Palais Longchamp

The Palais Longchamp is located in Marseilles in the south of France, more specifically in the 4th arrondissement of the city.

The Palais Longchamp is made up of three main parts: the château d'eau, the east wing (which houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts), and the west wing (which is home to the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle). In addition to all of this, there is the large Parc Longchamp that surrounds the monument itself.

I went to Marseilles with a friend that I had met during my Erasmus exchange in Strasbourg, and we went in search of the Palais Longchamp, as we had seen some photos of a beautiful place that turned out to be this very monument. We alighted in the closest metro station possible, and when we saw where we were, we thought that we had been mistaken.

I am specifically talking about the château d'eau, where the exterior facade is located with the two wings that form a kind of half arch, and some fountains with sculptures. In one wing, you will find the Musée des Beaux-Arts, and in the other, the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. We didn't actually go into either of these museums (which, in my eyes, seem to be separate visits in their own right), as I don't understand art, but I like to see monuments from the outside all the same.

It is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever visited. It came as a pleasant surprise and it's like a hidden treasure in Marseilles - you wouldn't imagine that a monument like this could exist there. We stayed for a while to take photos and to take in the area; I honestly didn't want to leave, as everything else that we could see seemed insignificant to me. It's my favourite place in Marseilles, and I would go as far as to say that it's in my top 5 of all the places that I have ever visited on my travels. What I do regret, however, is not having gone back to see it again at night, as it has to be really charming with all of the lighting against the dark night's sky. But, the monument itself is a little bit far out from the city centre, meaning that we would have had to pay for the metro, and the idea of travelling through this neighbourhood at night didn't massively fill us with confidence. With that all being said though, I really would like to see the Palais Longchamp at night one time.

The structure itself, as I have already told you, makes a kind of half arch and is divided into two wings: in the centre, there is a sculpture that water runs off and makes a little waterfall below before it falls into the large fountain. In this same fountain, there are two water jets, one on either side, which flows upwards. What is not the fountain, are green areas with coloured flowers that make their own kind of artwork. I have tried to describe it in the best way possible, but the most ideal situation would be to see it for yourselves...

It reminds me somewhat of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, but I think that I like this one more because it has the three elements together in a single space: an elegant building or construction, water and green spaces. Besides, there were also ducks and I love them! It seems like a fairytale place, so don't forget to bring your camera.

To get to the Palais Longchamp, you can take the metro and alight at the stop called "Cinq Avenues Longchamp" on line 1. However, this will drop you off in Parc Longchamp, so you have to continue walking along Boulevard Philippon (which runs the perimeter of the park) before you get to it. You can also catch the tram, which does have a stop (called "Longchamp") right in front of the monument, situated on line 2.