Walk in the footsteps of La Joliette's maritime history

A walk that takes you back to the splendid period of the trading port and the heyday of shipping and travel.

The opening up of maritime routes dates back to the 17th century, under the impetus of Colbert, Louis XIV's powerful minister. By the 19th century, commercial traffic was on the rise. From the 1840s onwards, this led to the creation of the port of La Joliette. Marseille forged links with the biggest ports in Europe and the world: Barcelona, Algiers, Naples, Rome, Valletta, Istanbul...

The construction of the Suez Canal in 1859 also facilitated travel on the route to India.

Thanks to this 6-stop tour, immerse yourself in the sumptuous period of the commercial port and the heyday of sea travel:
The starting point is in front of the Regards de Provence museum, which houses the former maritime sanitary station (1) built by Fernand Pouillon. All passengers arriving by sea had to pass through a "disinfection" stage, via the oven room, directly accessible from the museum entrance.

Then it's on to the Major vaults (2), which once housed warehouses. These vaults came into being with the construction of the new Major, the only cathedral built in France in the 19th century. The foundation stone was laid in September 1852, at a time when Marseille was experiencing economic, social and demographic growth, and was adorned with a number of important buildings: Palais de la Bourse (1834), Notre Dame de la Garde (1853), Docks de la Joliette (1858), Préfecture (1860), rue de la République (1860), Palais Longchamp (1862).

At the fountain and double-flight staircase by Auguste Ottin, cross the street to the "bleu de Chine" statue by artist Bruno Catalano (3). Through this traveler, the artist pays homage to all the workers and dockers of the port of Marseille, as well as to all those who have restarted their lives on these quays.

Continue straight ahead along the renovated facades of the Quai de la Joliette. You have to imagine that here, in the 19th century, there was the sea. All this space was reclaimed from the water thanks to embankments. Marseille had only one major port: the Vieux-Port.

At the corner of Quai de la Joliette and Boulevard des Dames stands the "Castel Héritage" building (4). Built in the early 20th century by architect Gaston Castel in the art nouveau style, the building housed the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT) agency. The Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes, a prestigious French shipping company founded in 1851 and independent until 1977, was founded by a man from Marseilles. It then merged with Compagnie Générale Transatlantique to form Compagnie Générale Maritime. In 1999, following the privatization of CMA, the group became CMA CGM. Today, the building houses luxury accommodation, offices and shops. The façade along Boulevard des Dames, at the corner of the quay, is original.

Return to Place de la Joliette and the Docks building (5). These are former warehouses comparable to those in London. Enter and cross the various atriums, until you reach the Place du Port. Take entrance D to exit the building and reach the port terraces, opposite on the seafront.

Enter the shopping mall and go straight up to level 2. A beautiful terrace equipped with chairs and deckchairs (6) offers a sublime view of the ferries, ships, islands and harbor. This is how the tour ends.