Marseille History Museum

Receptions and conferences by the ancient port

Close to the Vieux-Port, the Marseille History Museum combines a reception hall and an auditorium in a venue devoted to the city’s 26 centuries of history. Its municipal hire offer allows a professional gathering, cocktail reception or evening event, with an optional cultural visit. The auditorium also hosts conferences, screenings, concerts, performances, round tables and symposia. The museums’ general hire conditions exclude family events, including weddings and birthdays, as well as religious events.

Two clearly separate spaces

The entrance hall covers 400 square metres and has a published capacity of 200 standing guests. The auditorium separately provides 200 seats. It has a technical control room, and the museum indicates the possibility of streaming events live on YouTube. The team must confirm the equipment, staffing and associated costs available for a private project. The capacities of the two spaces are not added together: the layout depends on the programme and agreement.

The 3,500-square-metre permanent display and the ancient port archaeological site form part of the museum’s identity. They do not automatically constitute cocktail reception areas included in the hall’s hire price. The visitor route and accessible collections must be agreed with the team. The museum lists air conditioning and Wi-Fi; their use by participants is arranged alongside other technical requirements.

Hall and auditorium hire rates

Under the municipal schedule effective from 19 February 2024, the hall is listed at €4,000 including tax for breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. or an after-work/cocktail reception from 7 to 9 p.m. An evening from 7 to 11 p.m. is listed at €10,000 including tax. The auditorium has a separate rate of €1,000 including tax for four hours. These references must be confirmed for the chosen date, duration and spaces.

Utilities, security and supervision incur additional charges: €1,500 for up to 100 people and €2,500 for 101–200. The organiser chooses suppliers and pays for catering, drinks, decoration, entertainment and cleaning. A guided visit lasting up to 90 minutes can be added, using the reference rate of €155 Monday–Saturday or €190 Sunday, plus any admission tickets. Free admission to certain museum cultural events does not mean that the auditorium can be hired free of charge.

Heritage and access

Fully renovated in 2013, the museum presents nearly 3,000 works and objects in its main exhibition. This setting allows a reception to be combined with an exploration of Marseille’s maritime, archaeological and urban past, according to the collections and exhibitions accessible when the event takes place.

The official address is 2 rue Henri-Barbusse, at Centre Bourse. Metro M1 serves Vieux-Port and Colbert, M2 serves Noailles, and trams T2/T3 serve Belsunce-Alcazar; a paid public car park is available at Centre Bourse. The rue Henri-Barbusse lift is currently reported out of service, so the accessible route and access to booked rooms must be checked with reception. Enquiries are received on +33 4 91 55 36 00 or at musee-histoire@marseille.fr. The City approves each project and its conditions through an occupancy agreement.

Photograph credit

The ancient freshwater basin in the Jardin des Vestiges at the Marseille History Museum. Photographed on 14 March 2024 — Carl Ha / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Converted to WebP under the same licence. Heritage view without an event setup.