Palais du Pharo (Pharo Palace), Marseille (must see)

No surprise, the promontory on which the Pharo Palace was built is called "Pharo" after the bay to the west. The hill used to be called "Tete de More". The palace itself is a massive building located at the mouth of the Old Port.

This was intended to be an imperial residence. Prince Louis-Napoleon commissioned architect Vaucher in 1852 to find a location and make plans. The project was taken over by Napoleon III's architect, Lefuel and the city donated the land.

Napoleon III never got a chance to stay there before he died and the Empress Eugenie gave the Pharo back to the city of Marseille. In 1904 The palace was made over to be a medical school.

The palace currently hosts meetings, fairs and conferences. The original interior spaces and the extension can hold up to 2500 people. After 1870 imperial ornaments on the outside of the building were removed so that no indication of the empire would remain.

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and decar66.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Marseille. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Palais du Pharo (Pharo Palace)
Sight Location: Marseille, France (See walking tours in Marseille)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Marseille Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Marseille, France

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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.8 Km or 1.1 Miles

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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles

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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles

Marseille Introduction Walking Tour

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The leader of the galley people was one called Protis. Protis was... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.8 Km or 2.4 Miles