Marseille shopping is a popular pastime for both residents and tourists of this metropolitan area in France. If you are planning a trip to Marseille, you can plan on discovering a wide world of items and goods, from traditional food and wine from the Provence region to locally crafted goods to designer clothing, home goods, and virtually anything else you can imagine. Shopping in Marseille France is a unique experience and you will be able to detect the fact that this city has been a center of trade and commerce for thousands of years. There are still a great number of markets in Marseille located in the Vieux Port (Old Port), as well as a number of other specialty shops, boutiques, and, of course, restaurants and cafes. Depending upon your areas of interest, there is bound to be shopping in Marseille France that appeals to you.

There are a few things to know about Marseille shopping in general before getting into specifics concerning where to shop and what you can get there. Firstly, most of the small and independently owned shops close for a couple of hours during lunch, and normally stay open later in the evening as a result. There are exceptions to this rule as well, as is the case with shopping malls like the large Centre Bourse (60 shops and 5 restaurants), which stays open all day. Secondly, most every shop closes on Sundays. It is also important to understand that most of the open-air markets in Marseille are only open for the morning and early afternoon hours. If you want to take advantage of the fresh catches of the day, you should be heading to the Quais des Belges in the Vieux Port by 8 a.m. This is where much of the shopping in Marseille France is done by not only families getting food for the day, but also by local restaurants who are going to retrieve that day’s special.

The Vieux Port is a great place to get started on your Marseille shopping adventure. This is where you will be able to locate a wide variety of independent shops that sell art and crafts made by local artisans. One of the most popular trinkets or souvenirs that people bring home with them from Marseille are the small wooden, carved figures known as “santons.” And although there is a lot of great shopping in the Vieux Port itself, the greatest concentration of shopping streets in the city is actually located just behind the port. Streets like Rue Paradis and Rue Saint Ferreol provide visitors and residents with some of the very best shopping in Marseille France. Among the many popular boutiques and shopping outlets is also the largest department store in the city, Galeries Lafayette. Here you can find everything for the home, as well as clothing and a variety of other goods.

Marseille Map

There are also great open-air markets where you can buy great food. The Cours Julien is the location of several of these markets where you can find everything from organic fruit and vegetables to meat, poultry, and of course, seafood. The markets in Marseille are an important part of the cultural dynamic and one of the most fun ways to pass an hour, shopping for that day’s food. Marseille shopping is an experience you will thoroughly enjoy.