‘It feels like the Berlin of France’: Why did everyone go to Marseille this summer?

The summer of 2024 was defined by many things: the Olympics, being demure, going feral for Brat summer – and going on holiday to Marseille, apparently. That’s right – pretty much everyone and their chic pooch has vacated to this Provençal city over the last couple of months, and Marseille is getting its biggest wave of attention since it was crowned the European Capital of Culture back in 2013. 

At Time Out, we already knew Marseille was pretty great (it’s already appeared on our roundups of the world’s best cities and coolest neighbourhoods) but, for all the fabulous destinations in the south of France, Marseille has been largely overlooked – until now. So what’s behind this sudden surge of interest? We had to investigate.

Expedia provided us with some data (based on hotel searches on the website so far this year for check-in dates in June, July or August, compared to the same period in 2023) and overall searches among Brits for stays in Marseille is up 25 percent throughout the season.

When you break it down month-by-month, the trend’s impact is obvious. In June, the increase in hotel searches was up 10 percent year-on-year. In July, that had jumped to 20 percent, and in August, it had soared to 35 percent. Marseille’s popularity is quite simply through the roof. 

A certain je ne sais quoi 

Marseille might well be in the south of France, but this gritty coastal city couldn’t be more different from ‘the South of France’ we think we know. Miles away from elegantly dressed people swishing glasses of rosé in classy, riviera-style settings, Marseille is an edgy, electronic-music fuelled destination, and that’s all thanks to its exuberant diversity (it’s historically built on communities from Italy, Spain and North Africa, to name a handful).

In the words of Time Out’s translations editor, Olivia Simpson, ‘Everyone is hot and the vibe is just sexy.’ You heard it here first!

Marseille’s moment technically began during the pandemic, when Parisiennes – predominantly artists, restaurateurs and remote workers – in their swathes began heading south for a life of sun, sea and bowls of Bouillabaisse (Marseille is the home of this national dish). The city has always been artistic (French fashion designer Jacquemus hails from Marseille and has released collections and a book inspired by it), and this year its status as a hub of fashion was cemented by none other than Chanel, which presented its cruise 2025 collection in Marseille back in April.

‘It kind of feels like the Berlin of France,’ says Kyia Omoshebi, who travelled to Marseille for the first time this summer. ‘And it feels different to the rest of France. It’s super diverse – there’s a really big Tunisian population, and it’s much more integrated than Paris. Parts of it even feel like Amsterdam, but all round it’s good vibes.’

As with anything suddenly dubbed ‘cool’, you can expect east Londoners to flock to it like there’s no ‘demain’. Soon enough, Marseille became the place to go, and the memes followed. By the end of the summer, trendy visitors from the UK capital were bumping into each other on the rocks of the Plages du Prado.

Of course, we can’t talk about why Marseille is having such a moment this year specifically without talking about sport. The surrounding region has been a popular destination for active holiday-goers for quite some time. Les Calanques stretches all the way from Marseille to the small fishing port of Cassis which is 20 km along the coast, and it’s one of France’s largest rock climbing areas – very popular with Salomon-wearing climber guys. 

But this summer, Marseille had its moment on the world stage, as droves of spectators headed to the port city to watch athletes take to their boats for Paris 2024’s sailing events and to witness the first leg of the Paris 2024 Olympic relay. Expedia’s data shows a 15 percent spike in interest for Marseille ahead of the games. 

A slice of pitze pie

Marseille’s diversity has bled into pretty much every aspect of the city’s culture: the fashion, art, music and also, the cuisine. ‘It’s definitely a standout. Because the population is so diverse, the food scene is too: you’ve got traditional Marseillais eateries serving delicious bouillabaisse and fresh seafood, Algerian and Moroccan restaurants serving incredible tagines and couscous, and more recent openings like Limmat, where a Swiss chef called Lilian Gadola cooks incredible pescatarian and vegetarian dishes,’ says Olivia, who’s travelled to Marseille twice in 2024. The city’s clearly got a pretty moreish flavour. 

Not to mention the pizza, which apparently rivals that of Italy. According to Vérane Frédiani, Time Out contributor and author of Taste the World in Marseille: Marseille Cuisine by the Marseillais, ‘Without doubt, pizza, or ‘pitze’ as we say here, is the most typical Marseillais dish. It’s our common denominator. Many of us have only eaten bouillabaisse once or twice in our lives, but each Marseillais has their own history with pizza, and there’s nothing better than eating it on the rocks in front of the sea.’

‘There are pizza slices everywhere you look,’ adds Kyia. ‘We had an amazing 1am slice that had pepperoni and burrata on it which was insane. Actually, it was one of the best pizza slices I've ever had.’ She adds, ‘but there’s also amazing seafood: oysters, mussels, and really, really good charcuterie.’

So, everybody loves Marseille! 

If the sound of buzzy streets, gorgeous beaches, and plenty of great food, cool music and sexy people sounds like a bit of you, we’ve got just the thing – a whole page of guides all about this sizzling French city. Check out our roundups of the best beaches, boat trips and things to do in Marseille, as well as the top places for pizza and our absolute favourite restaurants.