Fodor's Expert Review Château d'If

In the 16th century, François I recognized the strategic advantage of an island fortress to survey the mouth of Marseille's vast harbor, and he built this imposing edifice. Indeed, it was such an effective deterrent that it never saw combat and was eventually converted into a prison. It was here that Alexandre Dumas locked up his most famous character, the Count of Monte Cristo. Though the count was fictional, the hole through which Dumas had him escape is real enough, on display in the cells. On the other hand, the real-life Man in the Iron Mask, whose cell is also erroneously on display, was not imprisoned here. It’s worth taking a trip here if only to ride the Frioul If Express boat ( €10.80  04–96–11–03–50) from/to Quai des Belges and to take in the views from the fortress's broad terrace.