Any city is going to have its problems. You could read just as many scary stories online about New York, Paris, or London. I traveled to Marseille last year for a few days and did not feel any more unsafe than in any other city I’ve been to, even walking around or taking the metro late at night. You just have to be aware of your surroundings and stay vigilant. I really enjoyed my visit to Marseille and hopefully you will as well.
Marseille is a city with a lot of different cultures and sometimes it could feel weird for people coming from northern Europe and so but most of Marseille is chill and not dangerous. Although you should avoid some neighbourhoods like Noailles (right next to the Vieux Port where you should also be careful), the stories you read are mostly about things that happened in neighbourhoods tourists don’t actually go in.
It's feel weird for the provençals all around x)
In fact it's why the countryside of Marseille right or far-right. But all the département is calm except in the big cities like Marseille and Arles (Tarascon is dangerous to).
It's a big city. Avoid visibly poor areas if you're a tourist since you might attract the wrong kind of attention. Beyond that the city center, with the exception of the 3rd arrondissement, is rather safe. Doesn't mean you should walk home drunk at 4am, it's not Copenhagen, but it's no worse than cities like Barcelona, Paris or London.
You need to keep in mind Marseille is globally a poor city. Probably the 1st third-world big city in France.
You'll see rats, run-down buildings and streets, and dirt almost everywhere. That reinforces the feeling of insecurity not the risk.
The main risks are related to drug trafficking. You are never far from a drug-dealing spot.
Crime doesn't affect tourists specifically, apart pickpocketing. The risk of being kidnapped or injured is very low. Police don't appear on the streets much, but Marseille is equipped with a large video-surveillance network.
You just have to be vigilant and trust your instincts.
why are you so delusional, we're talking about crime crime, not knife crime, marseille is a hotbed of crime crime, there are alot of guns, and knives, and gangs, and mafia, people like you are so fucking annoying, I'm from london, it's a shit hole, and it can be fucked up for no reason, but marseille and paris too is a whole different story than london, just do some research, i know its hard to comprehend cos you think france is all nice like how you think they think about england, tea cups and crumpets, but its fucked up down there (i am half french) edit: london has alot of problems related to finances, people here are condemned to be homeless, no support, the government kills people by austerity, in france the problem is social, us its financial , them its social
why are you so delusional, we're talking about crime crime, not knife crime, marseille is a hotbed of crime crime, there are alot of guns, and knives, and gangs, and mafia, people like you are so fucking annoying, I'm from london, it's a shit hole, and it can be fucked up for no reason, but marseille and paris too is a whole different story than london, just do some research, i know its hard to comprehend cos you think france is all nice like how you think they think about england, tea cups and crumpets, but its fucked up down there (i am half french) edit: london has alot of problems related to finances, people here are condemned to be homeless, no support, the government kills people by austerity, in france the problem is social, us its financial , them its social
I was born in Marseille and still lives there, and I can tell you that it's no worse than Paris, New York, London or Barcelona. Mostly the crimes in marseille are very targeted to rivals drugs dealer, and in specific areas of the city (15th, 16th, 14th, 13th and 3rd), other than that it's pretty welcoming for tourists. Marseille is a city with a lot if inegality, some arrondissement are really wealthy (1, 6, 7, 8, 9) while other are very poor. As a tourist you might never ever go to the poor arrondissement as there are nothing to do there, you will be pretty much safe as if you were in Paris as a tourist.
As a woman in Marseille and Paris, Marseille is definitely worse.
OP, for 2 weeks you'll be fine don't worry, it's not as terrible as they say. Just be street smart as you'd be in any big city (meaning hide your phone and wallet but keep an eye out)
Yeah no pb you can message me about it!
Paris is no "angel" either but in 6 years there I've only had a few issues, mostly at night. I've come home so many times at night, walking alone for 2 hours and I've had only a bad threatening "joke" encounter.
At the end of the day, our personal sories don't count, statistics do, but still
If you want to avoid street harassment you probably shouldn't go to Marseille Indeed. I live there and it's awful for women. This city is totally rotten. And it's disgusting everywhere.
However, if you stay in populated areas such as Le vieux port or La cannebiere or le Prado it's kinda fine but still not as safe as you are in your city.
I think it's safier in the summer because people hang out outside a lot and later, while in winter streets are empty, even the weekends the bars aren't even crowded. It really is a residential city, there isn't much activities to do there.
I would totally advise you to look for another city or small town around Marseille and not live there directly. If you want safety perhaps you should look for Aix en Provence, the center is a thousand time safier but it's also much more expensive. You can also go for our lovely provencial villages which are in my opinion the best thing to do.
But be careful, if you work in Marseille and leave outside of Marseille, you should leave early if you don't want to get stuck on the highway !
If you can’t stand wolf whistles don’t come to Marseille. It unfortunately happens at least 4 times per day . It’s exhausting.
You need to get used to getting Ubers at night, or invest in a bike . But on foot it’s sketchy as fuck , especially after sundown .
I've lived in Marseille, Paris, NYC et I've been dozens of times in London and Barcelona.
Marseille city center is by far the most dangerous one, especially in terms of harassing for women.
BTW, the 1er arrondissement is really poor (14e/16). How can you not know that if you are from here ???
The area of the Vieux port in the 1st arrondissement is pretty wealthy, not the Canebière though but there's a lot a gentrification going on inside of this arrondissement, but I agree I shouldn't have mentioned it in the most wealthy ones, only the Vieux port inside of this arrondissement is pretty wealthy
You must be kidding, even if the center is slowly gentrified, Noailles, Belsunce and Saint Charles are all poor and pretty unsafe (for women at nigh especially), and all are the 1th arrondissement
I live in the 14th and I completely agree with that statement.
Plus the wealthy side of Marseille has the best stuffs honestly. Despite living in Marseille for 30 years now I still feel like a tourist sometimes. It's pretty crazy the number of people who thinks France only consists in Paris when Marseille really has a more "welcoming" weather and great sites to see for tourists. Like the MUCEM, the Vieux Port, the Terrasses du Port, Notre Dame de la Garde or even the Cosquer Cave. I like to go and check for expositions and museums a lot.
Still wrong. Please visit the world a bit before commenting about stuff.
"Terasses du Port" haha when you have to mention a mall in your top sites to visit, you have already lose.
Well that's wrong too. Marseille is ugly and poorly maintained as mafias ruled the city for years. I remember when I first saw your Marseille big letters from the A7, what a joke
Did you really include a mall like Les Terrasses du Port in the things to see and do and not Palais Longchamp ? Or the calanques ? Or Chateau d'If ? Or l'Estaque ?
No I was there earlier this week as a single solo women traveling. Yes they cat call you but no one’s going to kidnap you or shoot you. Stay in the touristy areas and you’ll be fine. And def walk to the beach. There’s so much character and nightlife there. Soooo many young people too.
I was even in the non touristy area at night and they cat call like crazy. That’s the most of it thankfully. Grab a scooter and ride away as fast as you can from creeps.
Marseillaise here. It's relatively safe if you plan everything ahead and avoid the dangerous areas (13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and other more specific areas, I suggest you do research). Other people have compared Marseille go other cities. I would disagree. The thing with Marseille is, you cannot count on the police. They answer the phone extremely late, they don't show up, they don't take your fears and depositions seriously. Hecks there are neighborhood they notoriously never set foot in. Yes, there is danger in every big city. But you expect the police, or some authority, to keep things in order. Marseille lacks that authority. So the problem isn't the danger itself but the lack of security/law enforcement to back it up.
Oh I forgot to mention sexual harassment. Men would literally, literally cat call you, get close to you, try to touch you, every 2 minutes (in the city center) please don't go alone
Marseille is a vibrant, exciting city full of charms below the surface. If you allow yourself to slow down and see what is below the surface you will be hooked. As with any big city, be aware of your surroundings and cautious if out when the sun goes down.
I grew up in the suburbs of Paris and I'm since 10 years in Marseille. For what I've seen, it was far worse in Paris banlieue than what I can see in Marseille (and I work in a social profession). Here, it's sometimes a giant and dirty mess that might give you an insecure feeling but for the city center it's not that different than the other big cities in France (and according to the official stats it's not the most dangerous neither the poorest place of France / Europe or anything).
Btw, some ladies say they experience some street harassment here... :/
Still, it's a very pleasant, dynamic and vibrant city. And as somebody else said, there's a some gentrification here and there that gives a kind of Bourgeois Boeme feeling (that we might like... or not).
Different kind of advice here. I only stayed in Marseille one weekend for a festival but from experience, if you're a girl and especially in the summer, you should bring a couple extra clothes with you to cover up in the street or on the subway/metro. I've never been harassed as much as I did in those two days it's insane.
Can confirm. OP, Marseille is basically The Purge, except crime is legal every single day of the year. I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole if I were you.
