Massalia was founded around 600 BC by Greek settlers from Phocaea, making Marseille the oldest city in France, older than Paris by nearly a millennium. It grew into the country's main gateway to North Africa and today has one of the largest populations of Maghrebi descent of any French city, visible in the Noailles market and a food culture running from bouillabaisse to couscous. Long marked by organised crime and the 1960s-70s heroin trade known as the French Connection, the city has pushed real regeneration since the 1995 Euroméditerranée project and a turn as European Capital of Culture in 2013. The Calanques, limestone inlets toward Cassis, form a national park reachable by city bus.
Nights sit around 17°C and afternoons around 27°C, though some days reach 31°C.
Marseille has real seasons: summer afternoons sit around 31°C, winter ones around 13°C.
Some summer days reach 36°C, and some winter nights drop below freezing.
Most of the rain falls in autumn, least in summer. In September it rains about 3 days in 30; in July, 1.
Air quality is worth watching: February averages an AQI of 57, while May clears to 36.
Days stretch to about 15.2 hours of light in June and shrink to 8.8 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
For what you're after, the best months in Marseille are June – September. Expect fast internet (445 Mbps) and a high cost of living (about €1800 a month).
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