Daily life
Titre de séjour
TEE-truh duh say-ZHOOR
Your residence permit. A long-stay visa becomes one once validated online within three months of arrival.
ANEF
a-NEF
The online platform where almost all immigration procedures now happen. Slow, occasionally broken, and unavoidable.
Carte Vitale
kart vee-TAL
The green health insurance card. Getting one takes months; until then you pay and claim back, so keep every receipt.
Garant
ga-RAHN
A guarantor for your rent — the central obstacle in French renting. Visale is the free state-backed alternative if you have no French guarantor.
Le mistral
luh mees-TRAL
The cold dry north-west wind that funnels down the Rhône valley, sometimes for days. It clears the sky and makes the sea unswimmable.
Le Vieux-Port
luh vyuh POR
The old harbour that has been the city's centre since the Greeks founded it around 600 BC. Everything is described in relation to it.
Culture
Les calanques
leh ka-LAHNK
The limestone inlets running east from the city into a national park — swimming, climbing and walking, reachable by bus.
Social
Pastis
pas-TEESS
The anise apéritif, cut with water until it turns cloudy. Marseille's own drink and the standard opening of an evening.
Dégun
day-GUN
'Nobody', from Provençal, and pure Marseille. 'Y'a dégun' — there's nobody there. A reliable local marker.
Cagole
ka-GOL
A local archetype — loud, flamboyant, unapologetically Marseillais. Once an insult, now largely reclaimed and worn with pride.
Emergency
15 / 17 / 18 / 112
—
15 for medical emergencies (SAMU), 17 for police, 18 for fire. 112 works for all and has English-speaking operators. Marseille's fire service is a naval battalion.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.