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Hiking in Frioul on the island of Ratonneau

Sport, Pedestrian sports, Hiking itinerary in Marseille 7ème
6.6 km
3h
Medium

  • The Frioul archipelago (1) is made up of several islands and islets. This hike takes in the island of Ratonneau.

  • The island of Ratonneau was invaded by rats. As early as the 13th century, the port was called "portus Ratonelli", a name that would be retained for the entire island.
    The hike takes in beautiful coves, ancient military fortifications and the Caroline Hospital, a health facility originally designed to cure carriers of yellow fever and later used as a lazaretto.

    The hike to the Caroline Hospital is flat and unproblematic. Except that you're always walking in the sun on the wide track....
    The island of Ratonneau was invaded by rats. As early as the 13th century, the port was called "portus Ratonelli", a name that would be retained for the entire island.
    The hike takes in beautiful coves, ancient military fortifications and the Caroline Hospital, a health facility originally designed to cure carriers of yellow fever and later used as a lazaretto.

    The hike to the Caroline Hospital is flat and unproblematic. Except that you're always walking in the sun on the wide track. First you pass the Léo Lagrange vacation center (2), then the Hoche pavilion (3), once used to quarantine officers on ships arriving from ports where the plague was rife. Today, the area awaits redevelopment, security and renaturation. The city and the National Park are working closely together to define the project that will bring these eight hectares back to life.

    Then we see the Port Pilotage Department building (4), recognizable by its façade in the shape of a ship's bow. Continue along the path that winds along the coast.

    Before reaching the Sainte-Estève cove (6) and its turquoise waters, turn right and you'll see the future Villa Marine (5). The Villa Marine is due to open its doors to the public in the near future, to raise awareness of the importance of preserving island areas such as the Frioul archipelago.

    The first part of the walk ends in front of the grand entrance to the Caroline Hospital (7). Then turn around and take the same path back to Villa Marine. At the bend in the road, take the path leading up to Fort de Ratonneau (8), which you will cross from east to west. At the western end of the fort, a path leads back down to the rocky rift that gives access to the Morgeret cove (9). The best beach for watching the sunset in summer.

    Take the left-hand side of the calanque to join the path leading to the Mangue battery (10) and the Brigantin fort. Once you've discovered this area, retrace your steps until you see a path to the right leading to the calanque du Grand Soufre (11) and its small beach. A staircase leads down from the beach. Head towards the houses and turn left to reach the large esplanade with its chapel (12). Further steps take you to the Quai d'Honneur, completing the loop.
  • Departure
    Marseille 7ème
  • Difference in height
    143 m
  • Plain text period
    All year round.

    Subject to favorable weather.
  • Environment
    • Sea view
    • Panoramic view
    • Close to pleasure port
    • Beach within 300 m
    • Coastal
    • Pier within 500 m
    • Close to a public transportation
  • Spoken languages
    • French
  • Documentation
    GPX / KML files allow you to export the trail of your hike to your GPS (or other navigation tool)
  • Accepted customers
    • Level bue - Medium
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Points of interest
1 The Frioul archipelago
2 Léo Lagrange Centre
3 Pavillon Hoche
Port Frioul et pavillon hoche©hkotcm.jpg
4 GPMM Steering Department
This building, recognisable by its ship's bow shape, has housed the "pilots' house" since 1947. The distinctive front actually hides a water tank, which is no longer in use. Inside, three pilots take it in turns every week to meet the ships entering and leaving Marseille's major seaport. Every ship captain (ferry, cargo ship, military vessel, cruise ship, etc.) is obliged to take a pilot on board to assist with the final approach and berthing manoeuvres in the port of Marseille. This rule is imposed by a 19th century maritime law.

