The basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, Marseille’s « Bonne Mère », is open every day from 7 am to 6 pm and entry is free; only the museum, open from 9 am to 5 pm, charges admission (€4). You can walk up from the Old Port, drive (free parking lots, closed at 6 pm) or take bus 60, which leaves from the Mucem and the Old Port. We calculated for each month whether sunset falls before the sanctuary closes.
The basilica overlooks the whole city center: our guide to visiting Marseille gives the best season and the districts to combine.
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Notre-Dame de la Garde: key facts
- Hours: sanctuary open every day from 7 am to 6 pm; visits to the interior are limited during services — checked on 23 October 2026 on basiliquenotredamedelagarde.com
- Price: basilica and esplanades free; museum €4 adult, €2 (ages 10–17 and reduced rates), free under 10 — checked on 23 October 2026 on basiliquenotredamedelagarde.com
- Booking: none for the basilica.
- Getting there: bus 60 from the Mucem, the Town Hall and the Old Port, every 20 minutes; four free parking lots (about 150 spaces), closed at 6 pm — checked on 23 October 2026 on basiliquenotredamedelagarde.com
- Rules: modest dress; no animals on the esplanades or in the basilica, even carried.
Tickets and fake tickets: what you pay for
There is no ticket for the basilica, the crypt or the esplanades. The only paid area is the museum (more than 350 m², or 3,767 sq ft, eight centuries of the site’s history, ex-votos, models, silverwork), open every day from 9 am to 5 pm: €4 adult, €2 for ages 10–17 and at the reduced rate (job seekers, people receiving social benefits, students, holders of a disability card, over 65s), free under 10. « Ticket » or « skip-the-line » offers sold online are guided tours or tourist-train circuits run by third parties: entry itself costs nothing.
Opening hours, Masses and closures
| Place | Official hours |
|---|---|
| Sanctuary (basilica, crypt, esplanades) | 7 am – 6 pm, every day |
| Site parking lots | 7 am – 6 pm (closed after 6 pm) |
| Museum | 9 am – 5 pm, every day |
| Restaurant | 8:15 am – 4:30 pm, every day |
| 6th-floor shop | 10 am – 5:45 pm, every day |
| 2nd-floor shop | 10 am – 5:30 pm, Friday to Sunday |
Visits to the interior are limited during services. According to the Mass times page: on weekdays at 7:25 am (broadcast on KTO), on Saturdays also at 5 pm, on Sundays and feast days at 8:30 am, 10 am, 12 noon and 5 pm; in the crypt, Monday to Friday at 12 noon and 4:30 pm. To visit the basilica without disturbing worshippers, avoid Sunday mornings and the midday slot.
What to see at Notre-Dame de la Garde
A chapel dedicated to the Virgin has stood on the hill since 1214; Francis I had a fort built there in 1536. The present Romanesque-Byzantine church was entrusted to Henri-Jacques Espérandieu in 1853 and consecrated on June 5, 1864; the monumental statue of the Virgin, designed by Eugène Lequesne and made by Christofle, was placed on the bell tower in 1870. Henri Révoil completed the mosaic decoration between 1874 and 1891; on August 25, 1944, the liberation of the city was decided on the hill — official history.
- The upper basilica: mosaics restored between 2002 and 2014, sailors’ ex-votos and hanging ship models.
- The crypt: carved into the rock, plainer, where some of the services take place.
- The regilded statue: in 2025 it received 27,000 sheets of 23.5-carat gold over more than 100 m² (1,076 sq ft), along with the restoration of the campanile and the angels’ terrace.
- The esplanades: panorama over the Old Port, the harbor, the Frioul islands and the Château d’If.
- The museum: two temporary exhibitions a year (around June and December) and a discovery workshop included, designed for children and visually impaired visitors.
Best time to visit: sunset before 6 pm?
