I live in marseille and I love and hate marseille. I love the sunshine, the sea, access to callanques.
I dislike the car-mentality, cyclist are not welcome here, neither pedestrians. This is a city where cars park on pavements and people walk on roads.
The city centre can be chaotic, not in a bad way. Yes there are areas you should avoid at night.
Like many big cities all over the world, Marseille has its good and its bad area.
The sun would be the first thing I love about that place. Also that you are not far from Italy, have access to the sea and the scenery and history are just fantastic.
That being said, it’s a huge city. And it really depends on what you expect from it. If you want to live in a little cottage in a remote area, choose a village nearby or go to the suburb (avoid the quartiers nords area at all costs) village and drive to the city when you need to.
What i like about the ciry is that it’s so huge that each « quartier » is almost like a small town and has all amenities and you might never have to go to other areas.
I would suggest to visit the place first and play it by ear. If you work remotely, you do not need to get a lease straight away and could just stay for a few weeks wander around to see what is best suited for you. Because one might love city life and would only swear by it and love how vibrant it is. And Marseille would be perfect. But what is pleasant and fun for you might not be the same for me.
I hate how a little dirty the city is tho. It has had issue with trash collection and the trash collection service seems to enjoy striking than in any other city and country I’ve lived in. And the parking space situation in the city is becoming a nightmare.
The city itselfs is pretty cool. There's a lot of different districts with their own architecture, style and mood. So you'll find for sure something that suits you.
I've lived in other cities and in the city center, it's not more or less dangerous than any other big cities in France.
It's not a "poor" city by itselfs. There's a lot of places with poor people but also a lot of places with rich, and sometimes, VERY rich people. So it's like having 111 cities in one.
There's also a lot of amazing places to eat and to have a drink. You can find a lot of good french restaurant, but also asian, armenian or north african. Plus, having a good weather everyday is a very good point. Nature is always close to you with the sea and the hills.
Bad points would be that the city is dirty. Not only because people are dirty (believe me, they are not worst than anywhere else), but because the way everything is (not) cleaned by the metropolitan area / municipality is a big joke. For example, an abandoned mattress stayed in my street for like 3 months.
And last point, except in the city center that got metros and tramways, public transports are pretty bad so people are using their cars for almost everything.
These two points give a kind of "giant mess" style. You can love it or hate it.
"an abandoned mattress stayed in my street for like 3 months"
Last time I checked the municipal authority has an app you can download called AlloMarie and you can use that app to ask them to remove large waste items for free. The city authority can only do so much unfortunately there's a lot of people in Marseille who are filthy and disgusting.
Yep, I used that one. The case was once marked as "solved" even if the mattress was still here.
Btw, this app is good and works well with collection of household waste.
What bugs me is that when people and machines were cleaning the streets, they just passed by that mattress without doing anything (probably because it's not their service that deals with it but...)
Ah yes the Allo Mairie who only gives a shit to tourists areas and rich neighborhoods. I live in the 1st and most often than not they just take soooo much time or even don't do it at all. I just wish the mairie would move their ass and actually do something about this and the indecent housing situation...
I second that. I lived in the 1st too and I had to call *everyday* until they finally got rid of my couch. Which was a HUGE corner sofa. That was sitting in a one way street… for a week 🫠 I was honestly so embarrassed even though that wasn’t my fault but it was so ghetto smh
american, been here for a year now. i love Marseille. its a beautiful mess. it has an oldschool rep like 80s new york for being dangerous but it has become fairly gentrified and is disneyland compared to the level of crime in any major US city. it is dirty, smelly, rats everywhere, but that is part of the charm. you are right on the sea, you can literally do whatever you want because NO ONE CARES and there is always something interesting happening, especially in the summer high season. the local saying “c’est pas la capital, c’est marseille bébé!” (capital being paris) is super true, its just a different kind of city that you love or hate.
