From the Mucem to the Palais Longchamp, which is the best museum in Marseille?

Marseille is a city on the move! If you're spending a few days in Marseille and would like to discover the city's finest museums, here's where to go. Here are the addresses you won't want to miss.

The Mucem

It's impossible to talk about Marseille's museums without mentioning the Mucem! This art center designed by Rudy Ricciotti is distinguished by its original and absolutely magnificent architecture. Poetic and romantic, the building is surrounded by a finely jagged structure that offers beautiful views of the sea. Inside, the Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilization) presents a number of regularly changing exhibitions, over an area of 3,600 m²!

The Cantini Museum

The Musée Cantini was established in 1936 in a former 17th-century town house. Its temporary exhibitions are renowned, and regularly feature major works on loan from museums of international importance. For example, the Musée Cantini has already hosted works by Man Ray, Salvador Dali and Max Ernst.

Image @chutmonsecret

Château Borély

Château Borély is now owned by the city of Marseille. Built in the 18th century, it is nestled in the heart of an immense park in the 8th arrondissement: Parc Borély. A visit to Château Borély is as enchanting as it is surprising. The three-storey building houses a chapel, a Museum of Decorative Arts, Earthenware and Fashion, as well as a number of magnificently decorated rooms.

Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica

Marseille's landmark, Notre-Dame de la Garde, has become a veritable symbol of the city. Nicknamed the "Good Mother" by its inhabitants, it overlooks the city and offers an incredible panorama of Marseille, the Vieux Port and the Mediterranean Sea. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde is an architecturally impressive site, both inside and out: the contrast between the building's soberly colored walls and an interior where colors, gilding and stained glass explode vividly into view is striking. Considered by many to be Marseille's most beautiful museum, the Bonne Mère is also the city's most visited monument.

Image @davidkirkham

La Major Cathedral

Located close to the Vieux Port and not far from the Mucem, the Cathédrale de la Major is also one of Marseille's symbols. Its Romanesque and Byzantine-inspired architecture is well worth a visit. Surrounded by numerous restaurants, bars and trendy boutiques, it's also one of Marseille's trendiest places to go out.

Le Palais Longchamp

The Palais Longchamp was originally built to bring water to the city of Marseille. Today, it's one of Marseille's must-see landmarks: listed as a Historic Monument, it's worth a visit for its architecture and beautiful gardens. It also houses two museums: the Musée des Beaux-Arts, founded in 1802, and the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle.

Make the most of your stay in Marseille to visit the surrounding area, including the must-see Camargue Regional Nature Park. Four-star hotel nestled in the heart of the Camargue countryside, the Auberge Cavalière du Pont des Bannes invites you to enjoy an extraordinary stay close to the main attractions of the Provence region: the sansouires of the Camarguethe Roman city of Arles, the vineyards of Aix-en-Provence and the museums of Marseille.

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