Best Food Tours of Marseille

Marseille is one of France's major cities and also one of the country's cultural epicentres, with its religious tourism, art museums and a wide range of attractions throughout the city, but it also has a wealth of gastronomic delights to offer, which is typical of Provence.

Among the best things to see and do in Marseille, one of the best is to take a gastronomic walking tour around the different parts of the city, from the old town to Saint-Victor and from Le Panier to Provence to the local markets and multicultural restaurants, which you can discover on the best tours of Marseille.

One of the best ways to get to know a place is to delight your palate with the local food and Marseille is an ideal place for this exercise, as it combines the tradition of local flavours with the gastronomic richness offered by the multiculturalism of the city. On this walking tour of the old town you'll get to know the best restaurants, bars and taverns as you wander through the narrow cobbled streets.

On these tours you'll sample the popular navettes, which are boat-shaped biscuits dating back more than 500 years, the rockfish soup known as bouillabaisse, local cheeses and Marseille chocolates. You can also opt for the botarga de Martigues, which is an exclusive dish made with caviar, and accompanied by Marseille wine or lemon drinks.

In between tastings you will also learn about the stories of the old town, such as the legend of the Torre del Mangia, which takes its name from its first keeper, who was obsessed with food, and you will learn about the adventures of the man in the iron mask, the mysterious French character who lived for some years in Marseille.

During the tour you will also see the façade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore, which combines Gothic and Romanesque styles and is one of the main attractions of Marseille, along with the museums of the religious complex.

Interesting details

• Price: these tours have an initial cost of approximately 35 euros per person for adults and 25 euros for children between 6 and 12 years old, including tastings and the assistance of a local guide.
• Duration: approximately 1 hour and a half.
• Advantages of these excursions: you will be able to taste the local food and also visit the historic centre of Marseille.
• Disadvantages of these excursions: they last a very short time, so the tour is very intensive.

The aim of these tours is to go "beyond bouillabaisse", i.e. to explore the flavours that Marseille has discovered during the waves of migration and the influence of visitors.

The route of these tours is through the Saint-Victor district, which combines the bohemian atmosphere of the old days with the haute cuisine of the present, always with the cultural crossroads of Moroccans, Algerians, Tunisians and Turks.

During the excursions, you can sample delicacies from Algerian cuisine, Provençal biscuits and Marseille coffee, visit spice shops and the Canebiere market, which, although not in Saint-Victor, has its origins in the neighbourhood. Finally, you can sample the snacks of the port area in an old sailors' bar. If you plan to visit Marseille in summer, you can also opt for lunch in the Old Port.

Please note that these tours last approximately 6 hours, so it might be inconvenient if you are planning a short stay in the city. If that is your case, here is a list of things you can do to discover Marseille in 2 days.

Interesting details

• Price: these tours have an initial cost of approximately 120 euros per person, including the assistance of a guide, tastings and lunch.
• Duration: approximately 6 hours.
• Advantages of these tours: you will get to know the different flavours of the city, with particular emphasis on the food of the immigrants.
• Disadvantages of these tours: they can be expensive.

If you want to discover the gastronomic richness of Marseille and escape for a moment from the hustle and bustle of the old town, then you might be interested in these excursions, which consist of a private full-day tour of Provence, to discover the local flavours and wines, which are a speciality of the region.

During this tasting you will visit wineries and vineyards in Cassis, Lourmarin and Aix-es-Provence as well as some of the most exclusive restaurants and bars in the area, to discover the true taste of Martigues bottarga, bouillabaisse and regional white and rosé wines, in a tasting with the assistance of a sommelier.

During the tour you will also have free time to visit the villages, which will be ideal for you to take some of the best pictures with the Provence landscape as a frame, especially if you plan to visit Marseille with children or with your family.

During these excursions, in addition to food tastings, wine tasting and walks through the local landscapes, you will also learn about the soil, climate and grape varieties that make Provence one of Europe's most prosperous wine-making regions.

Interesting details

• Price: these tours have an initial cost of approximately 170 euros per person, including the assistance of a guide, tastings and lunch.
• Duration: approximately 7 to 8 hours.
• Advantages of these tours: you will get to know an alternative route to the main ones in the city.
• Disadvantages of these excursions: they can be a bit long, although they also include transfers to and from the centre of Marseille.

If you want a local experience, one of the best alternatives is to take a trip to the city's street markets, where the locals shop for fruit, vegetables, meat and fish on a daily basis. Among the most outstanding are the Marché de Noailles, Marché du Prado and Marché de La Plaine, in the Place Jean Jaures.

