Just a quick post on Marseille’s funkiest neighbourhood.

As mentioned in our last post, Le Panier means ‘the Basket’, a nickname referring to the shape of the steep, narrow streets and tall buildings, said to resemble a basket.

While the Marseille waterfront has been comprehensively renewed, this area is a fascinating study in transition.  Still lots of crumbling tenements and little local shops that have been there since post-war reconstruction in the 1950s, but an arty neighbourhood too.  Studios, bookshops, greenery and lots and lots of street art.

It’s becoming gentrified at the edges, but delve a bit deeper and there’s plenty of interesting nooks and crannies to explore.

Enjoy.