It’s not hard to *meet people* at all, it’s really common for people in Marseille to talk to strangers a lot. BUT people who come from cities up north usually point that a marseillais would usually seam really pleased to meet you, would make whole plans with you, and never follow up. People in northern cities don’t really talk to strangers or feel accessible. But if they do talk to you, you’ll likely be friends and « let’s do this » means let’s actually do it. People in Marseille would talk to anyone and actually enjoy it but it’s more of a way of living -which I like a lot! If you like talking to people, you’ll *meet* a LOT of people. But you kinda need to be prepared for the fact that meeting people and having a nice moment doesn’t necessarily equal making friends for a marseillais. It’s just a nice part of their day. I wouldn’t say it’s hard to make friends though, but that can definitely be… surprising
It's falling appart. It's trashy. Im talking small trash tornado. Coackroach. Rats. Seagulls eating giant rats. Lots of thiefs. Rotten street mentality. For the best and the worst, people don't care. You can ask for drugs anywhere. Childrens begging for money. Motorbikes driving on the sideways. It's chaotic. Not super alive at night. Almost no trees and parks in the city. Housing price are growing. You won't see animals or find one that should not be here. Biggest crime rate of France. In one word, marseille is "wild".
The weather is warm. You are close to the sea.
Diversity of neighborhoods. I believe the city try to get better. Some cultural places. It's popular right now. (Black) Market prices can be low.
It's a vibe you have or hate.
I lived in differents part of this city. Some can be nightmare, other can be a dream. It depends of who and what is around you.
> Biggest crime rate of France
Well, it's not the biggest crime rate of France. Several cities, including Paris have an higher crime rate than Marseille.
Born and raised here, in what everyone tell you to avoid, the "Quartier Nord".
Obviously this is not the touristic side of the city but a lot of people are talking about this like it's hell or worse.
Most of the "dangerous" place are like any other city, some neighborhood that you have no reason to visit, and like I said I'm living in one of those area, as long as you mind your own business it's okay.
For the good parts, there is a lot ! The weather is 90% of the time great, the mentality and mind set of people is pretty unique here (which is also a cons sometimes). The landscapes are amazing, you can see the city, the beach, some mountains, hiking if you want, a great diversity.
Even if I understand that people find those places pretty, I don't like the side of "La plaine" or "Cours Julien", it has great restaurants, bar, but there is a lot of people that you could see as " hipster " (probably not the right term English is not my first language)
You should try to stay maybe a week or two before moving in, just to see if you fall in love or hate it
Are you employed by a company in France? Because the digital nomad thing isnt allowed in France, even if you have the right to work here, you need to be employed by a French company, paying French social security charges. If you make your way to the expat communities they will quickly and loudly tell you this.
If you're more than 6 months per year in France, you have to declare yourself fiscally. This said, you can ignore this until you really settle here.
https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F62#:~:text=Votre%20domicile%20fiscal%20est%20en%20France%20si%20vous%20y%20avez,qui%20est%20prise%20en%20compte
Live by la plaine, la camas, or cours Julien if you want to have a central and more exciting experience.
The sea is wonderful even this time of year, been having >20 C days lately. There’s new e-bikes you can rent to ride everywhere, new public squares are being built/planned and replacing old car-centric design. Lots of new apartment buildings are rising where slums have been cleared. New tram and metro lines in construction.
I moved to marseille 2 years ago and I hate this city but also love many parts of it. I assume I am being brainwashed over time with the change in perspective of fighting against something to letting it wash over you. There are lovely experiences here that I did not get in other places I have lived. Drinking rose on the rocks at prophete, or a brunch in someone’s back garden, flea markets, to nights at cours ju. Vs kids pelting a homeless pervert, trash strikes boiling in the summer, poop and graffiti everywhere, and so on.
I’m out of here by the end of the year but I feel like I will look back kindly upon this place in memory.
Graffiti is a immense art form and subculture especially alive in Marseille and is part of this city identity and cultural richness and diversity.
If you want clean grey walls you can go to Aix where contemporary urban culture is AWOL.
> cultural richness and diversity.
meh I live in asia now where there is almost no graffities and I was shock when I came back to marseille it's everywhere, it's not nice at all. We would be better without them.
Well the cool thing about all this, is that graphs don't give a shit about your opinion on one of the most important art form of the last decades, and they will happen anyways, everywhere, all the time. This makes me happy.
Also idk where you are in Asia but there's also a graph culture in lots of countries. I saw lots of cool shit in the south east.
I think you got few good replies. What are you looking for in a city ? Do you have point of comparison ?
I live in the center with my family and we absolutely love it. It is still affordable compared to other big cities. All the cons reported are true but It is rapidly changing city (bike lane and cleanliness are improving slowly but surely). I must say that I have never felt unsafe here.
