Parc Borély

Parc Borély consists of three distinct gardens. The first is a Garden à la française, situated opposite the bastide. It features two lawns, a circular and a rectangular basin, double rows of trees, and stretches between the avenue du Prado and the park gates.

The second garden is an English landscape garden, located on the park's eastern side. It encircles a lake and boasts numerous embellishments such as statues, fountains, a cascade, and a playground. Additionally, visitors can observe a miniature replica of the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde.

Lastly, the park encompasses a recently renovated racetrack. The other two gardens lead to the sea by a promenade and to the neighboring botanical garden.

Joseph Borely, a French ship owner and merchant, purchased land in the Bonneveine area of Marseille called Bonneveine in the 17th century to build a country house, known as Château Borély. In the 18th century, Joseph Borély expanded the estate by constructing a Provençal country house, or bastide, on the property. Louis-Joseph Borély inherited the domaine in 1770 and hired landscape architect Embry to create a Garden à la française.

In the 19th century, the land was acquired by Paulin Talabot, the director of the new PLM railroad, which connected Paris to Marseille, before ultimately being purchased by the city of Marseille. The city enlisted landscape architect Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand to design a park comprising of three parts: a French garden, an English landscape park, and a horse racing track beside the sea. Several wooden pavilions were constructed, but only one remains - the former pavilion by the lake, which previously served as a botanical laboratory of the Institut Colonial.

Between 1880 and 1915, the park served as a botanical garden before being relocated to a nearby site. In 2002, a two-hectare promenade was established between the park and the sea.