Marseille Food Tours: Le Panier, the Old Port & Bouillabaisse
Marseille food tours: the Old Port and Le Panier, navettes, panisse and pastis, where to eat real bouillabaisse, and how to book.
The short version: a Marseille food tour walks from the Old Port fish market up into Le Panier, the city’s oldest quarter, tasting local specialties like navette biscuits, panisse (chickpea fritters), Provencal cheese and olive oil, Marseille-style pizza and a pastis. The city’s famous dish, bouillabaisse, is a long, ceremonial meal best booked separately at a specialist restaurant, and a good tour will tell you where. Here is what to taste and how to book.
At a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What | A walking food tour: Old Port, Le Panier and the Noailles market |
| Tastings | Navettes, panisse, cheese, olive oil, Marseille pizza, pastis |
| The famous dish | Bouillabaisse: book at a specialist restaurant (a full sit-down meal) |
| Drink | Pastis, Cassis white wine, Bandol rose |
| Time | About 3 to 3.5 hours |
What you taste
Marseille is a port city with Mediterranean and North African influences. On a tour you typically meet the navette, a hard orange-blossom biscuit from the city’s oldest bakery; panisse, chickpea fritters; local cheeses and olive oil; the city’s own style of pizza; and an aperitif of pastis, the anise drink Marseille is known for. The spice shops of Noailles add a North African accent.
About bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse started as a fishermen’s stew and is now a ceremonial meal: the fish broth is served first with croutons and rouille (garlic and saffron sauce), then the fish is carved at the table. It takes time and is usually not part of a walking tour, so book it at a specialist restaurant near the Old Port or the Vallon des Auffes, ideally in advance in summer.
Our pick: the Marseille Food Tour: Local Specialities Only tastes around ten Marseille and Provencal specialties and ends with Marseille pizza in Le Panier.
Frequently asked questions
What food is Marseille known for?
Bouillabaisse above all, plus navette biscuits, panisse, aioli, pieds paquets and pastis, with strong North African influences in the Noailles quarter.
Is bouillabaisse included on Marseille food tours?
Usually not; tours focus on street food and specialties. Bouillabaisse is a full sit-down meal best booked at a specialist restaurant.
What is Le Panier?
The oldest neighbourhood in Marseille, a hill of narrow lanes above the Old Port, full of small shops, bakeries and cafes.
Book a Marseille food tour
Compare Marseille food tours, or continue to Nice and the Provence wine country.