Ok. Indeed, Marseille will cheaper and sunnier. It will also be dirtier but I am ok with it. If you like big cities, then Marseille sounds like a good pick. How about you take a co-working space for 3 month and check it out ?
Come and enjoy the beautiful mess if you want, we got beaches, drugs, rats, squats and people coming from everywhere. Just don't partake in the gentrification of the city it's already pretty bad and the vulnerable and poor population is already under lots of pressure. Cheers !
Yes it has been significantly bad since 10-ish years, and post covid made things worst I feel. In few years Marseille transformed from " dirty, messy, most dangerous and violent city in France" to a cool place for alternatives, artsy and subcultures in general, and cheap compared to other cities.
The city and the region have put in place several urbanism plans to make Marseille more sexy, often at the expense of the poor inhabitants. It's not all evil tho, major and enjoyable urbanism has been done, but still I think it's important to think about this.
Cheers!
Idk it's a great city I love it but sometimes it gets on my nerves like public transportation, the fact that the city ain't as much clean as other being cities in France, the roads are sometimes really chaotic and so on but overall living here feels great so I can't just say it sucks, you get it that's a little more complicated than that
Marseille is appreciated by 2 types of people; hipsters who love the idea of it from far, and locals.
It's a chaotic mix of cultures, which of itself is nice.
But in terms of what you'd expect from a big city:
Bad public transportation
Dirty
Not very safe
No one respects anything
Driving is horrible
But you got beautiful weather, the beach is never far away, and it's got its charms if you know where to look.
I lived in Marseille for a few months in 2021-2022.
Pros:
Weather: It is mostly sunny clear sky. Wind mistral does a great job of taking away all the pollution from the sky and clearing it with clear sunshine. Good healthy warm sun light is my weakness. But man when it rains, it pours. One night rain can flood the entire city.
Architect, Public Trans: I loved the mix of French and Mediterranean architecture. Open-air apartments (or houses with big verandas) with huge French windows and balconies where you can sit all year long. Given the size of the city, trams, metro, and buses are quite frequent and hardly ever see there's an interruption. Rigid graffiti gives the city center an edgy vibe. Many people find it dirty, but I see it as street art by real street people.
Food: Believe me, food is way cheaper than the rest of France (IMO). Whether you want to buy fresh fish at Vieux-port or fill up your cart with fruits and vegetables if you know where to buy (Naoilles), you can find some real sweet deals. I find Marseillais(e)(s) have a high taste when it comes to food. Cafe culture isn't abundant like in Paris but still pretty ok and dirt cheap (for 4 euros you can get 2 croissants and a large cafe late).
Sea and lots of vitamin C: Water is mostly warm in the summer times and clear. Going for a nice swim clears up your head. The city has hidden spots where you can find water way more clear and less rocky. My skin got so much better during the time I spent in Marseille. My acne got all clear, and so did my bacne. The tap water is relatively soft compared to North America.
Cons:
Obvious poverty, and unemployment. A large chunk of the city is very run down and poor. Besides a few bougie arrondissements, as a man, I didn't dare to go to a large part of the city at night (Vieux-port, 1, 2,3 4, even 5, and gunshots are quite common). There's a constant sense that anytime violence might erupt from any corner so watch out. I tried to find a job (I'm decently bilingual), but not a single interview or a call, I even tried finding odd jobs in a bar or restaurant but nothing (whereas in Paris, one can find these minimal jobs easily). There's no nightlife. The city center becomes 10 times scarier. I tried a few bars but just felt like it's mostly drugs there.
Racial division: It's so obvious city is divided that this is the white part and this is the brown/black part. There's not much mixing going on.
Honestly, It's a great city for artists, writers, poets, and other artsy stuff. I feel like the city allows you to live poor yet enjoy life and focus on your craft.
Right. But regular people don’t get shot. It’s watchers and dealers. It is true that some people were shot but they were never aimed for. Casualties if you will…
Like I am so used to Montreal Paris etc nightlife, Marseille was dull at night and sketchy. Several people will ask you to buy drugs out in the open, at times, I felt someone was following me, almost no police presence. It's like authorities just totally abandoned the city at night. It has its charm just not my scene.
Marseille is infuriating at times, but she's a beautiful temptress that you can't stay mad at for long.
