Château d'If in the Bay of Marseille

Located in the Bay of Marseille, 1.5 km from the shore, is the island of If. The island is uninhabited, with its high ramparts that house the three-story 16th-century fortress.

The Château d'If is a French fortress built on the orders of King François I, between 1527 and 1529 on the islet of If of the Frioul archipelago, near the islands of Ratonneau and Pomègues in the center of the Marseille harbor.

Tourists can visit the castle, its courtyard and see its original prison, made famous by Alexandre Dumas' novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.

Château d'If

The Château d'If, located on the island, opposite the port of Marseille, is a castle classified as a historical monument.

It has mainly served as a prison during its 400 years of official use. A mythical place known worldwide. Alexandre Dumas published The Count of Monte Cristo in 1844. If is the place of detention of the hero, Edmond Dantès. The novel is a huge success: translated around the world, twenty-three films are inspired by it.

A state prison. Opponents of power were imprisoned there from 1580 and until 1871, with Protestants and Republicans in the lead.

Geologically, the archipelago is similar to the calanques of Marseille and the hills of the Nerthe (l'Estaque), it has small cliffs of stratified white limestone (urgonian) falling into the sea. But in Frioul, this landscape has been profoundly reworked by humans. To the point that on the island, the castle and its ramparts occupy the entire surface.