Palais Longchamp: Free Museum Entry, Gardens & Hours
1 - 2 h
Monumental Fountain, Gardens & Fine Arts Museum
Built 1862-1869 by architect Henri Espérandieu to celebrate the arrival of the Canal de Marseille
Palais Longchamp, Aile gauche, 13004 Marseille, France
Planning to visit Palais Longchamp (Musée des Beaux-Arts)?
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Practical Visitor Info & Tips
Free (Musée des Beaux-Arts permanent collection)
N/A — permanent collection entry is free for everyone
Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00-18:00; closed Mondays (except Easter and Whit Monday) and on 1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November, and 25 December. Ticket office closes 30 minutes before the museum closes.
No ticket or reservation needed for the permanent collection. Temporary exhibitions are normally paid, but free on their opening day and on the first Sunday of every month; check the museum's own site for the current temporary-exhibition rate, which is not listed here.
| Option | Price | Booking | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent collection | Free | No ticket needed | |
| Gardens (Parc Longchamp) | Free | Open access, every day | |
| Temporary exhibitions | Paid (rate not confirmed); free on opening day and first Sunday of the month | Check the museum's own site for current exhibition pricing |
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Ticket Options
Free (Musée des Beaux-Arts permanent collection)
Check whether a city pass already covers this attraction before buying separately.
See pass compatibility below ↓Overview & History
Palais Longchamp is a monumental 19th-century complex built to celebrate the arrival of the Canal de Marseille's water supply, centred on a grand cascading fountain by sculptor Jules Cavelier flanked by colonnades, with bronze lions and tigers by Antoine-Louis Barye guarding the approach. Its two wings house separate museums: the Musée des Beaux-Arts, one of France's oldest public museums (founded 1801), occupies the left wing with works from the 16th to 19th centuries, while the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle occupies the right. The surrounding Parc Longchamp gardens are free to walk at any time.
What to See: Top Highlights
The Monumental Fountain
Jules Cavelier's cascading centrepiece fountain, framed by colonnades and Barye's bronze lions and tigers, is Palais Longchamp's signature image and free to view at any time.
The Musée des Beaux-Arts' Permanent Collection
Free entry to works spanning the 16th to 19th centuries, housed in the palace's left wing, one of the first fifteen museums founded in France by the Consulat in 1801.
Parc Longchamp
The gardens surrounding the palace are open and free every day, a pleasant place to walk regardless of museum opening hours.
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Is Palais Longchamp Included on the Marseille CityPass?
Compare Marseille PassesThere's no admission fee here for any pass to include — the Musée des Beaux-Arts' permanent collection is free for everyone, with or without the Marseille CityPass. It's also not one of the CityPass's own named inclusions (which cover a separate, similarly-described 'Musée Regards de Provence' instead) — so there's nothing to redeem here either way.
Marseille CityPass
Not needed — entry is free either way and this museum isn't part of the pass's bundle.
Individual visit
Just walk in during opening hours — no ticket needed for the permanent collection.
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SponsoredProvided by our commercial partner GetYourGuide — bookings made through this section may earn LocalExperiences a commission. See our Editorial Transparency page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Palais Longchamp free to visit?
Does the Marseille CityPass include Palais Longchamp?
Is there anything paid at Palais Longchamp?
What's the difference between the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle here?
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