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Palais Longchamp

The Palais Longchamp is a Neoclassical-Second Empire palace complex, opened in 1869 and built to celebrate the arrival of water from the Durance canal in Marseille. The central building is a château d'eau with a monumental fountain, flanked by two wings housing the Musée des beaux-arts (the oldest in Marseille, established in 1802) and the Muséum d'histoire naturelle (classified as a Musée de France since 2002). The complex includes notable gardens: a formal public garden at the front with pools and cascades, and the rear park with a botanical garden and the remains of the former zoo (closed in 1987), with picturesque buildings such as the giraffe house and ornate cages. The park is also home to the Marseille Observatory, the city's oldest scientific institution, which offers public astronomy activities such as planetarium shows and solar observations. The palace is listed as a French historic monument, and the park as a Remarkable Garden. Admission to the park is free, and the museums are open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 18:00.

Things to do at Palais Longchamp: 8 missions

• Explore the zoological gardenStroll through the zoological garden in Longchamp Park, where the animals were replaced in 2013 by animal sculptures.
• Explore the picturesque buildings in fanciful stylesExplore the picturesque buildings in fanciful styles still preserved in the area of the former 19th-century zoo.
• Explore the botanical gardenVisit the botanical garden located in Longchamp Park, behind the palace.
• Stroll through the Plateau GardenWalk through the Plateau Garden, the classic jardin à la française behind the palace.
• View the manmade stone grottoView the manmade stone grotto decorated with carved stalactites and nymphs.
• View the château d'eauView the château d'eau, one of the three main parts of the Palais Longchamp.
• Stroll through the public gardenWalk through the public garden with its green spaces, pools with waterfalls and allegorical statues.
• Explore the English Landscape GardenWalk through the English Landscape Garden, with winding paths and notable trees.

Near Palais Longchamp