PSI26 - 12>17 May 2024

Marseille, the Capital of Provence and a must-do city trip in Europe, was (already a decade ago!) the 2013 European Capital of Culture, a designation that gave it a second wind that is still noticeable today. In 10 years, Marseille has maintained that capital year’s legacy and has been able to develop and adapt to the current challenges of tourism while upholding testimonies of its 2,600 years of history, which still and always give it its status as the oldest city in France. Flash-back through the past 10 years …

In 2013, Mucem and 9 other cultural spaces in the area opens; in 2016, the Orange Vélodrome Stadium renovates for the Euro football championship and Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse is inscribed into UNESCO’s World Heritage List; in 2017, Marseille is elected the European Capital of Sport; in 2021, Alexandre Mazzia joins Géraled Passedat in the elite circle of 3-Michelin-star chefs…

In 2020, COVID 19 puts the world of tourism on hold for a while. But new positive trends emerged from this crisis, in particular a major rise in local tourism by the French, which led to a new French clientele coming to Marseille. Once the crisis passed, business tourism resumed with the hosting of many international congresses such as the IUCN in 2021.

In June 2022, the Grotte Cosquer replica opened in the Villa Méditerranée, also contributing to Marseille’s attractivity. The city continues to captivate and will shine in 2023 and 2024 by showcasing no less than 6 matches for the 2023 Rugby World Cup and sailing and football competitions for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Ever concerned about protecting its environment, Marseille boasts a remarkable range of sustainable offerings, including zero-pollution activities such as cycling, climbing, kayaking, hiking, and more. As well as lodging in a wide range of hotels with the Green Key label and restaurants with the important Ecotable designation. What’s more, Marseille is home to Europe’s only national peri-urban park, Calanques National Park, which, since 2022, employs a reservation system in a section of the park to preserve its exceptional ecosystem’s flora and fauna. City of contrasts, Marseille, by definition, successfully embodies blends, between tradition and modernity, between land and sea, and between warm sun and refreshing sea.

Made up of 111 districts, each with their own identity and strength, you can visit and appreciate the city over several days, enough time to satisfy all your senses; tasting numerous Marseillais specialties and other delicacies from around the world served in Marseille’s many restaurants; marvelling at the turquoise blue water of Calanques National Park, smelling the mix of spices in the different multicultural neighbourhoods peppered around the city, hearing the roar of Marseille fans for l’OM, or walking, running, or cycling in streets that are as sunny as they are different from one another.

Editorial excerpt from the press kit published by the Marseille City Tourist Office.