Napoleon in virtual reality

An unexpected discovery in the heart of Docks Village

When you visit Marseille, you immediately think of the Old Port, Notre-Dame de la Garde, the Calanques or the narrow streets of Le Panier. Yet the city is constantly reinventing itself and also offers some original cultural experiences.

Head to the Joliette district. Long dedicated to port activities, it has become one of Marseille’s most vibrant areas. The old warehouses have given way to shops, restaurants and promenades where you can take your time.

It is here, at Docks Village Marseille, that an unusual experience awaits: ‘Napoleon, the Immersive Epic’.

I was expecting to discover a historical exhibition. In reality, I was about to embark on a real journey.

Just a few seconds to leave Marseille… and step back in time

The welcome is simple and warm. After a few explanations, I’m handed a virtual reality headset.
Then everything fades away.
The walls vanish, the sounds of the neighbourhood fade away and the familiar landmarks of everyday life blur. In a matter of seconds, I am no longer in an exhibition space but immersed in another time.
The first reaction is almost instinctive: to look everywhere.
To the left, to the right, behind you, above your head… You try to make sense of your surroundings, just as you would when discovering an unfamiliar city. Very quickly, you even forget you’re wearing a headset.
You’re no longer watching a story.
We’re walking through it.

A different way of telling history

We have all learnt a few key dates from the Napoleonic era at school. We have seen paintings, films or documentaries.
Here, the approach is different.
Virtual reality does not seek to replace books or museums. It simply offers another gateway, one that is more sensory and more immersive. The settings come to life, the characters move around us, and we gradually get the strange feeling of having become witnesses to the events.
What is most surprising, in the end, is not the technology.
It is the ease with which we forget it.
After a few minutes, all that remains is emotion and curiosity. We let ourselves be carried along by the story without trying to understand the technical apparatus that makes it possible.

An experience for everyone

Whether you’re a history buff or simply curious to try something different, there’s something for everyone.
History buffs will appreciate the way in which key historical events are recounted. Younger visitors will naturally be drawn to the immersive and interactive elements. As for visitors passing through Marseille, they’ll discover a unique cultural offering that perfectly rounds off a day out.
This diversity of visitors is undoubtedly one of the experience’s strengths.
We then share our impressions, each of us having picked up on a different detail or scene.

A lovely stop on a day out in Marseille

One of the highlights of this experience is also its location.
After a stroll along the quays, a visit to the Mucem or the Cathédrale de la Major, the Docks Village offers a unique cultural interlude before continuing your exploration of the city.
The Joliette district perfectly symbolises today’s Marseille: a place where heritage meets innovation, where ancient stones welcome new experiences.
Ultimately, this immersion in the Napoleonic era fits perfectly into this setting.

When the journey continues after the tour

The tour lasts about thirty minutes.
Yet, as I take off the headset, I feel as though I’ve spent much longer elsewhere.
I find myself back on the terraces of Les Docks, amongst the strollers, the conversations and the light of Marseille. But it takes a few moments to return fully to the present. I then realise that this experience is not merely a technological demonstration. It tells a story in a different way.
And that is undoubtedly what we expect today from a great tourist experience: to be surprised, to learn without realising it, and to leave with the impression of having experienced something that cannot be found anywhere else.

Marseille is a city that has been inviting visitors on a journey for over twenty-six centuries. This time, it simply offers a rather special itinerary. Not to another destination. But to another era