Welcome to France’s second city. If you thought French cuisine was all coq au vin and croissants, Marseille is about to blow your mind and taste buds. Sure, there are still the picture-perfect patisseries crammed with Barbie-pink macaroons, but before satisfying your sweet tooth, head to the old harbor to enjoy the catch of the day. Here, the seafood restaurants lining the port compete for space and gannets and diners alike create a cacophony of noise. To get under the skin of Marseille’s foodie scene, start with a gastro tour.

Lunch is the most important meal of the day in France, and grabbing a sandwich is tantamount to treason. A lunchtime market tour is the best way to discover typical Marseillais foods such as sardines and Camembert, along with specialities brought from North Africa. Particularly good is makrout, a kind of cookie filled with dates and almond paste.

Bouillabaisse, Marseille’s mainstay, is allegorical. Historically, whatever the fisherman had caught that day was thrown together in a pot, and the cultural diversity of Marseille mimics that. A bouillabaisse tour is the perfect introduction to the city’s history and gastronomy.

Make happy hour last all day with a foray into the wine region. Marseille lies at the foot of a long, illustrious winemaking region that follows virtually the entirety of the River Rhône and is the leaping-off place for many Provençal wine tours. You’ll likely recognise many of the vineyard names from supermarkets at home. Does Châteauneuf-du-Pape sound familiar? While there, it’s well worth visiting the picturesque walled city of Avignon, former residence of the Popes in the 14th century.