PARIS — When Emmanuel Macron's team said the president would be taking off for a few days in August, word went out that the location was to remain a state secret.

So much for discretion. Within days of the government breaking for annual recess, a resident of a tony neighborhood in Marseille spotted a woman who she thought looked suspiciously like Brigitte Macron, the first lady, emerging from an official-looking car, at the end of an even more official-looking motorcade.

A tweet went out, and by Sunday, all of France knew not just where the presidential couple was holidaying, but also the precise route of Macron's afternoon jog (along the Prado beach, in an Olympique de Marseille football shirt with his name on the back).

There were plenty of reasons for the choice, starting with the fact that Macron had no interest in using the official holiday residence beloved by former President Nicolas Sarkozy, at Fort Bregançon; and that his own home in Le Touquet, northern France, was too tricky to secure. Politically, it made sense, as the president would be following his own edict to his ministers to remain in-country, and within a few hours of Paris, through the summer break.

In 2015, the New York Times dubbed Marseille a favorite destination, and the rest of the world seemed to agree, as tourism is booming.

And so the choice fell on Marseille, where the couple are reported to be staying in a villa lent by a local prefect, conveniently located at the end of a cul-de-sac easily secured by his detail. But the choice of Marseille was about more than convenience: It was a major vote of confidence in a city with a growing reputation as an ideal weekend getaway, and a sunny foil to Paris' seriousness.

Relaxed where Paris can be uptight, sunny where Paris is often wet, Marseille always lost out in comparisons with the capital due to its longstanding, and frankly justified, reputation for corrupt politics and gangland violence. Marseille's heady mix of Riviera charm, Tammany Hall shenanigans and Kalashnikov scooter-by shootings furnished the material for Netflix's first French series, which was named after the city (reviews are, let's say, mixed, but check it out here).

Yet its depiction as Paris' eternally seedy, helplessly derelict cousin is, fortunately, outdated. Over the past five years, under a steamroller of taxpayer money and the leadership of conservative Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin — a local legend and the last of France's political "barons" — Marseille has cleaned up its act, renovated its old-city port, thrown up a stunning waterfront museum, and quietly established itself as France's No. 1 weekend getaway for the chic and bobo (bohemian bourgeois) set, as well as a major football pilgrimage site thanks to the Olympique de Marseille — Macron's favorite team.

In 2015, the New York Times dubbed Marseille a favorite destination, and the rest of the world seemed to agree, as tourism is booming — from 2 million visitors annually in 2013, when it was named European Capital of Culture, to 5 million in 2016. Spurred on by the influx of urbane visitors, many of them from Paris, Marseille's hotel and restaurant scene is flourishing, with the benefit that most of what's on offer is high-quality and affordable. The city retains its unique wit, cheerful accent and urban grittiness, but it's fast becoming aware of its own cool.

Here are a few good reasons to follow in Macron's footsteps and check out Marseille, before it falls victim to its own popularity and becomes overrun, as Barcelona — a frequent comparison — often is.

Easy access and accommodation

Getting to Marseille from Paris is so easy, it feels like cheating. Since 2001, a high-speed TGV line has linked the Gare du Nord in Paris directly with Marseille's Gare Saint Charles in three hours, hardly enough time to get antsy. The view from the station's terrace is a spectacular opener, taking in the old town and port area. It's also possible to fly direct to Marseille from London, and with a quick stopover from Berlin. Boutique hotels nestled in the winding streets tend to be up to international standards, and English-speaking. (A funky one is the Mama Shelter, in an off-beat but well-situated neighborhood. It's also got a good bar.) Public transportation via bus or metro is functional, and while taxi drivers can be gruff, or worse, it was possible to order an Uber when POLITICO last visited the city earlier this year.

Yes, the Calanques are great

It's almost a cliché, but as it happens, one that deserves its iconic status. The Calanques in and around Marseille — inlets of turquoise water, flanked by steep walls of limestone or dolomite — are a global attraction for excellent reasons. It's a rare and thrilling experience to reach a secluded slice of the Mediterranean after a sturdy hike through forests, lay a towel over a rock and dip into the clear cold sea water. Proper Calanques are a bus ride away from the city, but there is a hack: the Malmousque neighborhood is within walking distance of the port, and features its own little Calanque, complete with rock-side fishing shacks, white stone and perfectly blue sea. Watch the locals and learn: go for a sporty late morning swim, crack a beer and lie back on the rocks under the sun.

An actual cultural scene

Forget the days when watching locals arguing in the local accent was the best entertainment. Marseille now boasts one of the most impressive museums in France, architecturally speaking at least: the MuCEM (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations), perched at the aperture of the old port, and intertwined with a medieval fortress whose upper reaches can be explored via a series of gangways. It's worth visiting just for the view, and Marseille has plenty more to offer, most notably the "Friche de la Belle de Mai" — an old tobacco manufacturing site that was taken over by artists after its closure in the 1990s, since converted to an all-purpose cultural hub with a gigantic rooftop terrace where you can watch the sun go down with a cocktail. Les Docks and Terraces du Port offer off-beat shopping.

Fresh food & high standards

By sticking to unpretentious cafés and restaurants (port area excluded), it's hard to have a bad meal in Marseille, and some are exceptional. Lunch at a café in Le Panier, a warren of streets high above the port's eastern side; snacks from Moroccan vendors at the Marché de Noailles behind the Old Port; dinner at a fish place like La Poisonnerie or a good Italian downtown like La Cantinetta: the premium is almost invariably on fresh ingredients and Mediterranean flavors. Another indulgence is to eat overlooking one of the Calanques, like at the Chateau overlooking the beach at Sormiou. Mayor Gaudin himself can be spotted there, sharing a gigantic platter of seafood with friends.

Less violent crime

Glance at news articles about crime in Marseille from as little as five years ago, and it's easy to be horrified. Stabbings, machine-gun attacks and score-settling between rival gangs in Quartier Nord, in addition to smaller-bore robbery and assault — drug-related violence was so common that one local Socialist senator, Samia Ghali, called in 2012 for the army to be sent in. While most of the bloodshed took place in housing projects, not downtown Marseille, it was off-putting, even more so when paired with episodes like a garbage strike that stunk up the city in 2010. Yet, in this respect, too, the city is changing. Overall crime fell for four consecutive years between 2012 and 2016, with robbery and assault collapsing by 60.5 percent over the period, according to police statistics. Homicides are still high, however, with 29 gang related killings in 2016.