How to Spend a Perfect Day in Les Îles / If Island with Itinerary Map

Les Iles

Les Îles / Île d’If

Check Point
・Ship trips departing from Marseille

・Prison Island that appeared in the novel

・View of the cove surrounded by the beautiful sea

【Islands description】

Those Islands are located near Marseille. So, you visit there by ferry. Les Îles is composed by Ratonneau Island and Frioul Island. You can find “Calanques” which is the rocky coast we can find in this region. In If Island, there is a prison where many political offenses were accommodated and many travelers visit for the sightseeing at present.

【Overall rating】

 ★★★★☆

【Time required】

 4 h 30

【Budget】

 22.70 euros (included ferry)

Fatigue】

 ★★★★★



Access

You can take a ferry from Marseille to visit islands. It’s possible that the ferry is canceled due to the sea condition.

Time required : 20 min
Admission fee : 11.10 euros for an island, 16.70 euros for 2 islands
Opening hour : 6 h 30 am – 11 h 45 pm

Time schedule

https://lebateau-frioul-if.fr/

Ferry station
Ferry station in Marseille


Itinerary Map

Navigation

【Start】
①If Island

★Visit Les Îles by ferry.

②Frioul Port

★There are north route and south route in this island. At first, you go to the north route of Ratonneau Island. Go to Saint-Estève Path by the sea. It takes 30 minutes. There are some beaches on the route.

③Caroline Hospital

★Continue to walk on the path for 5 minutes.

④Cape of Cross

★Go back to the ferry port with the same route. It takes 30 minutes. Then, you go to the south route of Frioul Island. Go to the only path. It takes 15 minutes;

⑤Pomèguet Tower

★Continue to walk on the path for 20 minutes. There are some rocky coasts called Calanques in French.

⑦Cap of Caveaux

★Go back to the ferry port with the same route. It takes 35 minutes by walk. Return to Marseille by ferry.

【Goal】
Old Port in Marseille


Click the square mark on the top left of the map to see a list of tourist spots. If you open the enlarge button on the top right corner on your smartphone, this model course will be displayed on Google Maps along with its location information. You can also quickly return to this map from the table of contents in the sidebar (if using a smartphone, select “Go to table of contents” from the menu at the bottom of the screen).



【Start】

①If Island

If Island

Île d’If

Time required: 60 min

Admission fee: 6 euros

Opening hour: 10 am – 5 pm
(until 6 pm in between April and September)

Close: Monday, 1/1, 5/1, 12/25

It is a small island with a fortress built on it. The fortress was built by Francis I to protect the sea from invaders, control the movement of galleys, and monitor Marseilles. It was used as a prison for political prisoners from 1580 to 1871, and you can see the prison inside. It is also known as a famous tourist spot because the main character of Alexandre Dumas’ novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” was captured in 1844.


★Visit Les Îles by ferry.


②Frioul Port

Get off here. There is shops and restaurants only in this port.

★There are north route and south route in this island. At first, you go to the north route of Ratonneau Island. Go to Saint-Estève Path by the sea. It takes 30 minutes. There are some beaches on the route.

Ratonneau Beach


③Caroline Hospital

Hôpital Caroline

Time required: 15 min

Admission fee: 0 euro

These are the ruins of a hospital built in the first half of the 19th century. It was once used to treat sick patients in Marseille, especially yellow fever. It was used before 1941, but it was destroyed by a bombing and is no longer in use, and is currently undergoing restoration. In the center of the site is a building modeled after an ancient Greek temple.


★Continue to walk on the path for 5 minutes.


④Cape of Cross

Ocean from Cape of Cross

Time required: 15 min

Admission fee: 0 euro

This is the tip of the island. The site was also home to four military artillery batteries in the 19th century, but has not been used since World War II. The city of Marseille can be seen in the distance.


★Go back to the ferry port with the same route. It takes 30 minutes. Then, you go to the south route of Frioul Island. Go to the only path. It takes 15 minutes;


⑤Pomèguet Tower

Tour du Pomèguet

Time required: 10 min

Admission fee: 0 euro

The building was built in the 19th century and looks more like a fortress than a tower. The interior is not currently in use, so there is nothing to see, but the view is good because it is located high up.


★Continue to walk on the path for 20 minutes. There are some rocky coasts called Calanques in French.

Calanque


⑦Cap of Caveaux

Time required: 15 min

Admission fee: 0 euro

This is where the French army set up an artillery battery for use against Germany. Nowadays, it is a place lined with abandoned buildings, like an abandoned village.


★Go back to the ferry port with the same route. It takes 35 minutes by walk. Return to Marseille by ferry.



【Goal】

Old Port in Marseille



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