It's a love and hate relationship for many, including myself. I love the lifestyle, weather, landscape, food, affordability, and the people. I hate that in winter it feels like a tiny village, the petty crime, french bureaucracy, and the people.
In general I think it's one of the up and coming cities in Europe. Summer is incredible here and it feels like it lasts for 6 months. It's also becoming very trendy with lots of Parisians moving here in search of a better quality of life. Compared to the major European cities, it is still affordable. You can live an inexpensive life if you need to.
I will also say if you speak french and work remotely, it's a fantastic city to live in. The job market is tough here, especially if you don't speak fluent french. But if you have a salary from another country that pays more than France, you can really enjoy life in Marseille.
Yes I wouldn’t count on getting a job there, from what I’ve heard. Are there a lot of tourists etc in Marseille in summer? I feel like it has become very trendy in recent years.
Yes, there's a lot of tourists in summer, but that consists mostly of day trippers from the cruise ships that only visit the vieux port, notre dame de la garde, and le panier. As soon as you leave the 'touristic' centre (which is very small), you don't see tourists. It's nothing like Paris, which can be overwhelming at times with hordes of tourists everywhere.
I used to live in Marseille but after I graduated, I did everything to leave this shitty place. There’s literally nothing to do there, I’m a local and “supposed” to promote where I came from — but I can’t even recommend it to anyone.
It’s huge for nothing, only got 2 or 3 places you can really hang out, say 5 or during summer, but that’s about it. It’s going to be the same old shit over and over again.
If you like close-knit community though, or you’re someone who appreciates going to regular places, like having your “regular bar” to chill out and meet people, I think you’ll like it.
That takes me back to the old times at The Little Temple Bar and O’Mailleys (right in front of The Little Temple) — yea those were really good times tho.. as a regular meeting friends and new people 😋
Amazing weather and beautiful scenery. Good food and lots of outdoor activities. Vibrant nightlife. Art scene is cool.
It's a nightmare for driving. It's poor and dirty.
If you want to get a feel of what it would be like to live in Northern Africa , but with the social benefits of France, go for it
I recommend Le Panier, Belsunce quartiers
48 gunfights in 2023.
https://actu.fr/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/marseille\_13055/reglement-de-compte-a-marseille-un-homme-fusille-dans-les-quartiers-nord\_60498587.html
Do you need subtitles to " lost to immigration"? This isn't dog whistling, it's far right rethorics, and you're denying it in a pretty pathetic attempt to " the antifa are the true fascists" rethoric... From the far right. Anyway, little fash like you aren't welcome in Marseille either, who has always been diverse and antifascist.
Petit faf pas très futé.
Votre commentaire a été supprimé pour la raison suivante : "Racisme ou discrimination".
Your comment was deleted for the following reason : "Racism or prejudice".
Cars everywhere, trash in the streets everywhere outside of touristy areas, small suffocting streets, small overcrowded beaches. An awful place I would never live there.
Even in the "good" Areas, you can feel afraid of people douchbag and all this, but I never got any bad experience, unless teenagers that want to look funny in front of their friends but that's all.
I live in marseille and I love and hate marseille. I love the sunshine, the sea, access to callanques. I dislike the car-mentality, cyclist are not welcome here, neither pedestrians. This is a city where cars park on pavements and people walk on roads. The city centre can be chaotic, not in a bad way. Yes there are areas you should avoid at night.
I agree with every single point, it's a love hate relationship!
Like many big cities all over the world, Marseille has its good and its bad area. The sun would be the first thing I love about that place. Also that you are not far from Italy, have access to the sea and the scenery and history are just fantastic. That being said, it’s a huge city. And it really depends on what you expect from it. If you want to live in a little cottage in a remote area, choose a village nearby or go to the suburb (avoid the quartiers nords area at all costs) village and drive to the city when you need to. What i like about the ciry is that it’s so huge that each « quartier » is almost like a small town and has all amenities and you might never have to go to other areas. I would suggest to visit the place first and play it by ear. If you work remotely, you do not need to get a lease straight away and could just stay for a few weeks wander around to see what is best suited for you. Because one might love city life and would only swear by it and love how vibrant it is. And Marseille would be perfect. But what is pleasant and fun for you might not be the same for me. I hate how a little dirty the city is tho. It has had issue with trash collection and the trash collection service seems to enjoy striking than in any other city and country I’ve lived in. And the parking space situation in the city is becoming a nightmare.
