A lively urban promenade between history and harbor

Just steps from the Old Port, the Cours Honoré-d’Estienne-d’Orves is one of Marseille’s most dynamic and welcoming public spaces. Designed by urban planner Charlie Bové and inaugurated in 1989, it was part of a major redevelopment project that revitalized the Old Port area.

Fully pedestrianized, the cours is lined with ochre façades, trees, art galleries, and sunny restaurant terraces — a perfect blend of Mediterranean charm and city life.

From port warehouses to a modern esplanade

Until the 19th century, this area was actually a small harbor basin, filled with warehouses and workshops serving Marseille’s port. It was gradually filled in and transformed into an urban space, eventually reborn in the 1980s as a vast pedestrian square connecting the Place Thiars, Place aux Huiles, and the Old Port.

This transformation turned a neglected industrial zone into one of the most pleasant and accessible gathering places in the city.

The Former Warehouses of the Arsenal des Galères

Between numbers 19 and 25 on Cours Honoré-d’Estienne-d’Orves stand the former warehouses of the Arsenal des Galères, now listed as a historic monument. Built in the 17th century for the maintenance and arming of royal galleys under Charles VIII and Louis XIV, they were later converted into warehouses in the 19th century. Restored in the late 20th century, they now host restaurants, galleries, and cultural spaces, including the well-known Les Arcenaulx, which combines a bookshop and restaurant. These beautifully preserved buildings recall Marseille’s maritime heritage while enriching the cours’s vibrant urban life.

Mediterranean atmosphere and lively terraces

Inaugurated in 1989, the cours is now a lively social hub filled with restaurants, bars, cafés, art galleries, and small shops. Locals and visitors alike gather here to enjoy Provençal dishes, seafood, or a drink in the sun.

By evening, the cours glows with life — a friendly, relaxed place that captures the spirit of Marseille’s Mediterranean lifestyle.

Statue and fountain of Honoré d’Estienne d’Orves

At the junction of the croissant Jean Ballard and the square stands the statue of Honoré d’Estienne d’Orves, a naval officer and hero of the French Resistance executed in 1941. Sculpted by Louis Botinelly and inaugurated in 1964, the bronze monument pays tribute to his courage and sacrifice.

At its feet, a modern fountain adds a serene note to the setting, blending water, light, and stone in perfect balance.