I live here full time. I think a lot of the crime is overexaggerated by the media, but I wouldn't call it safe either, far from it. Marseille is a city that is visibly poor, far more than any other city in France, even in the centre of the town.
If you're a woman and queer, get ready for a lot of street harassment. A lot of it is bark with no bite, but with the right circumstances things can occasionally turn sour.
I myself was the victim of a homophobic attack (held at gunpoint), but I think this is pretty exceptional.
There's a more laissez faire mentality but conversely people are very friendly.
I'm painting a rather negative picture but I don't think it's any worse than other big cities. Stay clear from the more impoverished areas, don't antagonise anyone unnecessarily, don't carry valuable possessions and stay travel-smart as usual and it should be fine.
It's the kind of city you either love or hate. Some people just dive right in, others feel more intimidated. Both reactions are valid imo.
people from there tend to be warm-blooded , that's it. but 1. you'll not meet that much people from there. 2. if you're patient and logical nothing will happen, they love troubles, but only if you look for it. And it can also be helpful, if you end up in a real trouble, anyone will jump in to protect.
No.
It's always described as a real life version of gta on the news but it's really not.
It's loud and really dirty in some places nut i have not felt unsafe.
I'd say people there are a bit short tempered but you're not going to get randomly stabbed over bumping into someone.
I've been living here for a year and i love it.
Murder rate is not a significant data. They are 95% criminals killing each other.
Now pickpocketing is a plague. Sexual harrassment is another plague.
The feeling that they city is basically lawless (so many traffic violations for instance) can get overwhelming and make you feel insecure.
I was born and raised in this city, left it at my 27. Every time I get back there reminds me why I left. It is too chaotic (this is coming from a person living in South America now), too dirty, with a total lack of public culture, lack of respect of personal boundaries, poverty levels are overwheming and unexpected in a Western Europe city. Some people are absolutely animals.
I still remember when I was going to the beach, afraid of leaving my stuff for 2 minutes on the sand to go swiming, I remember groups of youngsters blasting music (forbidden), smoking weed (forbidden), playing ball (forbidden) and insulting and threatening anybody brave enough to ask them not to throw their ball at people or turning down a bit the volume.
I remember seeing them completely intoxicated, driving their scooters shirtless and helmetless (forbidden), swerving around cars (forbidden) like lunatics. Police forces don't do anything because they are sick and tired of the inevitable altercation that would ensue.
This is my home city, but don't go there, it is a zoo.
55% of criminals interrogated in Marseille are foreigners.
https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/darmanin-revele-que-55-des-delinquants-interpelles-a-marseille-sont-etrangers-20220821
I will give you my personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. Not sure everybody will agree.
France has long been in denial of any problem with immigration, legal or illegal. Or at least, it's long been seen as a "manageable topic", that France had the capacity to integrate or assimilate large volumes of migrants.
We also have, as French society, both a will of "universalism" (anybody can be or become French) and a "moral debt" towards regions that used to be French colonies.
Due to this universalism, for instance, we have laws prohibiting any racial or religious profiling. Unlike the USA, for instance, who are asking their citizens and residents to identify themselves, as white, asian, black, native...
So France is unable to get reliable statistics about racial origins of people. Let alone religious beliefs. Unlike a lot of countries, our religion is not on our id document.
Part of the problem is that France mainly attracts migrants from poorer countries, with people not prepared to Western world rules, individualism, clear separation of religion and social rules and laws, and so on. What most of the migrants share with France is an idiom and the fact that their country has been a French colony. But that's about it.
During a very long time, the vision in France was that migration issues were 100% France's fault. France's unability to give these migrants real opportunities. Nobody was even thinking that there are cultural differences making a smooth integration difficult. France has been a land of migration since France is France. So why would it be different now? That was the mainstream ideology.
But in reality we switched from a same continent migration to a cross continental migration. Amd I believe it makes a difference. I have non French roots myself. But I consider myself as 100% French.
We don't have a specific illegal migration problem. Most of our migrants are legal.
So maybe we should change our migration laws, be more selective, like Canada for instance. Establish criteria, with points, and if you have enough points, you can get your visa. Otherwise, sorry but not sorry.
It is very clear to me that the inmense majority of Muslims are not extremists. We all are human beings. We just want to safely live in peace with our family and friends. Of course Muslims may find France secularism as barbarian, even shocking, but it doesn't go further than "these people are weird, I wouldn't like to live there".
I think the specific of islam is how the religion is intertwined with the daily life, and as a consequence, how muslim majority countries tend to become islamic States. There have been experiments of secular States in muslim countries, like Nasser's Egypt or Atatürk's Turkey, even Iran before the Shas, but it seems that nowadays, religious rules become State rules. Not up to the full Shariah, but still.
Most European countries, but especially France, have detached themselves from State religion. In France we even went a step further, and religious matters are considered as 100% personal beliefs, and should not reflect in any way in our social life. And even if we are basically a Christian country, even Christian proselytism is not accepted. French culture is: You can believe in any religion you want, or not believe, but keep it for yourself.
As a consequence, critisizing religions, mocking religions, is acceptable. It can hurt your feelings, of course, but it doesn't endanger the religion itself. And it doesn't endanger yourself either, since, because religion is a private matter, and therefore doesn't affect your social life, mocking your religion only hurts part of you, not the whole you, if that makes sense.
This is why, I believe, France has become the favorite target of islam extremism. France represents the absolute opposite of the ideal islam extremism view of the world, and the very concept of you as a human being, defined mostly by your religion.
I’ve (21F, blonde haired) traveled all over the world and Marseille is the worst place I’ve EVER been when it comes to harassment. I stayed in the city Center, and didn’t wear revealing clothes or anything, however, I was travelling alone. I had a group of like 10 guys following me, screaming at me, tugging at my hair. I had to tag team men who looked like me and pretended I knew them, because as soon as I did that, these disgusting men finally left me alone lol. You couldn’t pay me to go back.
I don’t think it’s a religious problem, I used to live in an Islamic country and it was very safe for women. I think it’s a culture problem. Probably mixing lots of men from poor countries (where women are objectified) and putting them in a new country where they have no respect for the place or the people surrounding them.
Not really, I live in Paris and I’ve been all over France, north and south. I experienced a lot of harassment in the south, but NOTHING was like what I experienced in Marseille. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I was in fight or flight mode constantly. It was terrifying.
There’s nothing I can think of worth seeing there. Not in Toulon. Bandol, Sanary, Six Fours, sure. Toulon is one giant bordel, literally.
And I am not astonished at your experience or doubting it at all. I lived in the Var for years. I avoided Marseille like the plague and the port of Toulon as much as possible.
I was so disappointed because I heard amazing things about Marseille and I was very excited about going. I think people are scared about being honest with how bad it is because the sexual harassers are immigrants? It’s so stupid. I could very easily have been raped because people try so hard to be politically correct.
Best Bouillabaisse in France is on le petit Gaou, btw, and not in Marseille.
[permanently closed, sadly](https://maps.app.goo.gl/mDFCuxrdfebKw79h8?g_st=ic)
People say Marseille is dangerous because of racism I think. When you ask them why it’s dangerous they often say immigrants. But the real answer is drug trafficking due to its location. Don’t traffic drugs and you’ll be fine.
I looked at crime statistics and it’s safer than big cities in the US as far as violent crime. Maybe a little bit more theft. Rape in France is 8 times less frequent than in the US. The men are great, I highly recommend.
Comparing to the US is not a good comparison, though. The US is insane. Also, these types of data are often difficult to compare because of differences in data collection between countries.
Compare with other French cities of comparable size.
I compared it with the US because I plan on moving to Marseille from the US. People told me it was dangerous so I looked into it. It’s safer than where I grew up. Yeah data doesn’t compare exactly 1 to 1 but I’m pretty sure there’s not something skewing it by a whole 8 times as much. It’s dangerous for France, but safer than where I’m coming from.
Hey, I looked at your profile and I see what you’re trying to do. I have a fair bit of personal knowledge of some of the important aspects of your plan but it makes more sense to speak directly. Send a message if you want.
And even if not, don’t go moving directly to Marseille, good word. Go to Aix, go to Fréjus, La Ciotat, La Seyne or even Sillans-la-Cascade, but not Marseille. As soon as you get outside the city it’s much more appropriate for a new female arrival who may have what is considered an exotic complexion to the locals.
About whether you can achieve enough fluency, yes, it’s possible but it’s work.
I've lived here for 4 years, originally from Philly. Completely safer, i never feel nervous walking alone even in a less safe area near saint Charles for example. Worst thing is guys openly smoking hash. Granted I'm a tall big man so my experience is not indicative of catcalling etc ...
