City-Stops: Marseille, France

Today I just want to shout out one of my favourite places in the world: Marseille, France. In many ways I grew up in Marseille- I moved here when I began my PhD at the age of 26 and overall I lived in the city for over 2 years. It was first time finding my own place, learning a new language, and building a new network. All of these experiences and the friends that I made in Marseille had a great impact on my views and my life.  Anytime someone asked where I would live in the world if I was free to choose I always say Marseille (sorry Drake City).  I hope after reading this, you would at least feel like it's worth a visit.


There are a few about Marseille that everyone should know. First of all it has a lot of character. It is dirty, has a lot of rats, and has a bad reputation with regard to crime (for France which to me is still soft). But, these negative things strangely serve to enhance it's character because they lower your expectations and thus when you experience the beauty of the city, you tend to appreciate it more. Marseille is located on the coast of the Mediterranean, but it does not the allure of a vacation destination (although it would be a sick one). Instead it feels like  a bunch of different cities and experiences built into one.

First of all there is the diversity in marseille. It is a port city, so people in marseille have origins from all over the world from Asia to the Caribbean. This means there is lots of good food, and you never really feel like an outsider because everyone kind of is. You can find grocery stores that carry most ingredients and restaurants serving all different kinds of cuisine. The music and art scene is very diverse as is the types of industries. You can pretty much find every scene that you want in Marseille.

Second there is the cityscape and landscape. Marseille is a city with many different faces. Some areas like cours julien or La friche have a distinct urban feel like brooklyn and some areas have a cool coastal and beach feel like pointe rouge. You can get a caribbean sense rolling through vallon des auffes on the Corniche, or an old euro experience strolling through le panier. The even have a big commerical centre called terrasse du port with a view out to the ocean.  Not to mention there are tons of outdoor activities not far away. You can find sick mountain biking (VTT) trails and also areas where you can to cliff dive into the ocean (jump). Also there are concert halls, tons of cool museums, sporting arenas, and concert venues.

Lastly, and like you might have expected, the people in marseille are what has made it in my opinion one of the best places to live. Because of the diversity in industry so many people you encounter in marseille have different journeys and are on many different paths. Many people are just passing through marseille and are there temporarily for work, for an internship, or for school. This shared experience makes bonding with others very easy and people are very open to it. Local people in marseille also understand that you are a visitor, and are happy to invite you into their circles even knowing your stay will be temporary. This is what was so cool about Marseille. Add it to your bucket list.