Fort St-Jean

Intended as much to control the citizens of Marseille as guard them from external threat, Fort St-Jean was built by Louis XIV in 1660 on the site of a 13th-century Hospitaller fortress. Incorporating 13th- and 15th-century elements, it's faced by its twin, Fort St-Nicolas, across the narrow entry to the View Port. Now incorporated into MuCEM, to which it's linked by a footbridge, the fortress grounds can be explored, and many Marseillais like to sun themselves beneath its stout walls.