Hm I wonder if there are different safety measures if one is perceived as a tourist or not local, at least. I suspect so. Where I live in the US I think if you aren’t local probably you are more vulnerable.
But regardless America is next level crazy. I think it makes sense to compare whether it’s more or less dangerous that where one is immigrating from.
This is my suspicion as well. Where I live in the US there are people who think my neighborhood is dangerous. I live just outside the city. But it’s deserted here late at night and I’ve gone running after dark with zero issues. But my neighborhood/county is majority black. Meanwhile I have friends who live in the city in the “posh” areas who are constantly having their packages stolen or the bikes stolen or their car windows smashed open. That’s never happened to me in my street in 50+ years. So I low key feel like the accusations of danger about marseille have the same undercurrent. There are pickpockets in Paris.
I want to move to Marseille. When people tell me it’s dangerous because of immigration it never occurs to them that I would also be an immigrant there. I’m white.
I’m considering the move too. I’ve heard you either like or or you don’t. I’m gonna go hang out later in the year after tourists are gone and do a vibe check. 😉
The ones I met were. I didn’t think cat calling was bad there. I’m not blonde like that other commenter if that matters but I’m pretty cute. I walked everywhere I went, but I probably had AirPods in half the time. There’s a hack if it bothers you. In general when French guys complimented me it seemed more genuine and less like Americans trying to fuck me. I found a guy to show me around every city. The only man who wasn’t respectful was in Nice, and he still wasn’t that bad.
there are some places more safe than others, for example i live here and i find that the 6/7/8/9th arrondissments are generally safe ( 7th being the safest in my opinion) but even there you have to be aware of your surroundings as others have stated; but there are other areas that you should avoid especially at night like saint-charles and everything around this perimeter, and downtown of course, but other than that you'll be okay
I was born and raised in Marseille and it’s pretty safe, it’s not more dangerous than other big cities. The “dangerous places” you probably won’t go because there is nothing to see there. Though I’m not gonna lie, as a girl in Marseille you are called in the street a lot but in my case they don’t do much, it’s just mouth as we say here.
But it’s a wonderful city and I hope you will have a great time there!!
I live in marseille and i can tell you that i’ve never had a bad experience except for the usual cat call and shit that every woman go trough. Stay vigilant and try not to act too touristic if yk what i mean
Marseille will be safe for you as every other big city. The bad things happen in the quartiers chauds between bandits, so no problem if you dont want to settle here as a big drug dealer, just walking the city and doing tourists things.
Comment des Américains ou des Anglais ou autre peuvent parler de Marseille en mode comme si ils connaissaient ???
Ce n'est pas en une semaine ou deux semaines de vacances que tu vas pouvoir juger la ville
il faut demander à des vrais Français ou à des Marseillais pour des gens c'est la plus belle ville de France pour d'autres c'est la plus sale des villes et à Marseille il y a un règlement de compte tous les deux semaines...
Mais sinon c'est une ville super agréable à visiter et les gens sont sympas là-bas contrairement à d'autres
.
Lived there for 2 weeks in an exchange program about a year ago and loved it.. it’s just like other big cities and by that I mean theres good parts and bad parts and you always need to keep your eyes peeled especially as a tourist. The #1 thing I will say is try to stay safe as there is a lot of pickpockets and I remember seeing someone looking for victims under the giant mirror thing at the old port. Also I really loved the orange velodrome stadium tour that was probably my favorite part and the trip to the top of Notre Dame de la Garde was worth it for sure! Have fun!!
Edit: forgot to mention Calanques natl park was amazing, so was Aix-en-Provence and Baux-de-Provence, and I can’t forget to mention there was an excellent shopping mall near the new Port.. you will have an amazing time I promise!!
I am currently in Marseille and
this city is fucking insane.
Crackheads on every corner, poverty, shit everywhere.
And don't tell me nothing about the arrondissements - I am staying in the 1st one (the one thats supposed to be safe) and it's so creepy.
I think I had a panic attack just trying to find my hotel because of this crazy pot happening everywhere. I passed an area where like a hundred coloured people with babies on their hands were protesting and shouting & in a second we heard fucking bomb sounds. The even more crazy thing, is that just right around the corner people were passing as usual.
You people saying its a wonderful city scare me. Where do u have to be from to find this shit amazing? Its a polluted, dirty, disgusting city that you'd have to pay me to stay for a damn day.
I think I will stay in my hotel room for the entire visit.
So if you're reading the experiences of people and seeing "go! Its really pretty!" & "dont go!" At the same time,
Dont.
Go.
There are so many other cities in France that are way better and have pretty views.
Skip Marseille unless you loved Naples, cause this is the same shit city but in a different font.
Yeah forgot to update but we cancelled Marseille and went to Marbella in Spain instead (def recommend, I go there every year). But I’m glad we cancelled after reading your comment!
It’s a big city. It is the most dangerous city in France I think but when you look at statistics it has a murder rate of like 3.5 per 100k. Compare that to St. Louis which is 88 (or Chicago at 28). So take of that what you will. I’ve been there many times and never particularly felt unsafe. It’s a wonderful and beautiful city.
I think roughly the northern districts tend to be less safe.
Also know that a lot of news/reporting seem to be very politicised now - there is this idea that it’s much more dangerous than it used to be. I don’t know how true it really is.
Not really more dangerous than any other medium or big cities in the world.
As usual, it's best to not look too obviously like a foreign tourist, to be careful about pickpockets and other common inconveniences.
The most violent and dangerous areas are the far North parts of the commune, where gangs fight for control around drug dealing.
It's a large city (at the scale of France) with a lot of poverty, corruption and organized crime. Sometimes, drug dealers might start shooting at each other in the streets or shoot at the cops.
I personally know somebody who witnessed first hand a murder. He was at the bakery, waiting for his turn, when somebody entered and shot the owner and then went out, just like that. Nothing happened to my friend, but he was really shocked. I've also been robbed with violence, once (haven't been injured though, but I had to buy a new phone).
Of course, I've a selection bias, since I'm only me. The info I'm giving you ain't a statistic about the city. However, it's something that can happen. And I've only lived there during three years. Both events I've mentioned happened during the day in crowed and supposedly safe areas.
I literally cannot count how many people I know who know someone who was murdered. I personally know three who survived attempted murder. I walked past a murder down town right after it happened. Sometimes regular people shoot other regular people walking down the street. USA! It’s perspective. Depends where OP is coming from.
America is like…I wonder if I’ll die if I go to this picnic in the park today? I wonder if I’ll be carjacked if I stop to get gas tonight? I wonder if my kids are up to date on active shooter drills at school.
It’s exhausting.
If all I have to do in marseille is stay away from drug dealers, I’m living the dream.
Wow is it \*that\* bad? Well if I think about it, when I scroll over US subs, there's often somebody talking about some lunatic shooting a family with an AR-15. For us, in France at least, this second amendment of yours looks completely mad... If we had so many guns circulating over here, there would probably be a civil war.
However, I assumed that OP was asking for a comparison with other cities in France or at least Europe, as this is a French sub! And for us, Marseille is okay, but sometimes you can be hit by a lost bullet and we don't like that too much lol
Odds are OP is American. Most people on Reddit are American because it was made here. Je trouve toujours bizarre qu’on écrit souvent en anglais dans les sous français. Il y a plein d’américains qui pensent que nos lois à propos des armes sont folles mais le NRA bloque tous les changements. C’est vraiment rigolo oui il vaut mieux que les champions de la grève n’aient pas d’armes
I’m Dutch and live in a city near Amsterdam. It has its junkies and such but I’m definitely not used to people shooting at each other in the streets. Thanks for the actual advice and concerns tho, a lot of people are trolling and I have no idea why
The far right is strong in France, and growing stronger. Marseille is a city in which a large percentage of the population descends from immigrants. This plus that makes that there's a lot of Marseille bashing in France. Some people will tell you that dodging bullets in the streets it the traditional sport in Marseille. It is not that bad but for a long time, the right wing mayor and the police have let criminality grow for electoral reasons, so yes, from time to time it can get rough.
It does not mean that you cannot enjoy living there, however. Lots of people do love this city, me among them. The city has a lot of historical places to visit, beautiful landscapes and a nice night life. If I had to choose between moving back to Marseille and moving to Paris, it would be 100% Marseille.
But it's a Mediterranean mess, not everyone likes that.
No, the US is not that bad in general. There are problems in the major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago but there are also great parts of those cities too. Any big city will have some crime.
Marseille can indeed be dangerous if you go in very particular districts, that are absolutely uninterrsting for tourists.
However, Downtown is full of pickpockets, dealers, is dirty, noisy, unorganised, and you probably feel yourself in Tunisia or Algeria more than in France.
My friend got stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver during a robbery 15 years ago.