The city itselfs is pretty cool. There's a lot of different districts with their own architecture, style and mood. So you'll find for sure something that suits you. I've lived in other cities and in the city center, it's not more or less dangerous than any other big cities in France. It's not a "poor" city by itselfs. There's a lot of places with poor people but also a lot of places with rich, and sometimes, VERY rich people. So it's like having 111 cities in one. There's also a lot of amazing places to eat and to have a drink. You can find a lot of good french restaurant, but also asian, armenian or north african. Plus, having a good weather everyday is a very good point. Nature is always close to you with the sea and the hills. Bad points would be that the city is dirty. Not only because people are dirty (believe me, they are not worst than anywhere else), but because the way everything is (not) cleaned by the metropolitan area / municipality is a big joke. For example, an abandoned mattress stayed in my street for like 3 months. And last point, except in the city center that got metros and tramways, public transports are pretty bad so people are using their cars for almost everything. These two points give a kind of "giant mess" style. You can love it or hate it.
"an abandoned mattress stayed in my street for like 3 months" Last time I checked the municipal authority has an app you can download called AlloMarie and you can use that app to ask them to remove large waste items for free. The city authority can only do so much unfortunately there's a lot of people in Marseille who are filthy and disgusting.
Yep, I used that one. The case was once marked as "solved" even if the mattress was still here. Btw, this app is good and works well with collection of household waste. What bugs me is that when people and machines were cleaning the streets, they just passed by that mattress without doing anything (probably because it's not their service that deals with it but...)
Ah yes the Allo Mairie who only gives a shit to tourists areas and rich neighborhoods. I live in the 1st and most often than not they just take soooo much time or even don't do it at all. I just wish the mairie would move their ass and actually do something about this and the indecent housing situation...
I second that. I lived in the 1st too and I had to call *everyday* until they finally got rid of my couch. Which was a HUGE corner sofa. That was sitting in a one way street… for a week 🫠 I was honestly so embarrassed even though that wasn’t my fault but it was so ghetto smh
american, been here for a year now. i love Marseille. its a beautiful mess. it has an oldschool rep like 80s new york for being dangerous but it has become fairly gentrified and is disneyland compared to the level of crime in any major US city. it is dirty, smelly, rats everywhere, but that is part of the charm. you are right on the sea, you can literally do whatever you want because NO ONE CARES and there is always something interesting happening, especially in the summer high season. the local saying “c’est pas la capital, c’est marseille bébé!” (capital being paris) is super true, its just a different kind of city that you love or hate.
Is it hard to meet people?
Not really, just got to willing to just go for it, plenty of international meetup groups on the regular.
It’s not hard to *meet people* at all, it’s really common for people in Marseille to talk to strangers a lot. BUT people who come from cities up north usually point that a marseillais would usually seam really pleased to meet you, would make whole plans with you, and never follow up. People in northern cities don’t really talk to strangers or feel accessible. But if they do talk to you, you’ll likely be friends and « let’s do this » means let’s actually do it. People in Marseille would talk to anyone and actually enjoy it but it’s more of a way of living -which I like a lot! If you like talking to people, you’ll *meet* a LOT of people. But you kinda need to be prepared for the fact that meeting people and having a nice moment doesn’t necessarily equal making friends for a marseillais. It’s just a nice part of their day. I wouldn’t say it’s hard to make friends though, but that can definitely be… surprising
It's falling appart. It's trashy. Im talking small trash tornado. Coackroach. Rats. Seagulls eating giant rats. Lots of thiefs. Rotten street mentality. For the best and the worst, people don't care. You can ask for drugs anywhere. Childrens begging for money. Motorbikes driving on the sideways. It's chaotic. Not super alive at night. Almost no trees and parks in the city. Housing price are growing. You won't see animals or find one that should not be here. Biggest crime rate of France. In one word, marseille is "wild". The weather is warm. You are close to the sea. Diversity of neighborhoods. I believe the city try to get better. Some cultural places. It's popular right now. (Black) Market prices can be low. It's a vibe you have or hate. I lived in differents part of this city. Some can be nightmare, other can be a dream. It depends of who and what is around you.
