Marseille Château d'If Tickets

Avoid the queues with these tickets for the Château d'If in Marseille. With these passes you'll have priority access to one of the most visited monuments in the French city. Over the course of a day, you can discover this fortress, now one of the most important prisons in the world, whichinspired Alexandre Dumas' popular novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, published in 1844.

The Château d'If began as a crucial fortress for the French. In fact, Francis I of France wanted the Château d'If to serve three functions: to protect the coast from invasion, to shelter the new royal fleet of galleys and to guard Marseilles, annexed to France in 1480.

But a century later it became a state prison, which is what gave it its notoriety for tourists. Until 1871 it was one of the most heavily guarded prisons in the world, where anyone who opposed official authority was imprisoned, especially Protestants and Republicans.

Among the names of the prisoners you will recognise on your visit to the Château d'If is that of Edmond Dantès, the main character in Dumas' novel, who spent 14 years of his life behind bars. After the popular work, which has been translated into many languages and inspired a series of films, you will feel as if you were on the set of one of these films.

It should be noted that the ferry ride is not included in this booking. Although there is no guide to accompany you, brochures are available in several languages to learn more about this monument.