We know our city like the back of our hand, so we don’t even pay attention to the names of the streets we wander down. But we’re here to change that. Proud of our mission to teach you more and more about our beloved city, we’ve already revealed the longest street in Marseille the longest street in Marseille (it crosses four arrondissements).
We also set ourselves the task of finding out which was the longest street name in the Phocaean city (it has 59 letters). Are you ready for Marseille’s most unusual street names? Here they are.
The streets of Marseilles, a whole history
According to Marseille’s municipal authorities, the city has a total of 1,634 streets, 842 boulevards, 679 cul-de-sacs, 490 avenues, 485 crossings and 279 squares. These staggering figures leave much to the imagination. With so many avenues and cul-de-sacs, France’s second-largest city is bound to be full of unusual street names.
As you wander around Marseille, have you ever wondered which streets have the funniest names? Have you noticed any street signs that made you smile or even wince? To save you the trouble of doing it yourself, we’ve taken the time to meticulously go through every street name, alley, path, driveway, crossing and cul-de-sac, and selected the most striking.
A list of Marseille’s most unusual street names
Anatomy lesson in Marseillaise sauce
- Rue de la Calebasse
- Rue Despieds
- Traverse Casse-Cou (or casse something else…)
Unusual street names in Marseille that left us baffled
- Impasse Bonnasse
- Avenue de la Grognarde
- Rue des Brusques
- Rue des Crottes
- Chemin de la Batterie-des-Lions
- Boulevard Chaussegros
- Chemin de Saint-Mitre-à-Four-de-Buze (Sorry, what was the project? )
- Traverse de la Fumade (wonder what you can do there?)
The bestiary of Marseille’s streets
- Place du Cabot
- Impasse de la Galinette (cuckoo clock)
- Allée des Fourmis
- Impasse du Garou (either the wolf or the singer)
- Boulevard Garoutte (and here’s the female)
- Montée Milou (we looked it up, but there’s no Tintin street)
Magic and witchcraft in Marseilles
- Impasse du Chaudron
- Traverse du Diable
- Rue Dragon
Marseille street names that remind you of something else
- Avenue Croze-Magnan (avenue croc-magnon)
- Impasse Dussuc (would you like some sugar in your coffee?)
The most Marseillaise streets in Marseille
- Allée du Cagnard
- Allée des Gabians
- Boulevard Ricard
- Rue Ricard
- Traverse Flotte (be careful not to drown your pastaga)
- Boulevard du Parasol
The most cosmic street names on Mars
- Allée des Galaxies
- Rue Uranus
