4th arrondissement of Marseille

The 4th arrondissement is a municipal district in Marseille that brings together four separate neighborhoods: La Blancarde, Les Chartreux, Les Chutes-Lavie, and Les Cinq-Avenues. Each section has its own character, with residential streets, local shops, and parks that shape how people move through and experience this part of the city.

The district took shape during the 19th century as a residential area, with different neighborhoods developing at different times. Its structure and composition were molded by Marseille's urban changes over the decades.

The Palais Longchamp, constructed during the Second Empire, houses the Museum of Fine Arts and Natural History Museum within its monumental architecture.

The area is well served by public buses and metro lines that connect the different neighborhoods to each other and the wider city. Walking paths and streets are generally accessible and make it easy to move between districts.

An astronomical observatory in the Cinq-Avenues area has served as a research center for many years and offers visitors a planetarium with sky shows. The facility remains one of the area's lesser-known features that reflect Marseille's connection to science and space exploration.