European Cool Noons project

Summer in Marseille

As heatwaves have been multiplying during the summer months for years now, cities are faced with a major question. What does the future hold for city tourism at the height of summer?

Published on 20 August 2025

What is the Cool Noons project?

In order to anticipate this problem as of now, the City of Marseille, which has been awarded the European Climate Neutral & Smart Cities Label by 2030, has been running the Cool Noons project since January 2024, with the help and funding of the European Union.

Winner of the European “Interreg Euro-MED” programme for the Mission “Improving sustainable tourism”, this 33-month project demonstrates the city’s commitment to working on a daily basis towards a triple objective:

Adapting to climate change
Mitigate the impact of increasing summer heatwaves
To respond to the challenges of ecological transition in the urban environment through its international exchanges.

It is to meet this ambition that the Cool Noons project aims to facilitate cooperation between Mediterranean countries by helping to find concrete, shared solutions. The aim is to build a climate-neutral and resilient society for the benefit of its citizens.

To promote adaptation to climate change in the urban areas of the Mediterranean, the Cool Noons project involves five ‘pilot’ cities in different countries (Budva in Montenegro, Dubrovnik in Croatia, Lisbon in Portugal, Bologna in Italy and Marseille in France) as well as the Agency for Sustainable Mediterranean Cities and Territories (AVITeM), the University of Coimbra in Portugal, the American College of Greece and the Imola Faenza Tourism Agency.

Starting in summer 2024, each of the “pilot” cities will offer fresh tourist routes and will develop and test innovative solutions to improve the comfort and experience of visitors and residents during the hottest hours of the day. At the same time, each of them will devise new ways of using urban spaces that are better adapted to today’s climate challenges.

The Cool Noons project will therefore help to improve the quality of life and the living environment, while at the same time structuring a new tourist offer for the benefit of all the town’s users.

A video immersion

Good to know

Visitors and locals will also be able to find the two routes on a paper map distributed at the many information points of the Marseille Tourist, Leisure and Convention Bureau. It shows all the cool spots to be found nearby.
(parks, drinking fountains, #gourdefriendly establishments, churches…)

Map of freshness trails

Our ideas for fresh routes

With this in mind, the Office du Tourisme des Loisirs et des Congrès and the City of Marseille are offering two “cool” routes from summer 2024.

Wherever possible, the routes have been optimised to take in shady streets and/or near places where you can cool off.

Your visit to Marseille
Share your experience as a visitor to Marseille by answering this questionnaire (6 min) and try to win prizes (draw at the end of the summer)! Answer the questionnaire