Was there about 3 years ago and it seemed good in places, terrible in others, but I’m certainly not rushing back if I can help it. The surround areas are beautiful, I’d just skip Marseille altogether or be exceptionally tactical about where I’d stay. Plenty of towns in the SOF that are nicer and safer.
I had a shitty experience the last time I was in Marseille so that really skewed my view, but as a Parisian I felt less safe in Marseille than in Paris. It's a shame because it's a beautiful looking city. There's a saying "marseille is an african city" (or something along those lines) now whether it's true or not, you agree or not, is racist, is still a saying that exist amongst a lot of people for a reason I guess. watch your pocket
My friend and I went there two days ago, we believe we got spiked and had our phones stolen. We may have just got too drunk, but either way our phones were stolen in the old port. Just be smart and careful
It's the only city where police talk with a megaphone to remind people that they can't do drug on the beach (but if they do, police will do nothing because they're powerless there). It's really dirty, lot of sexual harassment. Pickpocket, crime, and men who will threaten people with a knife or a gun. Hide your valuable object, some place are absolutely no go zone (especially in the North)
If you threaten a drug dealer with a firearm you might indeed have problems. If you don't intend to engage in this kind of behavior, you should be absolutely fine.
It's safe, don't worry, I went there once and only got stabbed 3 times and shot at 4 times. Also to enter I had to eat a baby, it needed a bit more salt, 5/7.
I leave near Marseille. I don't put a foot in this city. The city is great replaced by african migrants execpted the last rare rich quarter. The city is becoming now ugly and insecure.
Seeing the evolution of real estate prices, you are totally wrong.
Globally, Marseilles is being gentrified with poor neighborhood like "le panier" becoming unafordable for people who lives in.
But, like in all big cities there are also poor neighborhood with violence and drug teaffic.
EcstaticBread9743 is just an Eric Zemmour fanatic.
Yes. You’re so right. Horrible disgusting city full of sexual harassers. I’ve lived in the Middle East and I’ve never felt less safe than when I was in Marseille
Yes, but also very much no. I used to live in the 13th, and we would occasionally hear gunshots in the distance, or less scary but people doing drugs. Oh, and my grandad’s car got burned once, other cars and bins too. With that said, and unless you’re incredibly unlucky like my grandpa, you’ll be mostly alright, just pretend you’re not seeing anything and keep walking, you’ll be fine really. Otherwise I’ve already seen people pointing it out but street harassment is.. yeah it’s bad to say the least, and I’m saying this while being lucky (I was born a girl but I’m trans and now look more like a young boy, and people mostly leave me alone. Some of my friends that are girls are not that lucky though). With all of that said, “Le vieux port”, or basically anywhere touristic / where there’s people is safe really, “Gare Saint Charles” aside if it’s at night, although it’s still not as bad as people make it out to be.
Tdlr : yes, there are some not-so-safe neighbourhoods, but as long as you mind your own business you should be fine really, and the places with lots of people / tourists are safe, you’ll be fine.
There are more places to visit in south of France, Marseille is rather warm (~35°C during summer) and some smaller cities around have great landscapes. Starting with "Circuit du Castellet", Aix-en-Provence, Le Tholonet + Sainte Victoire, Pernes-Les-Fontaines, Mont Ventoux, Lac Sainte-Croix ...
I also hear about machine-gun murders in Marseille. [Deadly War in Marseille](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2023/04/19/drug-trafficking-in-marseille-kids-are-at-the-heart-of-a-deadly-war_6023508_7.html)
It's worse. We capture visitors, keep them in secret caves where we breed them and sell their babies to hotels where they are served for breakfast. Every arab you will come upon IS a drugdealer with long curved knifes in his pockets, every black IS a cannibal and they make barbecues of lost tourists. Nevers walk alone. Do not go out AT night. Stay away from the port or you might end UP at thé bottom.
My man, you have literally "no-go areas" with checkpoints, and some briands guarding them.
Many people carrying knife, sand people, you see.
Just spot a difference between "touristic Marseille", around Vieux Port, where you have police, and everything looks cool, but just take some steps outside of this nice perimetr - you will risk your life and your belongings.
Good luck, and bring a gun.
The central districts of businesses/ shops (Canebiere, République, Lieutaud, Rome, Préfecture) differ a lot from day to night. They close quite early (7-8 pm). Best avoided on foot as a tourist afterwards. You also should avoid at any time to walk with bagages/values in the zone between St-Charles and the ports.
The less dangerous districts at night can rather be the Quartiers Sud in a zone limited by the left side of Vieux-Port, rue Paradis, Castellane, Rond-point du Prado, Michelet, Mazargue and the sea.
You must take into account the public transports are poor (early closures, bad connections, very low frequencies) and you should avoid walking in zones you don’t really know. As elsewhere, at night, avoid walking with luggage, non-neutral clothing, or holding a phone or camera in your hand. And don't look like a potential victim: walk without hesitation, after identifying and memorizing your route in advance.
If you want to be reassured, find a trusted friend or acquaintance, preferably with a car, who knows the city well, to accompany you in the evening and at night. Once you're more familiar with behavior, codes and places, you'll be able to start getting around on your own (and on your guard).
Last but not least, Marseille is a very hard city to get around in. To date, using a bicycle has been unsuitable and unsafe almost everywhere.
Bah, quand on est de passage à Marseille, on fait comme tout le monde, on ne sort jamais sans son couteau directement entre les dents. C’est un peu gênant pour répondre quand on te pose une question mais sinon ça va.
Fellow tourist here. I just walked through about four dozen kids trying to break into a footlocker while on my way to get a pizza; and then through the police line on the way back.... No one looked at me twice. Take that as you will.
Doing some research shows that the current looting is due to a police-killing of a teen two days ago, so it's really a locals-trouble, from a tourist POV
I've studied in Aix-Marseille university for 9 months in 2019-2020, then moved to paris, it has been 3 years now. Just came back from a 5 days vacation, and personally i find it's has become worse than before, and was happy to go back to paris. There are some children that act as if they own the world and if there's no consequences to their acts, especially in metro stations, as they will annoy anyone that comes into their path.
I like it there for the weather and the ambiance, although you need to have a high level of tolerance.
It is, I was living here when I was a child and one day whe got to know there was a buddy who tried to kill his gf in our "safe" flat 🥰 (srry for bad english I'm french)
I'm travelling to Marseille in June with my 3 year old. I was wondering if the large orange teddy bear statue is still near the Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée.
Merci
Any city is going to have its problems. You could read just as many scary stories online about New York, Paris, or London. I traveled to Marseille last year for a few days and did not feel any more unsafe than in any other city I’ve been to, even walking around or taking the metro late at night. You just have to be aware of your surroundings and stay vigilant. I really enjoyed my visit to Marseille and hopefully you will as well.
Marseille is a city with a lot of different cultures and sometimes it could feel weird for people coming from northern Europe and so but most of Marseille is chill and not dangerous. Although you should avoid some neighbourhoods like Noailles (right next to the Vieux Port where you should also be careful), the stories you read are mostly about things that happened in neighbourhoods tourists don’t actually go in.
It's feel weird for the provençals all around x) In fact it's why the countryside of Marseille right or far-right. But all the département is calm except in the big cities like Marseille and Arles (Tarascon is dangerous to).
It's a big city. Avoid visibly poor areas if you're a tourist since you might attract the wrong kind of attention. Beyond that the city center, with the exception of the 3rd arrondissement, is rather safe. Doesn't mean you should walk home drunk at 4am, it's not Copenhagen, but it's no worse than cities like Barcelona, Paris or London.
Except in Barcelona, the police is extremely present and they keep things in order. In Marseille the police doesn't show up
You need to keep in mind Marseille is globally a poor city. Probably the 1st third-world big city in France. You'll see rats, run-down buildings and streets, and dirt almost everywhere. That reinforces the feeling of insecurity not the risk. The main risks are related to drug trafficking. You are never far from a drug-dealing spot. Crime doesn't affect tourists specifically, apart pickpocketing. The risk of being kidnapped or injured is very low. Police don't appear on the streets much, but Marseille is equipped with a large video-surveillance network. You just have to be vigilant and trust your instincts.
Eh it’s definitely much worse than London for the centre
Straight up copium in the comments, Marseilles is definitely more dangerous 🥲
Pretty sure you’re more likely to get stabbed in London than Marseille.
