the Plage des Catalans, and the Joliette waterfront walk from Fort Saint-Jean to the Docks.

Book Cosquer Méditerranée ahead: entry is timed and the cave replica runs in small six-seat exploration modules, so weekend and summer slots sell out. The MuCEM is less rigid but an online ticket skips the queue. For the Frioul islands and the Château d'If, buy boat tickets a day or two ahead in summer. Notre-Dame de la Garde is free and needs no ticket, but go early or late to dodge the midday coach crowds. Restaurants around the Vieux-Port and the Cours Julien fill fast in July and August, so book dinner a day ahead.