It's a worry we hear often from English-speaking visitors before they come: will I manage without speaking French? The honest answer: yes, largely, in the areas where you'll spend most of your trip, with a few useful nuances worth knowing before you arrive.
In tourist areas, it works well
Hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, shops around the Vieux-Port, Cours Julien or La Canebière: staff who deal with visitors generally speak enough English for all the common situations, ordering, booking, asking for directions. It's generally not an issue in the places where a tourist spends most of their time.
Elsewhere, a bit less
Let's be honest: France overall has a weaker English level than most of its Northern European neighbors, and Marseille is no exception once you step outside tourist areas. At a small neighborhood shop, a local bakery, or with an older taxi driver, English can be limited. People under 40 generally manage much better, thanks to school and watching shows in the original language.
A few French words that genuinely help
You don't need to be fluent, but a handful of phrases change the interaction a lot: "Bonjour" when walking into a place (before even the question, it's almost a rule of politeness here), "Merci", "S'il vous plaît", "L'addition, s'il vous plaît" at a restaurant, and "Parlez-vous anglais?" to open the conversation rather than launching straight into English. This small effort is almost always met with a smile, and often with extra kindness in return.
All our practical tips, in one place
We've gathered everything we pass on to friends before they visit, language included.
See all the tipsOur tips for stress-free communication
Google Translate, with the camera feature to read a menu or a sign, solves almost every situation. Many menus in tourist areas also come in English directly, sometimes in several languages. And as a last resort, the universal language of a smile and hand gestures still works surprisingly well, we've seen it get friends of ours through more than one tricky moment.
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Unlock the complete guideFrequently asked questions about English in Marseille
Can you travel to Marseille without speaking French?
Yes, without any real trouble in tourist areas (Vieux-Port, Le Panier, restaurants, hotels), where staff generally speak enough English. A few French words still help a lot day to day.
Do young people speak better English than older people in Marseille?
Generally yes: people under 40 tend to have a much better grasp of English, thanks to school and watching shows in the original language. Beyond that, the level varies more.
What apps should you use to communicate if you don't speak French?
Google Translate (with the camera feature to translate a menu or a sign) works very well and easily covers almost every everyday situation.