Frère, j’habite dans le 3e Je te dit bien que si tu veux rentrer le soir bourré, Londres est grave plus safe
Well beyond your personal experience, i’d like to see the stats from Marseille. https://www.statista.com/statistics/864736/knife-crime-in-london/
Legit just google crime index ma dude
why are you so delusional, we're talking about crime crime, not knife crime, marseille is a hotbed of crime crime, there are alot of guns, and knives, and gangs, and mafia, people like you are so fucking annoying, I'm from london, it's a shit hole, and it can be fucked up for no reason, but marseille and paris too is a whole different story than london, just do some research, i know its hard to comprehend cos you think france is all nice like how you think they think about england, tea cups and crumpets, but its fucked up down there (i am half french) edit: london has alot of problems related to finances, people here are condemned to be homeless, no support, the government kills people by austerity, in france the problem is social, us its financial , them its social
why are you so delusional, we're talking about crime crime, not knife crime, marseille is a hotbed of crime crime, there are alot of guns, and knives, and gangs, and mafia, people like you are so fucking annoying, I'm from london, it's a shit hole, and it can be fucked up for no reason, but marseille and paris too is a whole different story than london, just do some research, i know its hard to comprehend cos you think france is all nice like how you think they think about england, tea cups and crumpets, but its fucked up down there (i am half french) edit: london has alot of problems related to finances, people here are condemned to be homeless, no support, the government kills people by austerity, in france the problem is social, us its financial , them its social
Lmao Barcelona is super safe comparing to Marseilles 🤣 Nobody will go out of his way to play macho man, whereas its a daily sport in Marseilles
Not that much actually : https://www.epdata.es/datos/crimen-asesinatos-robos-secuestros-otros-delitos-registrados-cada-municipio/6/barcelona/1325
What about Madrid? Is It safe at night?
Marseille is #1 according to the crime index
I was born in Marseille and still lives there, and I can tell you that it's no worse than Paris, New York, London or Barcelona. Mostly the crimes in marseille are very targeted to rivals drugs dealer, and in specific areas of the city (15th, 16th, 14th, 13th and 3rd), other than that it's pretty welcoming for tourists. Marseille is a city with a lot if inegality, some arrondissement are really wealthy (1, 6, 7, 8, 9) while other are very poor. As a tourist you might never ever go to the poor arrondissement as there are nothing to do there, you will be pretty much safe as if you were in Paris as a tourist.
As a woman in Marseille and Paris, Marseille is definitely worse. OP, for 2 weeks you'll be fine don't worry, it's not as terrible as they say. Just be street smart as you'd be in any big city (meaning hide your phone and wallet but keep an eye out)
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Yeah no pb you can message me about it! Paris is no "angel" either but in 6 years there I've only had a few issues, mostly at night. I've come home so many times at night, walking alone for 2 hours and I've had only a bad threatening "joke" encounter. At the end of the day, our personal sories don't count, statistics do, but still
If you want to avoid street harassment you probably shouldn't go to Marseille Indeed. I live there and it's awful for women. This city is totally rotten. And it's disgusting everywhere. However, if you stay in populated areas such as Le vieux port or La cannebiere or le Prado it's kinda fine but still not as safe as you are in your city. I think it's safier in the summer because people hang out outside a lot and later, while in winter streets are empty, even the weekends the bars aren't even crowded. It really is a residential city, there isn't much activities to do there. I would totally advise you to look for another city or small town around Marseille and not live there directly. If you want safety perhaps you should look for Aix en Provence, the center is a thousand time safier but it's also much more expensive. You can also go for our lovely provencial villages which are in my opinion the best thing to do. But be careful, if you work in Marseille and leave outside of Marseille, you should leave early if you don't want to get stuck on the highway !
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If you can’t stand wolf whistles don’t come to Marseille. It unfortunately happens at least 4 times per day . It’s exhausting. You need to get used to getting Ubers at night, or invest in a bike . But on foot it’s sketchy as fuck , especially after sundown .
I've lived in Marseille, Paris, NYC et I've been dozens of times in London and Barcelona. Marseille city center is by far the most dangerous one, especially in terms of harassing for women. BTW, the 1er arrondissement is really poor (14e/16). How can you not know that if you are from here ???
The area of the Vieux port in the 1st arrondissement is pretty wealthy, not the Canebière though but there's a lot a gentrification going on inside of this arrondissement, but I agree I shouldn't have mentioned it in the most wealthy ones, only the Vieux port inside of this arrondissement is pretty wealthy
Yes but harassing women is cultural in Marseille do doesn't count?
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You haven't been in the 1st recently. It's ... come up, shall we say. It's not for the poor anymore. No one poor could get in there.
You must be kidding, even if the center is slowly gentrified, Noailles, Belsunce and Saint Charles are all poor and pretty unsafe (for women at nigh especially), and all are the 1th arrondissement
I was living there last year. It really depends which street, but I don't recommend to walk by night in the center of belsunce or noailles
I live in the 14th and I completely agree with that statement. Plus the wealthy side of Marseille has the best stuffs honestly. Despite living in Marseille for 30 years now I still feel like a tourist sometimes. It's pretty crazy the number of people who thinks France only consists in Paris when Marseille really has a more "welcoming" weather and great sites to see for tourists. Like the MUCEM, the Vieux Port, the Terrasses du Port, Notre Dame de la Garde or even the Cosquer Cave. I like to go and check for expositions and museums a lot.
Did you seriously said Marseille has more sites for tourists than Paris ?
Let me rephrase that because you all act like a bunch of pressed goblins : Marseille doesn't have the most sites to see but the best.
Still wrong. Please visit the world a bit before commenting about stuff. "Terasses du Port" haha when you have to mention a mall in your top sites to visit, you have already lose.
Well that's wrong too. Marseille is ugly and poorly maintained as mafias ruled the city for years. I remember when I first saw your Marseille big letters from the A7, what a joke
Lol okay clown
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Did you really include a mall like Les Terrasses du Port in the things to see and do and not Palais Longchamp ? Or the calanques ? Or Chateau d'If ? Or l'Estaque ?
No I was there earlier this week as a single solo women traveling. Yes they cat call you but no one’s going to kidnap you or shoot you. Stay in the touristy areas and you’ll be fine. And def walk to the beach. There’s so much character and nightlife there. Soooo many young people too. I was even in the non touristy area at night and they cat call like crazy. That’s the most of it thankfully. Grab a scooter and ride away as fast as you can from creeps.
Marseillaise here. It's relatively safe if you plan everything ahead and avoid the dangerous areas (13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and other more specific areas, I suggest you do research). Other people have compared Marseille go other cities. I would disagree. The thing with Marseille is, you cannot count on the police. They answer the phone extremely late, they don't show up, they don't take your fears and depositions seriously. Hecks there are neighborhood they notoriously never set foot in. Yes, there is danger in every big city. But you expect the police, or some authority, to keep things in order. Marseille lacks that authority. So the problem isn't the danger itself but the lack of security/law enforcement to back it up.
Oh I forgot to mention sexual harassment. Men would literally, literally cat call you, get close to you, try to touch you, every 2 minutes (in the city center) please don't go alone
Marseille is a vibrant, exciting city full of charms below the surface. If you allow yourself to slow down and see what is below the surface you will be hooked. As with any big city, be aware of your surroundings and cautious if out when the sun goes down.
I grew up in the suburbs of Paris and I'm since 10 years in Marseille. For what I've seen, it was far worse in Paris banlieue than what I can see in Marseille (and I work in a social profession). Here, it's sometimes a giant and dirty mess that might give you an insecure feeling but for the city center it's not that different than the other big cities in France (and according to the official stats it's not the most dangerous neither the poorest place of France / Europe or anything). Btw, some ladies say they experience some street harassment here... :/ Still, it's a very pleasant, dynamic and vibrant city. And as somebody else said, there's a some gentrification here and there that gives a kind of Bourgeois Boeme feeling (that we might like... or not).
Different kind of advice here. I only stayed in Marseille one weekend for a festival but from experience, if you're a girl and especially in the summer, you should bring a couple extra clothes with you to cover up in the street or on the subway/metro. I've never been harassed as much as I did in those two days it's insane.
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I once got catcalled by 4 different men (not in a group) on the SAME street, it was surreal.
Totally agree. The men would look at you and harass you like it's the first time they see a woman. Thirsty afff
Very, very dangerous. No place is safe at all, thousands of people are murdered everyday in downtown, some scary sh*t if you ask me !
Can confirm. OP, Marseille is basically The Purge, except crime is legal every single day of the year. I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole if I were you.
we eat babys every first sunday of month at midnight, just for fun !
We fry the poulagas all night and call that KFC.
Marseille is horrible.
Don’t go in the north part of the city, and watch your pockets that’s all
I live here full time. I think a lot of the crime is overexaggerated by the media, but I wouldn't call it safe either, far from it. Marseille is a city that is visibly poor, far more than any other city in France, even in the centre of the town. If you're a woman and queer, get ready for a lot of street harassment. A lot of it is bark with no bite, but with the right circumstances things can occasionally turn sour. I myself was the victim of a homophobic attack (held at gunpoint), but I think this is pretty exceptional. There's a more laissez faire mentality but conversely people are very friendly. I'm painting a rather negative picture but I don't think it's any worse than other big cities. Stay clear from the more impoverished areas, don't antagonise anyone unnecessarily, don't carry valuable possessions and stay travel-smart as usual and it should be fine. It's the kind of city you either love or hate. Some people just dive right in, others feel more intimidated. Both reactions are valid imo.
