At first look, it is perhaps onerous to identify inexperienced patches within the hectic port metropolis of Marseille in southern France.
Metropolis dwellers are likely to gravitate alongside the coast, towards the enduring Massif des Calanques or to the people-packed quays framing the Vieux Port and surrounding pedestrian, cafe-packed squares for his or her each day dose of recent air and flânerie (informal strolling).
But in the event you hike up hills, duck behind stone partitions, poke round palaces or promenade towards the ocean, a surprisingly various crop of parks and gardens emerges, that includes lush emerald lawns, lavish flowerbeds and the occasional kids’s playground. Right here’s our record of the perfect parks in Marseille.
Jardin du Pharo supplies a beautiful, fast getaway
When the relentless din of screeching scooters and impatient motorists will get an excessive amount of, escape to the stainless pea-green lawns of those elegant palace gardens. Not more than quarter-hour on foot from the Vieux Port (alongside Quai de Rive Neuve) or 10 minutes by bus, Jardin du Pharo is the closest swathe of inexperienced to Marseille’s metropolis heart.
The gardens date to the mid-Nineteenth century, after they had been laid out to adorn Napoleon III’s grandiose Palais du Pharo; the views over the port and outdated Marseille are unparalleled. Come summer season, what seems like half town descends upon the park for alfresco picnics and sundown aperitifs. Comply with swimsuit.
Get native perception on locations all around the world with our weekly e-newsletter delivered to your inbox.
Jardin des Migrations has the perfect Mediterranean flora
Planted on sea-facing slopes inside the defensive partitions of Fort St-Jean, this dry backyard supplies another perspective on cultural range and plant migration within the Mediterranean area. Fifteen themed “gardens” evoke conventional makes use of of vegetation, each native to the world and unique, in Jewish, Muslim and Christian cultures.
The resultant horticultural mosaic is magnificent. Amble via scented orange and fig groves, saffron and wild weed gardens; a potager filled with the greens that go into Provence’s emblematic ratatouille; and a backyard planted with the seven herbs historically harvested at midsummer to chase away evil. Stroll alleys of myrtle and pomegranate timber impressed by Granada’s Alhambra, and a path planted with fragrant herbs discovered within the signature garrigue (scrubland) of Les Calanques. Finish on a pure excessive of a differing types with drinks and sea views – really celestial at sundown – at Fort St-Jean’s summer season bar, Bar sur la Mer.
Take pleasure in craft cocktails at Jardin de la Colline Puget
Glowing waterfalls, weathered sculptures, ivy-stitched grottoes and glamorous classic stone staircases contribute to the storybook enchantment of Marseille’s oldest public backyard, landscaped in 1801 on the slopes of Colline Puget. It’s a brief, stiff climb up from the Vieux Port, however the reward on the high is ideal peace and a chook’s eye of the Lego-like metropolis far beneath. As you strategy, give a nod to Pierre Puget (1620–94), the Marseillais painter and architect (he designed the eponymous gardens on the Château de Versailles) whose statue stands sentry on the backyard entrance.
Don’t hike up right here with out reserving a desk first at Sépia, a bucolic bistro on the western finish of the backyard with deliciously leafy views and a menu constructed round native produce. Chef Paul Langière roasts zero-kilometer fish, squid and octopus, in addition to meat and greens, in a charcoal oven, and sources clams, oysters and different shellfish recent from the Camargue. At nightfall, be a part of locals at Julis, the chef’s summertime cocktail bar that provides tapas, alfresco seating and wonderful metropolis views.
Take a jog in Parc Borély
After work and on weekends, outside lovers flock to town’s largest park, 3 miles (5km) south of the Vieux Port, to jog, bike, stroll the canine or just wander scenic paths shaded by elms, hop timber and towering palms. Picnic tables are prime actual property, whereas youthful kids can’t get sufficient of the pedal-powered vehicles to lease on the entrance, the dual set of playgrounds, the decorative lake with fountains and several other snack bars promoting ice cream.
The centerpiece château was constructed for a rich ship proprietor within the 18th century. Its swish salons showcase uncommon items of furnishings, ceramics, style clothes and ornamental arts from the 18th century to the current day. Equally intriguing is a miniature duplicate of Marseille’s Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde, in addition to botanical gardens with 3000 sorts of flora and an enormous wood-and-bamboo insect lodge.
Literature buffs and cinephiles will take pleasure in Parc de la Buzine
It’s a little bit of a schlep to Marseille’s 11e arrondissement – simply over 8 miles (13km) by bicycle or e-bike or an hour by metro and bus (metro to Castellane cease, then line 50 to Centre Business La Valentine and line 51 to Château de la Buzine). However for anybody curious about French literature or movie, Parc de la Buzine affords an inspiring day journey.
Château de la Buzine, with its Nineteenth-century gold-stone façade and witch-hat turrets, was as soon as residence to Marseillais novelist and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol (1895–1974). At present, springtime irises, wild asparagus, magnolias and majestic Lebanese cedars pepper its manicured gardens, and scenic strolling paths spaghetti via its adjoining wooded park.
Bookend park explorations with a poke across the château. The everlasting exhibition in La Cité du Cinema explores cinema historical past; non permanent exhibitions cowl topics from Pagnol to James Bond; and artwork movies screened within the movie show with classic balconies and orchestra pit are a romantic style of the previous.
Play on the seaside at Parc Balnéaire du Prado
Not many cities boast a seaside park like Marseille’s Parc Balnéaire du Prado – an action-packed, 2.2 mile(3.5km)-long strip of seashores, created within the Seventies from backfill from excavations for Marseille’s metro. Flat grassy lawns separate the shingle seaside from traffic-choked Promenade Georges Pompidou; the “Bowl” skate park right here is hailed by riders worldwide. Mini golf, multi-sport playgrounds, avenue exercise stations, water sports activities and nautical actions present a spread of actions to pursue. Or you’ll be able to merely swim, then flop on the seaside.
Go biking and climbing in Parc Pastré
Seize a metropolis bike or e-bike on the Vieux Port for a 6-mile (10km) spin alongside the coastal highway, previous the seashores of Prado and La Pointe Rouge, to Parc Pastré. Sprawling subsequent to the rolling hills of Marseilleveyre and a Provençal bastide with burnt-ocher facade, this huge 297-acre park is the inexperienced lung of Marseille.
Nicely-marked trails within the park guarantee infinite (further) biking and climbing: across the château, decorative ponds and waterfalls, alongside a canal and into forest. Wannabe Tarzans can swing via the treetops at tree-climbing park Pastré Aventure, whereas many extra trails lead from the park into the fantastically wild and untouched Parc Nationwide des Calanques.
You may additionally like:
10 free issues to do in Marseille, from seaside treks to sundown exhibits
The 6 greatest day journeys from Marseille by public transportation: discover past town, no automotive required
Driving within the footsteps of Napoleon within the south of France
