> It was pretty touristy when I was there in 2013. Took a boat to the castle of Monte Cristo. At that time you could rent bikes there in a similar way that those scooters are in big cities (and that was before US had any similar things). There's the famous skatepark there that was in the old Tony Hawk game. A giant statue of a thumb. And then there's the miles of beautiful walkway along the water front. It's not Paris or Nice but I'm not sure I'd ascribe the same terms to it that you did. I think French people just like protesting as long as they can take a bus or train there Yes, there definitely is the tourist area of Marseille (beware the pickpockets!) but I spent a bit of time in the outskirts and suburbs with locals and was thinking of that when I commented. And your comment about French protesters is spot on!