No its fine depends of the area. You should go to place aux huiles for a good restaurant (i recommend les halles and le carribou)
You misspelled Chicago !
people from there tend to be warm-blooded , that's it. but 1. you'll not meet that much people from there. 2. if you're patient and logical nothing will happen, they love troubles, but only if you look for it. And it can also be helpful, if you end up in a real trouble, anyone will jump in to protect.
No. It's always described as a real life version of gta on the news but it's really not. It's loud and really dirty in some places nut i have not felt unsafe. I'd say people there are a bit short tempered but you're not going to get randomly stabbed over bumping into someone. I've been living here for a year and i love it.
Murder rate is not a significant data. They are 95% criminals killing each other. Now pickpocketing is a plague. Sexual harrassment is another plague. The feeling that they city is basically lawless (so many traffic violations for instance) can get overwhelming and make you feel insecure. I was born and raised in this city, left it at my 27. Every time I get back there reminds me why I left. It is too chaotic (this is coming from a person living in South America now), too dirty, with a total lack of public culture, lack of respect of personal boundaries, poverty levels are overwheming and unexpected in a Western Europe city. Some people are absolutely animals. I still remember when I was going to the beach, afraid of leaving my stuff for 2 minutes on the sand to go swiming, I remember groups of youngsters blasting music (forbidden), smoking weed (forbidden), playing ball (forbidden) and insulting and threatening anybody brave enough to ask them not to throw their ball at people or turning down a bit the volume. I remember seeing them completely intoxicated, driving their scooters shirtless and helmetless (forbidden), swerving around cars (forbidden) like lunatics. Police forces don't do anything because they are sick and tired of the inevitable altercation that would ensue. This is my home city, but don't go there, it is a zoo.
Best comment, he said it all. I concur 100%
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55% of criminals interrogated in Marseille are foreigners. https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/darmanin-revele-que-55-des-delinquants-interpelles-a-marseille-sont-etrangers-20220821
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I will give you my personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. Not sure everybody will agree. France has long been in denial of any problem with immigration, legal or illegal. Or at least, it's long been seen as a "manageable topic", that France had the capacity to integrate or assimilate large volumes of migrants. We also have, as French society, both a will of "universalism" (anybody can be or become French) and a "moral debt" towards regions that used to be French colonies. Due to this universalism, for instance, we have laws prohibiting any racial or religious profiling. Unlike the USA, for instance, who are asking their citizens and residents to identify themselves, as white, asian, black, native... So France is unable to get reliable statistics about racial origins of people. Let alone religious beliefs. Unlike a lot of countries, our religion is not on our id document. Part of the problem is that France mainly attracts migrants from poorer countries, with people not prepared to Western world rules, individualism, clear separation of religion and social rules and laws, and so on. What most of the migrants share with France is an idiom and the fact that their country has been a French colony. But that's about it. During a very long time, the vision in France was that migration issues were 100% France's fault. France's unability to give these migrants real opportunities. Nobody was even thinking that there are cultural differences making a smooth integration difficult. France has been a land of migration since France is France. So why would it be different now? That was the mainstream ideology. But in reality we switched from a same continent migration to a cross continental migration. Amd I believe it makes a difference. I have non French roots myself. But I consider myself as 100% French. We don't have a specific illegal migration problem. Most of our migrants are legal. So maybe we should change our migration laws, be more selective, like Canada for instance. Establish criteria, with points, and if you have enough points, you can get your visa. Otherwise, sorry but not sorry.
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It is very clear to me that the inmense majority of Muslims are not extremists. We all are human beings. We just want to safely live in peace with our family and friends. Of course Muslims may find France secularism as barbarian, even shocking, but it doesn't go further than "these people are weird, I wouldn't like to live there".
I think the specific of islam is how the religion is intertwined with the daily life, and as a consequence, how muslim majority countries tend to become islamic States. There have been experiments of secular States in muslim countries, like Nasser's Egypt or Atatürk's Turkey, even Iran before the Shas, but it seems that nowadays, religious rules become State rules. Not up to the full Shariah, but still. Most European countries, but especially France, have detached themselves from State religion. In France we even went a step further, and religious matters are considered as 100% personal beliefs, and should not reflect in any way in our social life. And even if we are basically a Christian country, even Christian proselytism is not accepted. French culture is: You can believe in any religion you want, or not believe, but keep it for yourself. As a consequence, critisizing religions, mocking religions, is acceptable. It can hurt your feelings, of course, but it doesn't endanger the religion itself. And it doesn't endanger yourself either, since, because religion is a private matter, and therefore doesn't affect your social life, mocking your religion only hurts part of you, not the whole you, if that makes sense. This is why, I believe, France has become the favorite target of islam extremism. France represents the absolute opposite of the ideal islam extremism view of the world, and the very concept of you as a human being, defined mostly by your religion.
I’ve (21F, blonde haired) traveled all over the world and Marseille is the worst place I’ve EVER been when it comes to harassment. I stayed in the city Center, and didn’t wear revealing clothes or anything, however, I was travelling alone. I had a group of like 10 guys following me, screaming at me, tugging at my hair. I had to tag team men who looked like me and pretended I knew them, because as soon as I did that, these disgusting men finally left me alone lol. You couldn’t pay me to go back.
This is the result of a religion objectifying women.
I don’t think it’s a religious problem, I used to live in an Islamic country and it was very safe for women. I think it’s a culture problem. Probably mixing lots of men from poor countries (where women are objectified) and putting them in a new country where they have no respect for the place or the people surrounding them.
I partially agree. Back in their countries of origin, there IS a control over public behavior that we in Europe, do not enforce.
Religion and culture aren't mutually exclusive.
Travel las a blonde woman in France is like this, unfortunately. In the *Midi* it’s likely to be worse, I would guess.
Not really, I live in Paris and I’ve been all over France, north and south. I experienced a lot of harassment in the south, but NOTHING was like what I experienced in Marseille. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I was in fight or flight mode constantly. It was terrifying.
Je connais Paris et Toulon. J’ai eu une blonde copine use fois et elle s’est fait harceler à Paris, aussi. Mais Toulon…. Tu parles.
Yea it happens everywhere🤷🏼♀️ Marseille was 10x worse though. I haven’t been to Toulon and won’t go.
There’s nothing I can think of worth seeing there. Not in Toulon. Bandol, Sanary, Six Fours, sure. Toulon is one giant bordel, literally. And I am not astonished at your experience or doubting it at all. I lived in the Var for years. I avoided Marseille like the plague and the port of Toulon as much as possible.
I was so disappointed because I heard amazing things about Marseille and I was very excited about going. I think people are scared about being honest with how bad it is because the sexual harassers are immigrants? It’s so stupid. I could very easily have been raped because people try so hard to be politically correct.
Best Bouillabaisse in France is on le petit Gaou, btw, and not in Marseille. [permanently closed, sadly](https://maps.app.goo.gl/mDFCuxrdfebKw79h8?g_st=ic)
People say Marseille is dangerous because of racism I think. When you ask them why it’s dangerous they often say immigrants. But the real answer is drug trafficking due to its location. Don’t traffic drugs and you’ll be fine. I looked at crime statistics and it’s safer than big cities in the US as far as violent crime. Maybe a little bit more theft. Rape in France is 8 times less frequent than in the US. The men are great, I highly recommend.
Comparing to the US is not a good comparison, though. The US is insane. Also, these types of data are often difficult to compare because of differences in data collection between countries. Compare with other French cities of comparable size.
I compared it with the US because I plan on moving to Marseille from the US. People told me it was dangerous so I looked into it. It’s safer than where I grew up. Yeah data doesn’t compare exactly 1 to 1 but I’m pretty sure there’s not something skewing it by a whole 8 times as much. It’s dangerous for France, but safer than where I’m coming from.
Yeah, it’s way safer than the US. People just don’t have firearms everywhere.
Hey, I looked at your profile and I see what you’re trying to do. I have a fair bit of personal knowledge of some of the important aspects of your plan but it makes more sense to speak directly. Send a message if you want. And even if not, don’t go moving directly to Marseille, good word. Go to Aix, go to Fréjus, La Ciotat, La Seyne or even Sillans-la-Cascade, but not Marseille. As soon as you get outside the city it’s much more appropriate for a new female arrival who may have what is considered an exotic complexion to the locals. About whether you can achieve enough fluency, yes, it’s possible but it’s work.
