A Visit to the Chateau d'If • The OG French Alcatraz

There’s a whimsical ring to the name ‘Chateau d’If,’ don’t you think? A castle of possibilities. What ifs. But although it may sound very fairytalesque- it’s even appeared in a famous fictional novel- this Chateau has a far darker history than you might first imagine. Ooh la la.

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On a craggy rock about a mile off the coast of Marseille, is the Chateau d’If, France’s most famous fictional prison. Except it’s not actually fictional. The prison features in The Count of Monte Cristo, where the protagonist spends fourteen years wrongfully imprisoned on the island, and although the Chateau d’If has plenty of its own (entirely true) stories to tell, nowadays it’s visited just as much for its link to the novel as for its own entirely real history.

What is the Chateau d’If?

Construction of the Chateau d’If was completed in 1531, and the medieval fortress had been designed as extra protection for the city of Marseille. The little island was in a strategically perfect location to aid the city’s defences, although soon into the Chateau’s life, its purpose changed from ‘defence’ to ‘jail.’ Because, who can escape a prison surrounded entirely by the deep blue sea!? Particularly when said deep blue sea is prone to incredibly strong undercurrents.

The first prisoners arrived in 1540, and for almost 400 years the Chateau d’If continued working hard as a prison for the outlaws of Marseille. Although there were plenty of “classic” criminals housed within the fortress’s stone walls- we’re talking thieves, murderers, conmen- there were also plenty of religious and political prisoners held here. And how long you lasted in prison often depended on your social standing. Poorer prisoners had worser conditions, and were kept in crowded, windowless cells, leading to a far shorter survival rate. But wealthier prisoners were able to buy a stay in a nicer cell, maybe with a window, and maybe even without a roommate or twenty. The lucky old things.

Did anyone ever escape from the Chateau d’If?

Aside from Edmond Dantès, the hero of The Count of Monte Cristo, there’s no evidence that anybody ever successfully escaped from the Chateau d’If. Alas.

But if you fancy giving it a go, you can!

Okay, not exactly. But hear me out. The Défi Monte Cristo– or, Monte Cristo Challenge- takes place every summer, allowing open water swimmers to retrace the Count’s fictional escape path from the island. There are several different races that take place over a couple of weeks, and anyone can enter! (Although I’d advise at least a little bit of training first.

If? If is good.

My own personal reading of the Chateau d’If? “What a delightful place to be imprisoned!” A peaceful island away from the clutter and madness of Marseille, under a blue sky and surrounded by Mediterranean waters. I would have loved it here!!

Of course, that would definitely not have been the case. Conditions were tough, and I’m sure my fellow prisoners would have been pretty full on tough, too. Still, at the time of my visit I was living in a tin box on a construction site (dry dock problems), so the stillness of If island was a welcome bit of respite.

The limestone walls of the prison’s cells hold centuries-old engravings etched into them by prisoners long-gone, and a climb up any of the towers will give you a brilliant view of Marseille and the coastline of the Calanques. Pals: it’s an absolute beaut. And although the Count of Monte Cristo is a work of fiction, there’s plenty of information to be found here about the book and its author Alexandre Dumas.

(If you love a good story, look into the family background of Dumas; he was the grandson of a French nobleman and an Afro-Caribbean slave named Marie. What an origin story for the future writer extraordinaire.)

How to visit the Chateau d’If

We visited on a very chilly but sunshiney day in February, when the majority of our fellow visitors to the prison island were seagulls. But even in the off-season, the visit was very easy to organise.

First of all, you’ll need to head to Vieux-Port. This is the old port in the heart of the city, and there’s a Metro station right next to the water. From there, it’s about 20 minutes by boat to the island.

As we were visiting during the winter, we took Le Bateau Frioul If. This ferry service runs year-round, and there’s a ticket office right next to the pier we took the ferry from. We bought our tickets here in person, although it’s possible to buy ahead online. (In case you’re wondering, pals, Frioul is the name of the archipelago that If is part of.)

Once we hopped off the ferry and trotted on into the fortress, we bought our tickets to the prison, which were a very reasonable €7 per person.

If you’re visiting the Chateau d’If from February to November, you also have the option of the more tourist-focused Calanques ferry company. (And with this company you can purchase transportation and entry at the same time.)