Valmer Park

In some squares, the playgrounds can still be used but are under the responsibility of parents who must ensure that health regulations are respected, including physical distance.


At the bend in the Corniche (after the Fausse-Monnaie bridge), a promontory overlooking the harbor of Marseille and its islands is home to the Villa Valmer and its lush park. Its proportions and architecture make this villa look more like a small castle. It was built at the end of the last century by a rich merchant from Salone, Charles Gonnelle. The villa originally bore the name "Vague à la mer" (Wave to the sea) which was later changed to Valmer. The alley, which winds towards one of the most beautiful viewpoints of the city, twists and turns in the heart of an exotic vegetation (palms: trachicarpus fortuneï excelsa, chamaerops humilis, washingtonias filifera, phoenix canariensis, buttias capitatia) and endemic of a rare beauty. Among these species, we find native tree species (olive trees, Aleppo pines, holm oaks, pistachio trees, mastic trees, arbutus) and perennials in cascades: dimorphotecas, lantanas agathaea, carpobrutus, lavender, arctotis. In the style of the 19th century rock gardeners, a rock garden follows the slope of the slopes. Fake stone, fake rocks with strange round shapes are sculpted in the cement and softened by harmonious compositions of perennials.