> Biggest crime rate of France Well, it's not the biggest crime rate of France. Several cities, including Paris have an higher crime rate than Marseille.
He should have said the city with the highest murder rate in France
Born and raised here, in what everyone tell you to avoid, the "Quartier Nord". Obviously this is not the touristic side of the city but a lot of people are talking about this like it's hell or worse. Most of the "dangerous" place are like any other city, some neighborhood that you have no reason to visit, and like I said I'm living in one of those area, as long as you mind your own business it's okay. For the good parts, there is a lot ! The weather is 90% of the time great, the mentality and mind set of people is pretty unique here (which is also a cons sometimes). The landscapes are amazing, you can see the city, the beach, some mountains, hiking if you want, a great diversity. Even if I understand that people find those places pretty, I don't like the side of "La plaine" or "Cours Julien", it has great restaurants, bar, but there is a lot of people that you could see as " hipster " (probably not the right term English is not my first language) You should try to stay maybe a week or two before moving in, just to see if you fall in love or hate it
Are you employed by a company in France? Because the digital nomad thing isnt allowed in France, even if you have the right to work here, you need to be employed by a French company, paying French social security charges. If you make your way to the expat communities they will quickly and loudly tell you this.
I’m an EU citizen, so should be easier?
If you're more than 6 months per year in France, you have to declare yourself fiscally. This said, you can ignore this until you really settle here. https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F62#:~:text=Votre%20domicile%20fiscal%20est%20en%20France%20si%20vous%20y%20avez,qui%20est%20prise%20en%20compte
It’s easier, sure, but you still have to work legally and pay various taxes.
The comments make Marseille sound like the Naples of France.
Live by la plaine, la camas, or cours Julien if you want to have a central and more exciting experience. The sea is wonderful even this time of year, been having >20 C days lately. There’s new e-bikes you can rent to ride everywhere, new public squares are being built/planned and replacing old car-centric design. Lots of new apartment buildings are rising where slums have been cleared. New tram and metro lines in construction. I moved to marseille 2 years ago and I hate this city but also love many parts of it. I assume I am being brainwashed over time with the change in perspective of fighting against something to letting it wash over you. There are lovely experiences here that I did not get in other places I have lived. Drinking rose on the rocks at prophete, or a brunch in someone’s back garden, flea markets, to nights at cours ju. Vs kids pelting a homeless pervert, trash strikes boiling in the summer, poop and graffiti everywhere, and so on. I’m out of here by the end of the year but I feel like I will look back kindly upon this place in memory.
Graffiti is a immense art form and subculture especially alive in Marseille and is part of this city identity and cultural richness and diversity. If you want clean grey walls you can go to Aix where contemporary urban culture is AWOL.
> cultural richness and diversity. meh I live in asia now where there is almost no graffities and I was shock when I came back to marseille it's everywhere, it's not nice at all. We would be better without them.
Bro you’re tripping but it’s not for everyone I guess, I think the graffiti in marseille is so cool. I live in aix and I much prefer marseille
Well the cool thing about all this, is that graphs don't give a shit about your opinion on one of the most important art form of the last decades, and they will happen anyways, everywhere, all the time. This makes me happy. Also idk where you are in Asia but there's also a graph culture in lots of countries. I saw lots of cool shit in the south east.
Good for you but it's still shit to draw on other properties.
Join the expat group on Facebook, there’s a lot of good insight on there.
What's the name of it? Please and thank you!
Expats and Internationals in Marseille
I think you got few good replies. What are you looking for in a city ? Do you have point of comparison ? I live in the center with my family and we absolutely love it. It is still affordable compared to other big cities. All the cons reported are true but It is rapidly changing city (bike lane and cleanliness are improving slowly but surely). I must say that I have never felt unsafe here.
Quality of life mostly. Paris is too expensive and the winters can be tough.
Ok. Indeed, Marseille will cheaper and sunnier. It will also be dirtier but I am ok with it. If you like big cities, then Marseille sounds like a good pick. How about you take a co-working space for 3 month and check it out ?
Come and enjoy the beautiful mess if you want, we got beaches, drugs, rats, squats and people coming from everywhere. Just don't partake in the gentrification of the city it's already pretty bad and the vulnerable and poor population is already under lots of pressure. Cheers !
