Château d'If

The Château d'If is a fortress on the small island of If in the Bay of Marseille, built between 1524 and 1531 on the orders of Francis I to defend the coast. It served as a state prison until the late 19th century and is a setting of Alexandre Dumas's novel The Count of Monte Cristo. Boats from the Old Port take visitors to the island, its ramparts and former cells.