Château d’If

The Château d'If is located 1,600 meters from the city of Marseille. You can get there by boat, which departs from the Marseille waterfront. A round trip will cost you around 15 euros. Admission to the castle is charged separately, of course (I think 4 euros).

The fortress was built in 1531 to protect Marseille from sea attacks. Since the end of the 15th century, the fortress became a prison for "especially dangerous criminals" - politicians, leaders of the Paris Commune, etc. It turns out there were "luxury" cells - with a fireplace and a sea view.

The castle gained its fame thanks to Alexandre Dumas, who described it in the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo." However, unlike the main character, in reality no one ever managed to escape from this prison.

Now in the fortress, above each cell hangs the name of a famous person who stayed there. There is a cell of the Count of Monte Cristo.