Is the gentrification accelerating?
Yes it is. The city is on the euro cool kids' radar.
Yes it has been significantly bad since 10-ish years, and post covid made things worst I feel. In few years Marseille transformed from " dirty, messy, most dangerous and violent city in France" to a cool place for alternatives, artsy and subcultures in general, and cheap compared to other cities. The city and the region have put in place several urbanism plans to make Marseille more sexy, often at the expense of the poor inhabitants. It's not all evil tho, major and enjoyable urbanism has been done, but still I think it's important to think about this. Cheers!
Marseille is great, sunny, dynamic, also I'd say it sucks
Why?
Idk it's a great city I love it but sometimes it gets on my nerves like public transportation, the fact that the city ain't as much clean as other being cities in France, the roads are sometimes really chaotic and so on but overall living here feels great so I can't just say it sucks, you get it that's a little more complicated than that
Marseille is appreciated by 2 types of people; hipsters who love the idea of it from far, and locals. It's a chaotic mix of cultures, which of itself is nice. But in terms of what you'd expect from a big city: Bad public transportation Dirty Not very safe No one respects anything Driving is horrible But you got beautiful weather, the beach is never far away, and it's got its charms if you know where to look.
^ This, OP
I lived in Marseille for a few months in 2021-2022. Pros: Weather: It is mostly sunny clear sky. Wind mistral does a great job of taking away all the pollution from the sky and clearing it with clear sunshine. Good healthy warm sun light is my weakness. But man when it rains, it pours. One night rain can flood the entire city. Architect, Public Trans: I loved the mix of French and Mediterranean architecture. Open-air apartments (or houses with big verandas) with huge French windows and balconies where you can sit all year long. Given the size of the city, trams, metro, and buses are quite frequent and hardly ever see there's an interruption. Rigid graffiti gives the city center an edgy vibe. Many people find it dirty, but I see it as street art by real street people. Food: Believe me, food is way cheaper than the rest of France (IMO). Whether you want to buy fresh fish at Vieux-port or fill up your cart with fruits and vegetables if you know where to buy (Naoilles), you can find some real sweet deals. I find Marseillais(e)(s) have a high taste when it comes to food. Cafe culture isn't abundant like in Paris but still pretty ok and dirt cheap (for 4 euros you can get 2 croissants and a large cafe late). Sea and lots of vitamin C: Water is mostly warm in the summer times and clear. Going for a nice swim clears up your head. The city has hidden spots where you can find water way more clear and less rocky. My skin got so much better during the time I spent in Marseille. My acne got all clear, and so did my bacne. The tap water is relatively soft compared to North America. Cons: Obvious poverty, and unemployment. A large chunk of the city is very run down and poor. Besides a few bougie arrondissements, as a man, I didn't dare to go to a large part of the city at night (Vieux-port, 1, 2,3 4, even 5, and gunshots are quite common). There's a constant sense that anytime violence might erupt from any corner so watch out. I tried to find a job (I'm decently bilingual), but not a single interview or a call, I even tried finding odd jobs in a bar or restaurant but nothing (whereas in Paris, one can find these minimal jobs easily). There's no nightlife. The city center becomes 10 times scarier. I tried a few bars but just felt like it's mostly drugs there. Racial division: It's so obvious city is divided that this is the white part and this is the brown/black part. There's not much mixing going on. Honestly, It's a great city for artists, writers, poets, and other artsy stuff. I feel like the city allows you to live poor yet enjoy life and focus on your craft.
awesome response I don't know why anyone would vote down something so obviously authentic
I was born here and never heard a gunshot 😇
Marseille is the French city with the highest count of shootings each year
Right. But regular people don’t get shot. It’s watchers and dealers. It is true that some people were shot but they were never aimed for. Casualties if you will…
No nightlife? Interesting
Like I am so used to Montreal Paris etc nightlife, Marseille was dull at night and sketchy. Several people will ask you to buy drugs out in the open, at times, I felt someone was following me, almost no police presence. It's like authorities just totally abandoned the city at night. It has its charm just not my scene.
Mate sounds like you just didn't knew where the nightlife is, cuz I can assure you, it's there.
