Hotels near Palais Longchamp

Palais Longchamp is a water monument before it is a palace. It went up between 1862 and 1869 to celebrate the Canal de Marseille, which finally brought Durance river water to a city worn down by repeated droughts and a cholera epidemic. Henry Esperandieu designed the central chateau d'eau with its stone cascade and bull-drawn chariot, flanked by two curved colonnades that reach out to a museum wing on either side.

The left wing holds the Musee des Beaux-Arts, with works by Perugino, Rubens and the Marseille caricaturist Honore Daumier. The right wing holds the Musee d'Histoire Naturelle and its 19th-century zoology gallery. Each costs around 6 EUR, and both are free on the first Sunday of the month. Behind the colonnade, the park has lawns, a pond and enough plane-tree shade for a proper break.

Pro Tip: Come after rain, when the cascade runs at full volume. The fountain is fed on a schedule and can drop to a trickle in dry months. The Cinq Avenues Longchamp metro exit puts you at the top of the steps.