A coastal town on Provence Provence Côte Bleue, the Martigues became a popular hangout for artists in the 19th century.
They were seduced by its clear light and canals, and Martigues was soon dubbed the Venice of Provence. You can decide for yourself if that’s a fair description, but you’ll definitely fall for the little channels, houses, and bridges around the Brescon Island in the middle of the town. There’s delectable Mediterranean cuisine, arresting coastal scenery and a superlative museum with works by the celebrated artists who settled in Martigues. And for days chilling out in the sun, you’ll never be far from a pristine sandy beach or cute old fishing port. Discover the best things to do in Martigues.
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1. Miroir aux Oiseaux
A charming image in many Martigues postcards is this romantic setting at Quai Brescon. It has old wooden boats bobbing in the water beside a small rectangular wharf. And the cobblestone waterfront crowded with ramshackle houses painted in pastel shades.
For the cherry blossoms at the top, the jetty has a strange iron gas lamp and at night you can look over the Galiffet Canal to see Saint-Genest Church illuminated. This spot has captured hearts for hundreds of years and was immortalized by painters like Félix Ziem, André Derain, Raoul Dufy, and Camille Corot.
2. Le Quartier de l’Île
Saint Sébastien, Baussengue and Galliffet are the channels that make up the most beautiful area in the city. They surround Bresle Brescon and take inspiration from the nickname Martigues, Venice of Provence.
The yachts, painted houses, bridges and restaurant terraces create a very evocative setting for you to wander the aisles. From the dock at Jonquières, you can also catch a free shuttle boat that takes 13 minutes to reach Ferrières at the start of the Baussengue Canal.
You’ll make four stops along the way and get a photogenic perspective on the town throughout.
3. Église Sainte-Madeleine-de-l’Île
The church at the end of Canal de Saint Sébastien on Île Brescon is in that extravagant Italian Baroque style and is protected as a “historic monument”. Work was completed in 1680 and there are a few furnishings inside that go back to the earliest years.
One is the marvelous walnut pulpit from 1694, and you have to get a good look at the chapel frescos, painted by the Catalan-born French artist Michel Serre in the same year. Serre was active around the Marseille area and was chosen as the official painter of the French Galleys by King Louis XIV.
4. Côte Bleue
This length of coast south and east of Martigues is where the pale limestone mass of the Estaque Range slips into the Mediterranean. If you’re planning a day at the beach you’ll come to one of the coves on the Côte Bleue, in an area that got its name from the vivid blue of the Mediterranean against the rock.
The exposed cliffs give it a rugged atmosphere, but also help protect sandy beaches from wind and surf. There are four Blue Flag beaches just 15 minutes from Martigues, and a selection of quaint harbors and family resorts to discover on excursions.
5. Parc de Figuerolles
By the Berre Lagoon, there’s a 131-hectare space where tourists and residents of Martigues can recharge their batteries. Decked with scrub and pine forest there’s small plains and valleys for walks, horseback rides, jogging and mountain biking.
The municipal greenhouses are also here and there’s a designated botanical path with 50 types of plant.
It’s a small wonderland for youngsters as there’s a tourist train, imaginative tree-house playgrounds, an educational farm with 300 animals and pony rides offered by the equestrian center.
6. Plage de Sainte-Croix
One of Martigues’ four Blue Flag beaches, this small but perfectly formed sandy cove is about ten minutes in the car from the center of town. You can park at the top of the cliff and then duck through a forest of stone pines and down a stairway etched in the rock to this heavenly beach.
There are few signs of civilization apart from an old Chapel of Saint-Croix and a restaurant. The beach has fine sand and although there are rolling waves, the gentle slope makes the water safe for small kids to paddle in.
7. Musée Ziem
Martigues Art Museum is in town. It was set up at the start of the 20th century when Félix Ziem donated several works just before he died. Ziem had fallen in love with Martigues in the 1840s and moved into a workshop in the town so he could paint the picturesque canals that became his trademark.
You can ponder some Ziemien landscapes of the Martigues, as well as his descriptions of Venice and Constantinople. The Marseille school is represented by Loubon, Guigou and Jean-Baptiste Olive, and also features scenes of Fauvists like Picabia, Derain, and Dufy.
8. Galerie de l’Histoire
To get up to speed on Martigues’ rich history come to the Town Hall. The ground floor has been turned in to a mini-museum with 500 square meters of exhibits explaining the different phases of the town’s growth.
There are interactive displays, models, a handful of artifacts and photos, all matched with descriptions. The oldest pieces go back as far as 11,000 BC and you’ll travel to the present day to find out about the future projects in store for the city.
Possibly the most compelling part recounts the 1800s when Martigues became fashionable with painters like Ziem.
9. Plage du Verdon
Just around a headland from Sainte-Croix is the slightly larger Plage du Verdon. And where its neighbor is just right for grown-ups to relax on, this beach is better if you have teens and children with you.
It’s at the base of a cove that cuts several hundred meters inland, and this helps keep the sea currents and winds out.
The beach is supervised all summer long and there are ample facilities like bars and restaurants, volleyball courts and a place where you can hire a pedalo and go on a little cruise around the cove. Like Sainte-Croix, Verdon has earned the Blue Flag several years running.
10. Chapelle Notre Dame des Marins
Up twisting tracks through Mediterranean woodland is a chapel that has been a pilgrimage site for Martigues’ residents since the 1600s. Dedicated to “Our Lady of the Sailors”, it’s a place where mariners would travel to say prayers and leave votive offerings before embarking on voyages.
The chapel is charming enough, and a document of how things used to be in Martigues. But your main motivation to get here must be the big picture. The Berre Lagoon, the Martigues and its canals and the Estaque Mountains all wipe out before you.
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