Marseille Noailles Guided Tour

Discover this vibrant and lively French quarter during this walking tour of Marseille's Noailles district. Enjoy this approximately two-hour tour in small groups of around 15 people and explore this popular French quarter with a local guide. Visit shops over 200 years old, explore its bustling exotic market and see a variety of oriental spice shops .

As you stroll through the narrow streets of Noailles with your guide, you'll learn about the origin of France's national anthem, the Marseillaise, by French military man and composer Joseph Rouget de Lisle. This war song and revolutionary war chant, which was created to encourage the French troops in the war against Austria, eventually became the anthem of the French capital.

During this walking tour of the Noailles district you will pass by the local market to take in the smells and sounds of the various spice and food shops. Here you will discover a wide range of culinary traditions and tastes, as well as learn about the different cultures and ethnicities that mark the diverse character of the area.

See the 200-year-old shop fronts as you discover and learn more about the local history of this Marseille neighbourhood. Your local guide, also a resident of the neighbourhood, will address issues that the locals are still fighting to end. He will talk about gentrification, the tragedy that struck the rue d'Aubagne, the struggle for decent housing and the inhabitants' fear of being evicted from their homes.