Marseille Family Hotels with a Swimming Pool

A pool earns its place in Marseille because summer days are hot and the sights are spread out, from the Old Port and Le Panier to Notre-Dame de la Garde on its hill. An indoor pool keeps working in any weather, while a garden pool gives children a calm swim after a beach morning. The two hotels here cover both situations.

The InterContinental Marseille - Hotel Dieu is the city-centre option. The five-star hotel fills a superb 18th-century building in the historic quarter, 350 metres from the Old Port, with 194 rooms and suites, some with landmark views and private terraces. Its indoor pool sits inside the Clarins spa, alongside saunas, hammams, sunbeds and a gym, so a swim does not depend on the weather or the season. There is also a kids' club and family suites, and pets are accepted. From the door, families can walk down to the harbour or up into Le Panier, which makes it easy to split a day between sightseeing and the pool.

Hôtel 96 is the quieter alternative. The three-star occupies a 19th-century house with a garden on the outskirts of Marseille, about a five-minute drive from the beach, and its outdoor pool sits in that garden. Spacious family rooms with modern décor give children room to spread out, and parents can use the on-site sauna or book a massage. Bike rental is available and parking is paid, which matters because a car is the practical way to reach the hotel and the seafront. It suits families who prefer calm evenings and a garden swim to a central address, with the city and the coast within a short drive.

The pool works best alongside Marseille's sea. Boats from the Vieux-Port run to the Frioul islands, where children can swim in sheltered coves, and the Prado beaches on the southern seafront are wide and sandy by Marseille standards, next to the large Parc Borély with its lawns and playgrounds. The Calanques national park, with its limestone inlets, starts at the southern edge of the city; the easier viewpoints suit families, while the longer walks are better kept for older children. A morning by the sea followed by an afternoon at the hotel pool avoids the hottest hours on exposed beaches and rocky paths.

In town, the sights are close to the InterContinental. Notre-Dame de la Garde looks down over the whole city from its hill and is reachable by bus or the little tourist train from the Old Port. The MuCEM and Fort Saint-Jean, linked by a footbridge, make a good outing with children, and the harbour's fish market runs on the quay in the morning. Le Panier's lanes are steep, so a light stroller or a baby carrier is easier than a large pushchair. From Hôtel 96, plan these visits as a drive or a public-transport trip and come back to the garden pool for the late afternoon.