Marseille’s parks: gardens, country estates and calanques
When the city heats up, Marseille has its shady corners: big parks around old country houses, gardens perched above the port and, at the end of the bus line, the calanques. Here’s where to go for a picnic, a stroll with the children or a proper hike.
Parc Borély
Marseille’s best-loved park, between the Avenue du Prado and the beaches. Wide paths, ponds and fountains, a lake, a rose garden with hundreds of varieties and a botanical garden with Japanese and Chinese corners. Play areas for little ones. On Sundays the whole of Marseille comes for a stroll, and that’s rather the point.
Avenue du Parc Borély, 13008 Marseille
Parc Longchamp
Behind the monumental cascade of the Palais Longchamp, a formal French garden and the former English-style zoological garden, with its bandstand, rockeries and pavilions. Shade, benches, a playground: the perfect break after the natural history museum. Metro 1, Cinq-Avenues-Longchamp.
Boulevard du Jardin Zoologique, 13004 Marseille
Jardin du Pharo
Around the palace Napoleon III had built for the Empress Eugénie, sloping lawns look out over the entrance to the Vieux-Port, Fort Saint-Jean, the Mucem and the ferries heading out. Come with a sandwich, stay for the sunset. Walk from the Vieux-Port along the quay.
Boulevard Charles Livon, 13007 Marseille
Coming up here: Sophie Liu (Friday 13 Nov, 8 pm), LE SANS FOURCHETTE Prestige (Monday 16 Nov, 11 am to 3 pm), Beethoven 3 Concertos pour piano (Sunday 22 Nov, 4 pm)
Jardin de la colline Puget
Marseille’s oldest public garden, clinging to the hill of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. Its zigzag paths climb to the bust of the sculptor Pierre Puget, perched on its column. Play areas, shady corners and lovely glimpses of the city. Bring strong legs: it’s a climb.
Rue Abbé Dassy, 13007 Marseille
Parc Pastré
In the south, between Pointe-Rouge and Montredon, 112 hectares around a 19th-century château: a grand avenue, two ponds, a fountain and lawns for picnics. The wild upper part climbs towards the Marseilleveyre massif and is a starting point for hikes to the calanques.
155 avenue de Montredon, 13008 Marseille
Fort Saint-Jean and the Jardin des Migrations
The old fort guarding the entrance to the Vieux-Port is part of the Mucem, and its outdoor spaces are free to enter. Climb the ramparts to the Jardin des Migrations, planted with species from all around the Mediterranean, then cross the footbridge to the Mucem. Views over the sea, the Pharo and the Bonne Mère, the locals’ name for Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde.
201 quai du Port, 13002 Marseille
Calanque de Sugiton
The easiest calanque to reach by bus: ride the B1 to the end of the line at Luminy, then follow a waymarked path to the viewpoint and the cove. Allow about two hours there and back; the climb back up is steep for little legs. Closed shoes and water are a must. In summer, access may be closed or by reservation only: check the national park’s website before you set off.
163 avenue de Luminy, 13009 Marseille
Updated 10 November 2026.