Stairs of Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles, Staircase at Saint-Charles station in Marseille, France

The Stairs of Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles form a grand stone structure that links the railway station to the upper city boulevard. The staircase is divided into sections with intermediate landings where sculptural elements are integrated into the architecture.

The station opened in 1848 without direct access to Boulevard d'Athènes, blocked by the Petit Séminaire buildings. A 1911 competition was won by architect Eugène Sénès with Léon Arnal; World War I delayed work. The first stone was laid on 17 July 1923, the stairs opened to the public on 22 December 1925, and the finished decoration was inaugurated on 24 April 1927 by President Gaston Doumergue.

Six bronze groups by Henri Raybaud on the upper balustrades show Provençal produce: La Moisson, Les Fruits and La Pêche on the left, Les Vendanges, Les Fleurs and La Chasse on the right. At the last landing, Louis Botinelly's stone pair Les Colonies d'Afrique and Les Colonies d'Asie faces each other, the Asian woman recalling a Khmer princess, a link to the 1922 colonial exhibition at Marseille's parc Chanot.

The staircase rises 15.5 metres over 104 steps, broken by seven landings of varying size, so the climb can be taken in stages. It links the station esplanade directly to boulevard d'Athènes. The sculpted groups are placed along the way down from the station, starting with Ary Bitter's two lions at quai level.

The staircase was listed as a monument historique in December 2022, together with its gardens, by decree of 14 December. Its 104 steps rise 15.5 metres between seven landings, and the two pylons carry lanterns at their tops.