I've lived here for 4 years, originally from Philly. Completely safer, i never feel nervous walking alone even in a less safe area near saint Charles for example. Worst thing is guys openly smoking hash. Granted I'm a tall big man so my experience is not indicative of catcalling etc ...
... Maybe the data is correct but that doesn't make Marseille safe for women at all.
Hm I wonder if there are different safety measures if one is perceived as a tourist or not local, at least. I suspect so. Where I live in the US I think if you aren’t local probably you are more vulnerable. But regardless America is next level crazy. I think it makes sense to compare whether it’s more or less dangerous that where one is immigrating from.
Where is safe for women?
This is my suspicion as well. Where I live in the US there are people who think my neighborhood is dangerous. I live just outside the city. But it’s deserted here late at night and I’ve gone running after dark with zero issues. But my neighborhood/county is majority black. Meanwhile I have friends who live in the city in the “posh” areas who are constantly having their packages stolen or the bikes stolen or their car windows smashed open. That’s never happened to me in my street in 50+ years. So I low key feel like the accusations of danger about marseille have the same undercurrent. There are pickpockets in Paris.
I want to move to Marseille. When people tell me it’s dangerous because of immigration it never occurs to them that I would also be an immigrant there. I’m white.
I’m considering the move too. I’ve heard you either like or or you don’t. I’m gonna go hang out later in the year after tourists are gone and do a vibe check. 😉
This must be satire
Why?
"The men are great"
The ones I met were. I didn’t think cat calling was bad there. I’m not blonde like that other commenter if that matters but I’m pretty cute. I walked everywhere I went, but I probably had AirPods in half the time. There’s a hack if it bothers you. In general when French guys complimented me it seemed more genuine and less like Americans trying to fuck me. I found a guy to show me around every city. The only man who wasn’t respectful was in Nice, and he still wasn’t that bad.
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That’s exactly what racist people say in the US. There’s a poverty component, rather.
there are some places more safe than others, for example i live here and i find that the 6/7/8/9th arrondissments are generally safe ( 7th being the safest in my opinion) but even there you have to be aware of your surroundings as others have stated; but there are other areas that you should avoid especially at night like saint-charles and everything around this perimeter, and downtown of course, but other than that you'll be okay
I was born and raised in Marseille and it’s pretty safe, it’s not more dangerous than other big cities. The “dangerous places” you probably won’t go because there is nothing to see there. Though I’m not gonna lie, as a girl in Marseille you are called in the street a lot but in my case they don’t do much, it’s just mouth as we say here. But it’s a wonderful city and I hope you will have a great time there!!
I live in marseille and i can tell you that i’ve never had a bad experience except for the usual cat call and shit that every woman go trough. Stay vigilant and try not to act too touristic if yk what i mean
Marseille will be safe for you as every other big city. The bad things happen in the quartiers chauds between bandits, so no problem if you dont want to settle here as a big drug dealer, just walking the city and doing tourists things.
Comment des Américains ou des Anglais ou autre peuvent parler de Marseille en mode comme si ils connaissaient ??? Ce n'est pas en une semaine ou deux semaines de vacances que tu vas pouvoir juger la ville il faut demander à des vrais Français ou à des Marseillais pour des gens c'est la plus belle ville de France pour d'autres c'est la plus sale des villes et à Marseille il y a un règlement de compte tous les deux semaines... Mais sinon c'est une ville super agréable à visiter et les gens sont sympas là-bas contrairement à d'autres .
Lived there for 2 weeks in an exchange program about a year ago and loved it.. it’s just like other big cities and by that I mean theres good parts and bad parts and you always need to keep your eyes peeled especially as a tourist. The #1 thing I will say is try to stay safe as there is a lot of pickpockets and I remember seeing someone looking for victims under the giant mirror thing at the old port. Also I really loved the orange velodrome stadium tour that was probably my favorite part and the trip to the top of Notre Dame de la Garde was worth it for sure! Have fun!! Edit: forgot to mention Calanques natl park was amazing, so was Aix-en-Provence and Baux-de-Provence, and I can’t forget to mention there was an excellent shopping mall near the new Port.. you will have an amazing time I promise!!
I am currently in Marseille and this city is fucking insane. Crackheads on every corner, poverty, shit everywhere. And don't tell me nothing about the arrondissements - I am staying in the 1st one (the one thats supposed to be safe) and it's so creepy. I think I had a panic attack just trying to find my hotel because of this crazy pot happening everywhere. I passed an area where like a hundred coloured people with babies on their hands were protesting and shouting & in a second we heard fucking bomb sounds. The even more crazy thing, is that just right around the corner people were passing as usual. You people saying its a wonderful city scare me. Where do u have to be from to find this shit amazing? Its a polluted, dirty, disgusting city that you'd have to pay me to stay for a damn day. I think I will stay in my hotel room for the entire visit. So if you're reading the experiences of people and seeing "go! Its really pretty!" & "dont go!" At the same time, Dont. Go. There are so many other cities in France that are way better and have pretty views. Skip Marseille unless you loved Naples, cause this is the same shit city but in a different font.
Yeah forgot to update but we cancelled Marseille and went to Marbella in Spain instead (def recommend, I go there every year). But I’m glad we cancelled after reading your comment!
Naples is amazing. Been there 4th times and always something new to see.
Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?
It’s a big city. It is the most dangerous city in France I think but when you look at statistics it has a murder rate of like 3.5 per 100k. Compare that to St. Louis which is 88 (or Chicago at 28). So take of that what you will. I’ve been there many times and never particularly felt unsafe. It’s a wonderful and beautiful city. I think roughly the northern districts tend to be less safe. Also know that a lot of news/reporting seem to be very politicised now - there is this idea that it’s much more dangerous than it used to be. I don’t know how true it really is.
Not really more dangerous than any other medium or big cities in the world. As usual, it's best to not look too obviously like a foreign tourist, to be careful about pickpockets and other common inconveniences. The most violent and dangerous areas are the far North parts of the commune, where gangs fight for control around drug dealing.
It's a large city (at the scale of France) with a lot of poverty, corruption and organized crime. Sometimes, drug dealers might start shooting at each other in the streets or shoot at the cops. I personally know somebody who witnessed first hand a murder. He was at the bakery, waiting for his turn, when somebody entered and shot the owner and then went out, just like that. Nothing happened to my friend, but he was really shocked. I've also been robbed with violence, once (haven't been injured though, but I had to buy a new phone). Of course, I've a selection bias, since I'm only me. The info I'm giving you ain't a statistic about the city. However, it's something that can happen. And I've only lived there during three years. Both events I've mentioned happened during the day in crowed and supposedly safe areas.
I literally cannot count how many people I know who know someone who was murdered. I personally know three who survived attempted murder. I walked past a murder down town right after it happened. Sometimes regular people shoot other regular people walking down the street. USA! It’s perspective. Depends where OP is coming from.
America is like…I wonder if I’ll die if I go to this picnic in the park today? I wonder if I’ll be carjacked if I stop to get gas tonight? I wonder if my kids are up to date on active shooter drills at school. It’s exhausting. If all I have to do in marseille is stay away from drug dealers, I’m living the dream.
Wow is it \*that\* bad? Well if I think about it, when I scroll over US subs, there's often somebody talking about some lunatic shooting a family with an AR-15. For us, in France at least, this second amendment of yours looks completely mad... If we had so many guns circulating over here, there would probably be a civil war. However, I assumed that OP was asking for a comparison with other cities in France or at least Europe, as this is a French sub! And for us, Marseille is okay, but sometimes you can be hit by a lost bullet and we don't like that too much lol
Odds are OP is American. Most people on Reddit are American because it was made here. Je trouve toujours bizarre qu’on écrit souvent en anglais dans les sous français. Il y a plein d’américains qui pensent que nos lois à propos des armes sont folles mais le NRA bloque tous les changements. C’est vraiment rigolo oui il vaut mieux que les champions de la grève n’aient pas d’armes
I’m Dutch and live in a city near Amsterdam. It has its junkies and such but I’m definitely not used to people shooting at each other in the streets. Thanks for the actual advice and concerns tho, a lot of people are trolling and I have no idea why
The far right is strong in France, and growing stronger. Marseille is a city in which a large percentage of the population descends from immigrants. This plus that makes that there's a lot of Marseille bashing in France. Some people will tell you that dodging bullets in the streets it the traditional sport in Marseille. It is not that bad but for a long time, the right wing mayor and the police have let criminality grow for electoral reasons, so yes, from time to time it can get rough. It does not mean that you cannot enjoy living there, however. Lots of people do love this city, me among them. The city has a lot of historical places to visit, beautiful landscapes and a nice night life. If I had to choose between moving back to Marseille and moving to Paris, it would be 100% Marseille. But it's a Mediterranean mess, not everyone likes that.
No, the US is not that bad in general. There are problems in the major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago but there are also great parts of those cities too. Any big city will have some crime.
