Château d'If

Okay, so the Château d'If is this really famous old castle right off the coast of Marseille. The main thing you gotta know is that it's famous because of the book, The Count of Monte Cristo, which used it as the ultimate prison. King Francis I built it way back in the 16 th century to protect the coast, but it ended up being this crazy, inescapable state prison—basically France's version of Alcatraz. You take a quick boat ride from the Old Port to get there, and the minute you see it on the island, it looks super isolated. The view of Marseille from the top is awesome, but the best part is walking around the cells. They even have the fictional one for Edmond Dantès, which is cool. You learn that if you were rich, you got a nice cell (called a "pistole" cell) with a window and fireplace. But if you were poor, you were stuck in a dark, gross dungeon. It's a total must-see if you love that book or just want to explore a spooky piece of history.

If you are visiting Marseille, take some time to visit this historical site. Easy 20 ferry ride from the port and then we spent about an hour walking through the old prison dungeons and enjoying the outdoors with great views. There is even a cafe to grab a drink before you head back to main land.

Takes about 30-40 mins in the ferry, lovely ride and costed us 11 Euros for the Ferry and 7 euros for the entry to the castle. The place is very scenic surrounded by water and one can see different islands around as well. The castle has the stories and posters that you can read about it's history.

I would say it’s a good experience to visit this well known island. However it’s really small and not as big as expectation. If you don’t have enough time in Marseille, maybe you can skip here.

Gorgeous views, a must of you're in Marseille. You take a boat from the Old Port and it takes you to the island. We spent there around 2 hours and grabbed a boat back to the Old Port. The boat ticket to the island was 18eur

Absolutely beautiful,a highlight of Marseille. It has a beautiful view of Marseille. Although there's not that much in the castle and it can be a bit pricey, I would suggest it as a must do.

Amazing ferry ride out to the Château. Amazing place to visit! Loved the dome at top where the voice echos when you talk. We also loved the old graffiti from the prisoners.

Pretty bummed that they close down at the slightest hint of bad weather. Smooth seas, calm winds, and cloud cover? Closed. Boo. This was the only reason we got off the ship. Not much else to see in the area except the Notre Dame, which is worth maybe a ln hour or two including the tiny train tour that takes you to the top.

Château d'If is an old island prison off the coast of Marseille. It was made legendary by Alexandre Dumas in his classic novel, The Count of Monte Cristo. It's where his hero was wrongly imprisoned for years,

Terrific boat ride over, peaceful grounds. Even a great beer before the tour. Buy tickets online first if you can. I'm a Conte buff but I still didn't want to spend more than about an hour here. Small but interesting.

When in Marseille, this is a must! You cannot miss this historical landmark. As a fan of Dumas's book, 'Count of Monte Cristo' I loved this experience. I went during winter and the water around the island was so beautiful, a clean and subtle green/blue. I can't imagine what it looks like during summer when the sun is hitting the water and the colors around are even more vibrant. The Castle itself is an old majestic ruin. Amazing views from the top and from all around the small island. Loved the experience, would highly recommend it.

We decided to take this trip and check out this place. It has a lot of historical significance for France as it was the first royal fort built. The process of getting there and back was slightly unpleasant. When we were buying ferry tickets the girl at the counter completely ignored us and, it took ages to get a ticket as, she was totally disinterested in serving us. It coasts €10.50 return to If. You also pay €5.50 once you get on the island per person to walk around. Ok, the view of Marseille from here is amazing. The island itself is very interesting however a lot of it is in ruins. There are some sections you can visit that have displays and there is a free tour however it's only in French. What part of "this is a tourist place" don't you get folks ? There is a surprisingly nice cafe at the island where I had a lovely lunch. The food was good and service was also ok. I have visited many island castles and monasteries in my lifetime and whilst the view was great it was not a very pleasant experience getting there and back. A little bit of effort would make this place worthwhile visiting but for me it was ok. I would not have regretted not going there :-)

Definitely worth the trip out there. It costs about 11 Euro for the round trip boat ride and 5.50 Euro to enter Chateau d'If. On the island they provide brochures for every major language so as you explore you will know the significant events of the islands history. After you explore inside the Chateau, take a stroll around the outer wall of the island and you will find many photo ops and neat views.