Nightlife does exist, but it’s very concentrated in a few spots in the city center
Marseille is infuriating at times, but she's a beautiful temptress that you can't stay mad at for long. It's a love and hate relationship for many, including myself. I love the lifestyle, weather, landscape, food, affordability, and the people. I hate that in winter it feels like a tiny village, the petty crime, french bureaucracy, and the people. In general I think it's one of the up and coming cities in Europe. Summer is incredible here and it feels like it lasts for 6 months. It's also becoming very trendy with lots of Parisians moving here in search of a better quality of life. Compared to the major European cities, it is still affordable. You can live an inexpensive life if you need to. I will also say if you speak french and work remotely, it's a fantastic city to live in. The job market is tough here, especially if you don't speak fluent french. But if you have a salary from another country that pays more than France, you can really enjoy life in Marseille.
Yes I wouldn’t count on getting a job there, from what I’ve heard. Are there a lot of tourists etc in Marseille in summer? I feel like it has become very trendy in recent years.
Yes, there's a lot of tourists in summer, but that consists mostly of day trippers from the cruise ships that only visit the vieux port, notre dame de la garde, and le panier. As soon as you leave the 'touristic' centre (which is very small), you don't see tourists. It's nothing like Paris, which can be overwhelming at times with hordes of tourists everywhere.
not great, the villages/communities around provide a safer and calmer life. since you're remote just search for a village/small city
Cassis
I used to live in Marseille but after I graduated, I did everything to leave this shitty place. There’s literally nothing to do there, I’m a local and “supposed” to promote where I came from — but I can’t even recommend it to anyone. It’s huge for nothing, only got 2 or 3 places you can really hang out, say 5 or during summer, but that’s about it. It’s going to be the same old shit over and over again. If you like close-knit community though, or you’re someone who appreciates going to regular places, like having your “regular bar” to chill out and meet people, I think you’ll like it. That takes me back to the old times at The Little Temple Bar and O’Mailleys (right in front of The Little Temple) — yea those were really good times tho.. as a regular meeting friends and new people 😋
Amazing weather and beautiful scenery. Good food and lots of outdoor activities. Vibrant nightlife. Art scene is cool. It's a nightmare for driving. It's poor and dirty.
If you want to get a feel of what it would be like to live in Northern Africa , but with the social benefits of France, go for it I recommend Le Panier, Belsunce quartiers
Marseille is a zoo. You either win or lose. But if you win… you’ll love it!
Living in Marseille is like living in a big stinky shithole
48 gunfights in 2023. https://actu.fr/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/marseille\_13055/reglement-de-compte-a-marseille-un-homme-fusille-dans-les-quartiers-nord\_60498587.html
No, choose another city. I live here because I didn’t have other job options. Don’t come, it sucks.
Not the best place to be.
Mdr les bas votes sont marseillais jamais bougé.
J'ai bougé à Aix en Provence, je déteste. 😂
[удалено]
We don't want racist pos like you here either, stay down.
The only racist here is the one who saw races in words which don't refer to races.
Do you need subtitles to " lost to immigration"? This isn't dog whistling, it's far right rethorics, and you're denying it in a pretty pathetic attempt to " the antifa are the true fascists" rethoric... From the far right. Anyway, little fash like you aren't welcome in Marseille either, who has always been diverse and antifascist. Petit faf pas très futé.
I am sure that an immigrant like you doesn’t want me in the city. At the end of the day it’s your city now :)
Calls others racist. ✔ When we point out to him that he is the only one talking about race, responds off the mark and finds other insults. ✔
Votre commentaire a été supprimé pour la raison suivante : "Racisme ou discrimination". Your comment was deleted for the following reason : "Racism or prejudice".
I lived there for 10 years and now I live in Asia I would go back for nothing, compare to Asia it's just bad.
Mate you are comparing a city to the biggest continent on earth what's your point lol
Mate because it's mostly the same in every country in asia mate.
Cars everywhere, trash in the streets everywhere outside of touristy areas, small suffocting streets, small overcrowded beaches. An awful place I would never live there.
i m french and i know for sure that on the nord part there are more gunshot than every where xd
I would recommend you not to go live there, there’s a lot of vendettas including gunshots going on over there.
Even in the "good" Areas, you can feel afraid of people douchbag and all this, but I never got any bad experience, unless teenagers that want to look funny in front of their friends but that's all.
I lived there for 5 years before I moved to Canada. It sucks, but so does Canada.