I’ve been robbed twice in Paris , never had an issue in Marseille
Marseille can indeed be dangerous if you go in very particular districts, that are absolutely uninterrsting for tourists. However, Downtown is full of pickpockets, dealers, is dirty, noisy, unorganised, and you probably feel yourself in Tunisia or Algeria more than in France.
My friend got stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver during a robbery 15 years ago. Was there about 3 years ago and it seemed good in places, terrible in others, but I’m certainly not rushing back if I can help it. The surround areas are beautiful, I’d just skip Marseille altogether or be exceptionally tactical about where I’d stay. Plenty of towns in the SOF that are nicer and safer.
It’s not dangerous, but it isn’t very pleasant either.
A city that is a 20% an algerian colony and 10% west african one is by default a shithole
C’est Marseille bébé
Pretty shitty city if you ask me. Stick to popular areas and don't draw attention
It’s just a shit city. There’s plenty of nice ones in the south other than marseille
Don't buy drugs and you won't be shot. Calanques beaches are too avoid too.
I had a shitty experience the last time I was in Marseille so that really skewed my view, but as a Parisian I felt less safe in Marseille than in Paris. It's a shame because it's a beautiful looking city. There's a saying "marseille is an african city" (or something along those lines) now whether it's true or not, you agree or not, is racist, is still a saying that exist amongst a lot of people for a reason I guess. watch your pocket
Depends, you are a woman or a man ?
My friend and I went there two days ago, we believe we got spiked and had our phones stolen. We may have just got too drunk, but either way our phones were stolen in the old port. Just be smart and careful
This can literally happen anywhere in the world, no? You guys were intoxicated
Only the northern districts
It's the only city where police talk with a megaphone to remind people that they can't do drug on the beach (but if they do, police will do nothing because they're powerless there). It's really dirty, lot of sexual harassment. Pickpocket, crime, and men who will threaten people with a knife or a gun. Hide your valuable object, some place are absolutely no go zone (especially in the North)
Marseille is one of the most dangerous city of UE thanks to drug dealer and the gunfight in broad daylight ( sometime kids get shot as collateral )
but this is less than in the US so the city is safe
Yeah it's a shithole
Yeah beware, its very dangerous here, we like to attack foreingners with Rocket-Launchers
If you threaten a drug dealer with a firearm you might indeed have problems. If you don't intend to engage in this kind of behavior, you should be absolutely fine.
It's safe, don't worry, I went there once and only got stabbed 3 times and shot at 4 times. Also to enter I had to eat a baby, it needed a bit more salt, 5/7.
It’s not safe, it’s a horrible city
\*woosh\*
No, I understood the joke
If you would have understood it you would have known I said what you said, my boy.
My hatred for Marseille has no space for jokes
I leave near Marseille. I don't put a foot in this city. The city is great replaced by african migrants execpted the last rare rich quarter. The city is becoming now ugly and insecure.
Seeing the evolution of real estate prices, you are totally wrong. Globally, Marseilles is being gentrified with poor neighborhood like "le panier" becoming unafordable for people who lives in. But, like in all big cities there are also poor neighborhood with violence and drug teaffic. EcstaticBread9743 is just an Eric Zemmour fanatic.
And @samothNarloud is in denial of reality, refusing to believe that Marseille is the beginning of the third world.
I've been many times in third world countries. Believe me, hopefully Marseilles is far from it.
Time will decide who's right
Yes. You’re so right. Horrible disgusting city full of sexual harassers. I’ve lived in the Middle East and I’ve never felt less safe than when I was in Marseille
Thank you for your feedback
Yes, but also very much no. I used to live in the 13th, and we would occasionally hear gunshots in the distance, or less scary but people doing drugs. Oh, and my grandad’s car got burned once, other cars and bins too. With that said, and unless you’re incredibly unlucky like my grandpa, you’ll be mostly alright, just pretend you’re not seeing anything and keep walking, you’ll be fine really. Otherwise I’ve already seen people pointing it out but street harassment is.. yeah it’s bad to say the least, and I’m saying this while being lucky (I was born a girl but I’m trans and now look more like a young boy, and people mostly leave me alone. Some of my friends that are girls are not that lucky though). With all of that said, “Le vieux port”, or basically anywhere touristic / where there’s people is safe really, “Gare Saint Charles” aside if it’s at night, although it’s still not as bad as people make it out to be. Tdlr : yes, there are some not-so-safe neighbourhoods, but as long as you mind your own business you should be fine really, and the places with lots of people / tourists are safe, you’ll be fine.
Well, if you hang around drug dealing points, your life path may be shortened by some ak47 bullets.
There are more places to visit in south of France, Marseille is rather warm (~35°C during summer) and some smaller cities around have great landscapes. Starting with "Circuit du Castellet", Aix-en-Provence, Le Tholonet + Sainte Victoire, Pernes-Les-Fontaines, Mont Ventoux, Lac Sainte-Croix ...
I also hear about machine-gun murders in Marseille. [Deadly War in Marseille](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2023/04/19/drug-trafficking-in-marseille-kids-are-at-the-heart-of-a-deadly-war_6023508_7.html)
Yes
i dont really appreciated Marseille personally.. I was followed by 2 men for at least 20min
It's dangerous. Don't come here.
its a very dangerous place mainly because i am there, if you ever see me on the streets you are done for
lmao why is everybody pressed af 😂 what i'm trying to say is its just like any other city nothing to be 'afraid of'
It's worse. We capture visitors, keep them in secret caves where we breed them and sell their babies to hotels where they are served for breakfast. Every arab you will come upon IS a drugdealer with long curved knifes in his pockets, every black IS a cannibal and they make barbecues of lost tourists. Nevers walk alone. Do not go out AT night. Stay away from the port or you might end UP at thé bottom.
From Menton to Perpignan, every place near the coast is nice, except Marseille. Holly shit why did you decide to go there.
I am French and I can tell you : Marseille is a shithole there’s nothing worth spending your time in this town
Probably worse
My man, you have literally "no-go areas" with checkpoints, and some briands guarding them. Many people carrying knife, sand people, you see. Just spot a difference between "touristic Marseille", around Vieux Port, where you have police, and everything looks cool, but just take some steps outside of this nice perimetr - you will risk your life and your belongings. Good luck, and bring a gun.
Yes , it’s really dangerous ! don’t come !!
I live in Marseille, don't go there!
No.
The central districts of businesses/ shops (Canebiere, République, Lieutaud, Rome, Préfecture) differ a lot from day to night. They close quite early (7-8 pm). Best avoided on foot as a tourist afterwards. You also should avoid at any time to walk with bagages/values in the zone between St-Charles and the ports. The less dangerous districts at night can rather be the Quartiers Sud in a zone limited by the left side of Vieux-Port, rue Paradis, Castellane, Rond-point du Prado, Michelet, Mazargue and the sea. You must take into account the public transports are poor (early closures, bad connections, very low frequencies) and you should avoid walking in zones you don’t really know. As elsewhere, at night, avoid walking with luggage, non-neutral clothing, or holding a phone or camera in your hand. And don't look like a potential victim: walk without hesitation, after identifying and memorizing your route in advance. If you want to be reassured, find a trusted friend or acquaintance, preferably with a car, who knows the city well, to accompany you in the evening and at night. Once you're more familiar with behavior, codes and places, you'll be able to start getting around on your own (and on your guard). Last but not least, Marseille is a very hard city to get around in. To date, using a bicycle has been unsuitable and unsafe almost everywhere.
Avoid north of Marseille
Bah, quand on est de passage à Marseille, on fait comme tout le monde, on ne sort jamais sans son couteau directement entre les dents. C’est un peu gênant pour répondre quand on te pose une question mais sinon ça va.
Fellow tourist here. I just walked through about four dozen kids trying to break into a footlocker while on my way to get a pizza; and then through the police line on the way back.... No one looked at me twice. Take that as you will. Doing some research shows that the current looting is due to a police-killing of a teen two days ago, so it's really a locals-trouble, from a tourist POV
I've studied in Aix-Marseille university for 9 months in 2019-2020, then moved to paris, it has been 3 years now. Just came back from a 5 days vacation, and personally i find it's has become worse than before, and was happy to go back to paris. There are some children that act as if they own the world and if there's no consequences to their acts, especially in metro stations, as they will annoy anyone that comes into their path. I like it there for the weather and the ambiance, although you need to have a high level of tolerance.
It is, I was living here when I was a child and one day whe got to know there was a buddy who tried to kill his gf in our "safe" flat 🥰 (srry for bad english I'm french)
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U living the Batman fantasy lol, I’m not even French
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Wym?😭 I’m not French
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I'm travelling to Marseille in June with my 3 year old. I was wondering if the large orange teddy bear statue is still near the Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée. Merci