The famous island prison from Alexander Dumas's book "The Count Of Monte Cristo"... Since I liked the movie and the story I had to stop by while in Marseille. I hoped on the tour boat and made my way across the shark infested and intensely cold waters. I do not know why, but at 100 degrees outside or so this water was unbearable to swim in! Upon reaching the island I realized the movie in fact was not filmed here at all... There is no cliff to have thrown the dead from as depicted in the movie. The building in reality is well preserved and very interesting. The claimed cell of Edmond Dantes even has a little hole in it to illuminate the story and captivate your attention.... However the story is supposed to be a fiction which makes the story and actual hole pretty cheesy.... Cool spot to see some history and worth the small price of admission!

If you're a fan of Alexandre Dumas' book "The Count of Monte Cristo", this is where the main character Edmond Dantes was wrongly imprisoned. Unlike the hero of the story, no one has ever escaped from the prison. It's an old fortress on the island of If only a 15 minute boat ride from the Vieux Port. Boats leave every hour from Quai des Belges and cost less than 10 Euro. You can see the shoreline and the beautiful blue ocean from the cell windows; it must have driven the prisoners crazy to be able to see everything and know that they would never be out there again.

We had no idea this was here in Marseille, till we found it on Yelp. We took the boat out and had a great time! I highly recommend you go check it out for the history, the beautiful views and the fun. In the round turrets on top of the towers, throw away your inhibitions, stand right in the center and sing a song. The acoustical effect bouncing off the round walls is awesome! My husband and I were pretty loud after we discovered this because of course we had to try it in every space with round walls... fortunately we were not kicked off the island. The castle is really pretty, the sea views, ahhh! If I could do it again, I'd go out there with a picnic and just sit and explore for half a day. Also, check out the little secret garden to the right of the building with the bathrooms- it's easy to miss.

25 and under get in free (from certain countries, but the US is in that list of countries!) just have to show ID (I showed my driver's license which is funny because who in France knows what a real vs. fake CA driver's license looks like?) The island itself is beautiful. It's funny that it's 5.50 euro to get in because you have to pay for the boat trip already. P.S. on weekends/in summer, get to the ticket booth super early because it is a clusterf**k getting the boat tickets. We got there at 10:15 and got our tickets by 10:55 and managed to get on the next boat via magic. The fort itself is a mix- just looking at it sans the information is cool, and looking at some of the info/watching the video is sort of cool, but then there's way too much randomness/incoherency in the exhibits. There are at least two rooms on the second floor that make loud animal sounds at you, while the only actual animals on the island are the lizards and the seagulls. It has a beautiful view. Talk to the guy in the gift shop; he's way better than the exhibits. Ask about the rhinoceros. If you only have a few days in marseille I think this is skippable (unless you're really into the count of monte cristo). Go to Cassis (take the bus from Castellane for 2.70) instead.

Chateau d'If is a former prison on a small island ner Marseille. It is well known from Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo". Also, there is a very nice view from the island to Marseille.

A must if you're in Marseille. We came to Marseille as a part of our honeymoon almost 100% because my husband loves the Count of Monte Cristo and wanted to check this place out. I wasn't expecting it to be so beautiful! You take the ferry from Vieux Port (the Frioul-If-Express) and can spend a minimum of a little over an hour walking around, which is the perfect amount of time. The château itself is beautiful old stone with modern additions like lighting and projectors so that visitors can watch short presentations on the site. Once you walk through all of the cells (which are surprisingly beautiful), head up to the top level for the best views of Marseille that you can find anywhere. It's such a nice experience to be able to stand up there just looking out at the ocean, the other islands, and the city; this was one of my favorite parts of our trip. Bring a camera- your pictures will be beautiful no matter what.

Yes, I admit it, I totally dragged my friends here because I love the story of The Count of Monte Cristo, but the island ended up being really interesting in an unexpected way. Yes the actual prison was enlightening and the history was pretty fascinating. It described the actual history (no one has actually escaped) as well as how Dumas worked it into literary legend. The graffiti has a cool historical context, and though it is a tourist attraction, it is not too crowded (at least in the middle of March it isn't). It is totally worth going to the top of the tower of the prison; the view is beautiful and there is a really interesting sound effect that happens up there. The coolest part by far was having a picnic on the island. It helps that the weather was wonderful, but the whole ambiance was great as well. The only disconcerting thing was that there were a ton of animal bones on the ground, but wandering around the island was amazing and the 10 euro boat ride out there was 100% worth it. Students get in free as well so students if you have a student ID definitely do not forget it.