Photos: Benh LIEU SONG, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Fred Romero from Paris, France, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Bruno Couleau, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Benh LIEU SONG, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Fred Romero from Paris, France, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Bruno Couleau, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Palais Longchamp and its gardens
Your local guide
Julien Castel
View profile
Highlights
- A colonnade built to celebrate water
- A cascade at the palace's centre
- Formal gardens laid out below it
- Statues added decades after the building
- Marseille's grandest nineteenth century project
About this tour
This session looks at Palais Longchamp, from the colonnade linking its two wings to the formal gardens laid out below it. You see the cascade at its centre and learn why the whole structure was built to celebrate the arrival of a new water supply. It is a slower, architecture-and-garden session away from the harbour.
We spend time at the colonnade before moving down into the gardens, since the two work as a single composition. I answer questions about the building or the statues as they come up. A short note on the palace's history follows the call.
This suits anyone with an interest in nineteenth century architecture or formal gardens. It also works well as a calmer session between busier walks.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Marseille before heading out.
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The central colonnade 21 min
The camera looks along the curved colonnade linking the two wings of the palace, water cascading down the steps at its centre. I explain why the building was designed around celebrating the arrival of the city's water supply.
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The gardens 21 min
Below the palace, you walk through formal gardens with fountains and mature trees, laid out at the same time as the building above them. I point out the statues added along the main path decades later.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Marseille: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Pieds et paquets and Vieux-Port, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Paris time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 9 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Marseille, showing you The central colonnade and The gardens live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need any background in art?
No. The guide explains what matters as you go, whatever you already know or do not.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I carry my phone through the gardens while we talk.
Times shown in Paris time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Tue 3 Nov · 9 seats left From 21,00 €
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