Marseille History Museum

The Marseille History Museum (Musée d’Histoire de Marseille) is the local historical and archaeological museum of Marseille, France.

Marseille History Museum history

The Marseille History Museum (Musee d’Histoire de Marseille) chronicles the city’s past since its founding by the Greeks in 600 BC up to the 18th century.

It was opened in 1983, the first town historical museum in France, to display the major archaeological finds discovered when the site was excavated in 1967 for commercial redevelopment and the construction of the Centre de la Bourse shopping centre.

Marseille History Museum today

Adjacent to the archaeological site of Jardin de Vestiges, the Marseille History Museum houses a series of finds, including from ancient Greek and Roman times as well as a nod to the history of the city’s ancient port with the very well-preserved remains of a third century ship. The exhibits continue into early Christianity, medieval times and beyond, offering a good overview of Marseille’s development.

The lively and attractive tour of the Museum makes it possible to discover 26 centuries of existence of the oldest city in France thanks to 4,000 exhibits on display and a hundred multimedia devices.

For children, special areas designed for young people called History’s Ports of Call (Les Escales de l’Histoire) provide an easy way to understand the different stages in the Phocaean city’s history. Don’t miss the Historic Way (Voie Historique) trail, a road between Marseille History Museum and the MuCEM, going from east to west through the city’s ancient centre.

Getting to Marseille History Museum

The address of the museum is 2, rue Henri-Barbusse, 13001 Marseille. If travelling via the subway, take line 1 to either Vieux-Port or Colbert or line 2 to Noailles. Tram number 2 will take you right outside the museum if you exit at stop Belsunce-Alcazar. Bus routes 35, 49 and 55 will all take you to the museum. For those that are driving, use Centre-Bourse Parking.