7 Best Ice Cream Places in Marseille, France

I never really grew out of the sweets phase. You know, the older you get, your coworkers start choosing salads over fries, water over soda, coffee over dessert. I would take an ice cream over a glass of wine any day. And in Marseille, a city with 300 days of sunshine each year, ice cream is serious business. You will pass many Amorinos, a French gelato chain, and McDonald’s. But if you’re looking for the best and most authentic ice cream places in Marseille, you’ve come to the right spot. I’m detailing some of my favorite spots with a superlative for each, from most creative or best opening hours. Here are the best ice cream places in Marseille, France, and what makes them special:

Le Glacier de la Corniche: Best Overall Ice Cream

One of my favorite places in all of Marseille is the Corniche, the road that follows the Mediterranean shoreline. Its pedestrian and biker path make it a local’s favorite for weekend activities. And it’s on this road that you’ll find Le Glacier de la Corniche. From the outside, it’s nothing extravagant; you might not even notice it, except that there’s usually a line out the door. And once you’ve crossed the threshold, you’ll realize why: there are more than 140 flavors. From chestnut sorbet to tiramisu, black sesame to macaron, you’re sure to find your heart’s delight. I’ve been coming here for years, and I love seeing familiar faces behind the counter and to see how it’s only expanded and thrived.

My favorite: pâte à tartiner (like Nutella) and salted caramel

Le Métropole: Best Regional Ice-Cream Flavors

You can find ice cream shops all over the world, but in Marseille, you might as well enjoy its local flavors of this Mediterranean area. The region of Provence is rich with flavors such as verbena, fleur d’oranger, and lavender. Le Métropole is just steps away from the Vieux Port, which makes it a convenient pit stop during your time exploring Marseille.

Le Glacier du Roi: Best Ice-Cream Treats

Le Glacier du Roi serves up your basic ice cream scoops, but they also serve up lots of fun ice-cream treats. Ice cream cannoli, ice cream bars, frozen yogurt cups, ice cream inside of an orange or lemon. I adored their gluten-free brioche ice-cream sandwich. Pro tip: bring cash! They don’t accept credit card under 10 or 15 euros. So unless you’re buying for the whole family, you’ll want to bring some euros. They have two locations: one by Catalan beach, the other in the historic Panier neighborhood. So if you’re looking to enjoy the best ice cream in Marseille, you can enjoy your treat from le Glacier du Roi sitting by the sea or strolling one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods.

Barbarac: Most Creative Ice-Cream Flavors

Okay, disclaimer: Barbarac is a chain, but it started in Saint Tropez in the 1980s. I love this ice cream spot in Marseille for its variety of flavors and beautiful displays of each ice cream flavor. From stracciatella (chocolate chip) to tarte citron (lemon pie), Provence strawberry to cantaloupe, Barbarac has a wide variety of ice creams and sorbets.

My favorite: Snicky (or Snickers flavored)

Emkipop: Best DIY

Are you that one friend who has the most complicated order? Or you are always adding or removing things from the menu listing? When it comes to the best ice cream spots in Marseille, you’ll want to head to Emkipop. You pick your base ice cream pop and then you can choose to dip it in a sauce such as chocolate or caramel. Then you can choose toppings like candies, nuts, cookie crumbs, etc. And it’s located just a short walk from Notre Dame de la Garde in the schnazzy Vauban neighborhood.

Ready to explore one of Marseille’s beaches? Take a peek at my guide to the different beaches to discover in Marseille. Looking for other fun things to do during your time in Marseille?

Ego: Best Opening Hours

The concept is simple: grab the ice cream scoop yourself, pick your favorite flavors and toppings, and pay by weight. Pro tip: the cup fills up way faster that you thought it would, and that means the price does, too! But what I love is they’re open late. Ego is located in the vibrant neighborhood of Cours Julien, which is moving and grooving most hours of the day. During the summer, Ego is open until midnight. They also have a second location in the Panier neighborhood also open until midnight during the summer.

Vanille Noire: Most Out-of-the-Box Ice Cream

Black ice cream? You may have never seen black ice cream, but Vanille Noire will surprise you with its classic vanilla ice cream flavor that’s black. We often don’t think about the fact that our white vanilla ice cream doesn’t match the brownish black color of vanilla. But with Vanille Noire, you can taste their unique take on this timeless flavor. As well as many other flavors, too. They have several locations of this ice cream spot in Marseille such as the Panier neighborhood and near the Opéra.

Whether you’re looking for the best regional flavors to the most outside-of-the-box flavors, there are so many great ice cream spots to taste and see in Marseille. Did I miss a spot? Tell me about your favorite ice cream spot in Marseille in the comments!

Planning a trip to France and looking for the best tips, tricks and hidden gems? Take a peek at the France Field Guide, my 32-page guide to all things France travel, French culture and language.