Season guide · Marseille · France
Marseille in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Earth777, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Cool, bright and windy, with few visitors, santon fairs in December and sea-urchin season on the coast. Expect highs up to 13°C (55°F) and lows around 3°C (37°F), with about 14 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- 3°C (37°F) to 13°C (55°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 14
- Sea
- 13°C (55°F) to 14°C (57°F)
- Crowds
- Very quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12°C (54°F) | 3°C (37°F) | 5 | 9.3 h | 1/5 |
| February | 13°C (55°F) | 4°C (39°F) | 4 | 10.4 h | 1/5 |
| December | 12°C (54°F) | 4°C (39°F) | 5 | 9 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 12°C (54°F) against a yearly 20°C (68°F), and 14 of the year's roughly 53 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 1/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: Winter sales — citywide shop discounts (usually from early or mid-January)
- February: Candlemas procession at the Abbaye Saint-Victor (2 February)
- February: Oursinades sea-urchin festival in Carry-le-Rouet (usually Sundays in February)
- December: Foire aux santons continues (usually until late December)
Good choices for winter
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Architecture · Longchamp
Palais Longchamp
The fountain and gardens are free; the natural history museum is a good rainy-day stop with children.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Art
Religious site · Vieux-Port
Abbaye Saint-Victor
One of the oldest places of worship in France, this fortress-like abbey above the south side of the port was founded in the 5th century.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Museum · La Joliette
MuCEM and Fort Saint-Jean
Even without a museum ticket, cross the footbridge to the fort for sunset views; the rooftop terrace has a café.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Views
- Rainy day
- History
Historic site · Le Panier
Vieille Charité
A 17th- and 18th-century almshouse designed by the Marseille architect Pierre Puget, with three tiers of arcaded galleries around a courtyard and a chapel with an oval dome.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Day trips in winter
- Arles (About 1 hour by train) — Arles has a Roman amphitheatre and theatre, Romanesque cloisters at Saint-Trophime and the places Van Gogh painted during his stay.
- La Ciotat (About 35 minutes by train) — A shipbuilding town where the Lumière brothers filmed some of the first motion pictures; the Eden Théâtre, one of the oldest cinemas in the world, still screens films.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Marseille?
It is a trade-off: Cool, bright and windy, with few visitors, santon fairs in December and sea-urchin season on the coast. The best months overall are May–June and September–October.
+What is the weather like in Marseille in winter?
Highs of up to 13°C (55°F) and lows around 3°C (37°F), with about 14 rainy days over the season.