Name and Location

The Phare d’If (Far d’It) is a small coastal lighthouse situated on the rocky islet of Île d’If, just offshore from Marseille’s Vieux-Port. The official address is Île d’If, 13007 Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France. The coordinates are 43.2801444 N, 5.3275303 E.

2. Construction and History

The exact date of construction is not documented, but it is believed to have been erected in the mid-19th century to protect ships navigating around the island and into Marseille harbor. Unlike the fortress prison built in 1524, no detailed archival record of the lighthouse’s opening survives.

3. Architecture and Materials

The Phare d’If is a functional coastal light tower with a vernacular masonry design. The materials used are likely dressed stone or rubble-masonry with a whitewashed finish. The shape is cylindrical or slightly tapering, set upon the southwestern edge of the island to maximize visibility from the sea.

4. Light and Navigation

The Phare d’If continues to serve local navigation in the entrance to the Bay of Marseille. However, technical details such as tower height, focal plane, light characteristic, nominal range, and lens type are not documented.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

Visitors can access Île d���If by regular boat shuttles from Marseille’s Vieux-Port (Embarcadère Frioul-If, Quai de la Fraternité). The lighthouse interior is closed to the public, but visitors may walk around its base following established paths.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

The island offers panoramic seaward vistas across the Mediterranean, sweeping to the Frioul archipelago and Marseille coastline. The surrounding landscape features rocky limestone, sparse Mediterranean scrub, and castle ruins and battlements dominating the terrain.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

The Phare d’If shares in the romantic aura of the neighboring Château d���If prison, which appears in Alexandre Dumas’s “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

8. Technical and Operational Details

The Phare d’If is presumed fully automated, with no permanent keeper on site. The managing authority is the French Lighthouse and Beacon Service (Service des phares et balises – DGMM, Ministère de la Mer). It continues to mark the islet and warn vessels approaching the Bay of Marseille.

9. Further Information

For further information, visit OpenStreetMap feature “Phare d’If” (way/128911046), Île d’If visitor information (Marseille tourism office), or Service des phares et balises (DGMM).