Leaving the Frioul in the late afternoon, you can often see a pilot following the ferries at high speed as they leave the port to cross the Mediterranean to Corsica. Watch the man in the red watch-jacket climb a small ladder along the side of the ship to leave or rejoin his boat. It's often a sport!
5 Villa marine
Located on the road leading to Sainte-Estève beach and the Caroline hospital, the Villa Marine is a small house overlooking the sea and dating from the 19th century.
Initially, it was used to house military personnel, then senior officials from the merchant navy. It is now managed by the Conservatoire du Littoral, which is working closely with the Parc National des Calanques and the City of Marseille to turn it into a visitor centre. Visitors to Frioul will be able to learn more about the landscapes and the diversity of the sea, islands, land and underwater world.
6 Sainte-Estève cove
7 Caroline Hospital
Frioul, Hôpital Caroline@mrOMTCM.jpg
8 Ratonneau Fort
Located on the island of the same name, this fort dates back to the 17th century, and was built between 1598 and 1610. A garrison of 200 men could live there in complete autonomy, as it was equipped with two bread ovens and two huge water tanks. As with Pomègues, the advent of the rifled cannon gave the site a first-class fighting position. At the end of the 19th century (between 1883 and 1890 to be precise), the fort was converted into four batteries. Unchanged until the Second World War, the fort was modified by the German occupation. Four bunkers were added, but the work was never completely finished, leaving the site looking like a military wasteland.
Frioul_Ratonneau_fort©cmotcm.jpg
9 Morgeret cove
The beach is very easy to get to, taking less than 10 minutes to walk. On leaving the ferry terminal, take the wide path leading towards the Calanque Sainte-Estève and the Caroline Hospital.

On the left, after the toilet block, part of which is only accessible in summer, there is a crack in the rock. You have to cross it to reach the calanque.

It's a wide pebble beach and Morgeret is not its real name. The cove is actually called Calanque de la Courale. In Provençal, "couralo" means the heart, the centre. It's a fitting name for this cove, which lies deep in the heart of the island of Ratonneau. This geographical position also means that it is well protected from the easterly wind. The bay as a whole, on the other hand, is known as "Havre de Morgeret". The name "Morgeret" or "Morgiret" is linked to the prefix "mor", which means "height". Here, to the south, there is a high plateau that protects the creeks. This root can also be found in the name of the Calanque de Morgiou.

At the end of the day, it is an ideal spot to watch the sunset.

The beach offers no shade and is unsupervised.

Frioul is accessed by a shuttle boat from the Old Port, Quai des Belges (Quai de la Fraternité).

The current owner, Marseille designer Ora Ïto, wanted to create an art centre and a luxury hotel. For the time being, this has not happened. The site is inaccessible to the public.
vue depuis fort de ratonneau sur le havre de morgeret©hkotcm.jpg
10 Mangue Battery
This is a French battery, and long before the construction of the Berry dike, the military architect Vauban had understood the importance of the Cap de Mangue location for protecting the channel between the islands of Pomègues and Ratonneau.

This battery was built in the middle of the 19th century, between 1860 and 1862, after the sea wall had been built and the passage closed! The umbilical cord between the two islands was completed in 1824. The German troops made no changes to it, preferring to build their own bunkers on the plateau, which can still be seen today. The Mango Battery, also known as Fort Brigantin, is privately owned and was once home to the short-lived Free Republic of Friuli. Its current owner, Marseille designer Ora Ïto, wanted to build an art centre and a luxury hotel here. For the moment, this is not the case. The site is inaccessible to the public.
Frioul_Ratonneau_batterie_de_Mangue©hkotcm.jpg
11 Grand Soufre cove
A pretty little beach next to the Berry breakwater and close to restaurants.
Frioul_calanque_grand_soufre©hkotcm (2).jpg
12 Chapel of Port Frioul
This Christian chapel was built in the 19th century by Michel Robert Penchaud, the architect of the Caroline Hospital, as seen above. It resembles an ancient temple that pays homage to the 2,600-year history of the city of Marseille. Here we see it from the rear. The chapel, which overlooks the present-day port, enabled the crews of quarantined ships to attend religious services without setting foot on land.
chapelle_port_frioul_arriere©hkotcm.jpg
143 meters of difference in height
  • Maximum altitude : 61 m
  • Total positive elevation : 143 m
  • Total negative elevation : -143 m
  • Max positive elevation : 35 m
  • Min positive elevation : -51 m
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