Go with a plan.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Marseille at 33/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than France's national picture overall (64/100 vs 69/100).
City page · part of France
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Marseille report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside France's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
67.0
Safety Index
33.0
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as France's national page, with crime swapped for Marseille's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in Marseille, specifically
- • For much of its history, and still to this day, Marseille has been seen as a crime-ridden city by a lot of French people, and this reputation is sadly not entirely unwarranted.
- • However, muggings and pickpockets have dramatically increased, so do avoid carrying valuables and watch your surroundings, like in most cities.
- • Furthermore, Marseille is one of the few cities in France to still have prevalent Mafias and gangs.
- • The area around Boulevard Michelet teems with prostitutes and should be avoided on soccer nights, as you can meet potentially angry and drunk Olympique de Marseille hooligans.
Legal status (national law)
Legal nationwide since 1791Legal in Savoy since 1792; equal age of consent since 1982 + UN decl. sign.
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / E · 230V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 112 or 17 / ambulance: 112 or 15 / fire: 112 or 18
Tipping
Tips are not expected in France since service charges are included in the bill. However, French people usually leave the small change left after paying the bill or one to five euros if they were satisfied with the service quality.
SIM / Data
France uses the GSM standard of cellular phones (900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands) used in most of the world outside of the U.S. Many companies (e.g., Orange, SFR, Free, Bouygues Télécom, Virgin Mobile) offer wireless service. The country is almost totally covered but you may have difficulties using your mobile phone in rural or mountainous areas. However, for emergency numbers, the three companies are
Cash vs. Card
Just as with other non-English European languages, the comma and decimal separator have reverse functions in French from that in English, so 2,99 means 2 euro and 99 cents. By convention, the euro symbol is either placed at the end of the entire price (2,99€) or between the whole number and the decimal portions of the price in lieu of the decimal comma (2€99).
How this compares to France
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Marseille at 33/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than France's national picture overall (64/100 vs 69/100).
See the full France page and all receipts →