Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations

A black concrete lattice wrapped around a glass cube marks the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations, known on signs as the Mucem, at the mouth of Marseille's Vieux-Port. The building, designed by Rudy Ricciotti, opened in 2013 when Marseille was European Capital of Culture, and a slender footbridge links its rooftop terrace to Fort Saint-Jean, a seventeenth-century stronghold built around older medieval towers.

Inside the modern building, galleries explore the societies, beliefs and everyday life of the Mediterranean world alongside temporary exhibitions. Much of the collection descends from France's former national museum of popular arts and traditions, giving the museum a strong focus on ordinary objects and folk culture. The fort holds further exhibition spaces, and its ramparts and gardens can be walked freely, with wide views over the harbour and the sea.

With architecture, history and open-air space on one site, the museum attracts more than half a million visitors a year. It rewards those interested in anthropology and design as much as anyone simply wanting to explore the waterfront.