On these excursions you can start your tour at the Marché de Noailles, which is located in the neighbourhood of the same name and is the largest of Marseille's flea markets. Here you can sample the best fruits of the city and also buy spices from the Maghreb. These tours usually include tastings at the market and a tour of the neighbourhood. Also, if you visit Marseille during Christmas time, you will see that it turns into a Christmas market.

Next stop is the Marché du Prado in Castellane, a flea market where you can buy everything from street food to handicrafts. I recommend you try the Arabic food and Spanish tapas. It is the furthest from the Marseille markets.

Marché de La Plaine is the last of the markets on the route and is the most eclectic of them all, as you can buy almost any product there, but it stands out for its vegetables and Marseille chocolates. Its strategic location also makes it ideal for continuing your tour of the city from here, either on foot or by taking Marseille's hop-on-hop-off sightseeing buses.

Interesting details

• Price: these tours have an initial cost of approximately 85 euros per person, including the assistance of a private guide and tastings.
• Duration: approximately 3 to 4 hours.
• Advantages of these tours: you will be able to live an authentic local experience.
• Disadvantages of these tours: you will have to walk quite a bit, so it is not recommended with children or older adults.

If you want an alternative gastronomic experience, beyond the fish and seafood of the Old Port and the traditional dishes of the historic centre, you can opt for this tour that takes you through Aix-en-Provence to discover the best fruits, vegetables, cheeses, breads and pastries of the region. What's more, the tastings will not take place in a restaurant, but in a picnic, an authentic Provençal plan.

On these tours you will be provided with all the accessories for the experience, such as the table, chairs, napkins, food and also the drink, as you can choose to taste the wine of the region as well, as in the best excursions to Provence from Marseille.

This is an ideal excursion to do in a group, especially if you plan to visit Marseille and Provence with friends or family. During these tours, you will usually also be able to walk around the city centre of Aix-en-Provence and take some of the best pictures of your trip.

Interesting details

• Price: these tours have an initial cost of approximately 45 euros per person, including picnic items and tastings.
• Duration: approximately 3 to 4 hours.
• Advantages of these tours: you will be able to enjoy an alternative gastronomic experience.
• Disadvantages of these excursions: this is a group excursion, so if you are travelling alone you will not be able to enjoy it.

You can book a gastronomic tour in advance online or book the tour once you are in town, although if you plan to visit Marseille in August or during the summer months, which is high season, I advise you to book in advance of your visit to avoid selling out on your chosen date and also to avoid last minute price increases.

Although winter is low season in Marseille, the weather is mild, so even though all of the gastronomic tours are outdoors or require walking, you can book without fear, as the temperatures will allow you to enjoy the tour. In these cases, moreover, the crowds will be much smaller, so you won't need to book in advance.

The answer will depend on the excursion you choose, but in general you will be able to discover the flavours of Marseille and the Mediterranean coast, but also those of other countries such as Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia or Turkey, as it is a cosmopolitan and multicultural city with an important influence of immigrants. You will also be able to discover the main quarters of Marseille and its markets.

On excursions to Provence, which is one of the most beautiful regions of France, you can see some of the best landscapes, taste the local fruits and cheeses and discover the local wines. If you plan to enjoy Marseille in April or during the spring, you will also be able to enjoy the blooming fields, as the roads in Provence are mostly rural.

If you are planning to visit Marseille in high season, I advise you to book the tours in advance to secure your place. I also recommend that if you have enough time, you should not miss out on a gastronomic tour of Provence, as you will not only get to know the local flavours, but also some of the best landscapes of the French south.

Keep in mind that many of Marseille's gastronomic tours last a full day, so they might be incompatible with a short visit to the city. If this is your case, here is a list of activities you can do to discover Marseille in 3 days.

In case you don't have enough time for the day trips in Provence, you can still do the gastronomic tours through the city's markets and the restaurants of the Old Port or the old town, but I recommend that you don't miss out on discovering the flavours of Marseille.

In Marseille you can discover some of the best museums, get to know one of the oldest ports in France and visit the Cathedral, but also discover the best of French gastronomy and the multicultural crossroads of flavours, so taking a gastronomic tour is the best alternative to enjoy a different day in the city and get to know its spirit.

In addition, gastronomic tours also include city tours, visits to the city's markets and walks through the main points of Marseille, so it is also an option to get to know the city with a different theme than the traditional tours.

You can organise an itinerary and go on gastronomic tours on your own, but in many cases you will waste time and money and you will not end up visiting the most interesting places, which are usually hidden and only accessible to locals.

On gastronomic tours, expert guides will tell you about the best market stalls, the restaurant with the freshest seafood in the Old Port and the best cheeses in Provence, so you'll not only enjoy the tour but also be assured of the best flavours.