Marseille - (Fall 2024) - Day 1
Arrival Day
After leaving Paris, it was a pleasant train ride down to Marseille on the high speed rail. Wifi on board with a bar car where you can purchase drinks and snacks. The hotel we chose was about a 10 minute walk from the train station (fortunately downhill).
Train to Marseille
Wine from the bar car on the train
Le Nouveau Peano
The guy at the hotel told us to head down to this area on the south side of the old port to find some restaurants. The square was very lively - the French like to go out. It was a Saturday night so the streets and restaurants were hopping with activity and people.
Being very hungry at that point, we chose this place because it seemed easy to get seated. We got a Marseille style pizza with half cheese and half anchovy.
Les Grand Halles
This was the food court that the guy from the hotel told us to seek out. We would return later that week but at this time on a weekend it was just very very busy.
Bar Gaspard
After coating our stomachs, we set out in search of a proper cocktail bar. This place liked to do custom cocktails and they tended to do tequila based drinks. They would ask you the type of flavor profile and style of drink that you prefer and they would fashion one for you. They wouldn’t tell you what is in it at first and let you guess the ingredients before revealing the recipe.
Walking past the courthouse in the evening
I never felt uncomfortable walking around this city at night.
Marseille gets a bad reputation even now for being a dangerous city. It is not a dangerous city. If you can’t handle Marseille, you probably shouldn’t go to Paris, or New York.