Plages du Prado

Plages du Prado are situated near the city centre of Marseille and are the closest thing you will get to a traditional sandy beach in the city. Interestingly, they are beaches that were artifically createdfrom the material leftover from the construction of the 2 metro lines in the city!

We visited this beach quite a lot during out Erasmus year as there were lots of different events taking place there throughout the year. There were different festivals (like the kite festival in the September) as well as different types of sporting events held there.

The water is really nice and clean. It's very warm too. I have gone swimming there at the beginning of December, but then again I am Irish so I'm kind of a special case. The Mistral wind can be a bit of a problem somedays but most days it is fine.

If you prefer sandy beaches or just want a nice green area to lie out in the sun, then this would be a much better option than going to visit one of the Calanques for example. It's also really easy to access as a number of bus lines pass by the beach. There are also lots of different places to eat nearby as well if you get hungry.