The esplanades face the sea to the west, but the sanctuary closes at 6 pm all year. We calculated the sunset time on the 15th of each month to see when it is visible from the site, with the Marignane normals published on our Marseille page.
| Month (15th) | Sunset | Visible before 6 pm? | Max temp | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5:28 pm | yes, 32 min before | 11.8 °C (53 °F) | 47.1 mm (1.9 in) |
| February | 6:08 pm | no | 12.8 °C (55 °F) | 29.8 mm (1.2 in) |
| March | 6:44 pm | no | 16.4 °C (62 °F) | 29.5 mm (1.2 in) |
| April | 8:21 pm | no | 19.3 °C (67 °F) | 51.6 mm (2.0 in) |
| May | 8:55 pm | no | 23.5 °C (74 °F) | 37.7 mm (1.5 in) |
| June | 9:20 pm | no | 27.9 °C (82 °F) | 27.9 mm (1.1 in) |
| July | 9:16 pm | no | 30.7 °C (87 °F) | 10.8 mm (0.4 in) |
| August | 8:41 pm | no | 30.5 °C (87 °F) | 25.8 mm (1.0 in) |
| September | 7:49 pm | no | 25.9 °C (79 °F) | 82.0 mm (3.2 in) |
| October | 6:56 pm | no | 21.3 °C (70 °F) | 73.3 mm (2.9 in) |
| November | 5:14 pm | yes, 46 min before | 15.7 °C (60 °F) | 75.9 mm (3.0 in) |
| December | 5:03 pm | yes, 57 min before | 12.4 °C (54 °F) | 40.9 mm (1.6 in) |
How to read it: from November to January the sun sets before closing: arrive an hour earlier for the golden light over the Old Port. The rest of the year the sun sets after 6 pm, when the gates and parking lots are closed: aim for the morning, with the light facing the city, or the late afternoon.
Getting there: bus 60, on foot or by car
- By bus: line 60 from the Mucem, the Town Hall and the Old Port, to parking lot no. 1 at the foot of the basilica, one bus every 20 minutes according to the basilica; timetables on rtm.fr.
- On foot: by the streets climbing the hill or the pine-wood paths, from the Old Port (cours Jean-Ballard, rue Breteuil, boulevard Vauban, rue Fort-du-Sanctuaire).
- By car: four free parking lots on the grounds, about 150 spaces, open from 7 am to 6 pm; parking is not allowed on the grounds after 6 pm.
Accessibility: the basilica does not publish a detailed page on access for visitors with reduced mobility; the museum says its discovery workshop is also designed for people with reduced mobility. Ask the sanctuary before you come.
Common mistakes
- Driving up for sunset in summer: the parking lots close at 6 pm.
- Coming with a dog, even in your arms: not allowed on the esplanades or in the basilica.
- Visiting the interior during Sunday morning Mass: visits are limited.
- Paying for an « entry ticket » on a reseller site: entry is free.
What to see nearby
The Mucem is linked to the basilica by bus 60, which also serves the Old Port. Then: Cassis, Porquerolles and our Provence page. For entry requirements, see entry requirements for France.
Frequently asked questions
Is visiting Notre-Dame de la Garde free?
Yes, the basilica, the crypt and the esplanades are free. Only the museum charges admission: €4 for an adult, €2 for ages 10–17 and at the reduced rate, free under 10.
What are the opening hours of Notre-Dame de la Garde?
The sanctuary is open every day from 7 am to 6 pm; the museum from 9 am to 5 pm. The parking lots also close at 6 pm.
How do you get up to Notre-Dame de la Garde by bus?
Take RTM line 60 from the Mucem, the Town Hall or the Old Port: it stops at parking lot no. 1, at the foot of the basilica, with a bus every 20 minutes according to the basilica.
Can you see the sunset from Notre-Dame de la Garde?
Only from about November to January, when the sun sets before the 6 pm closing time, according to our astronomical calculation. The rest of the year the site is closed at sunset.
Can you park at Notre-Dame de la Garde?
Yes, four free parking lots with about 150 spaces in total are open from 7 am to 6 pm, except for exceptional events.
Our sources
- Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde (basiliquenotredamedelagarde.com): hours and access, Masses and services, museum, our history, consulted on 23 October 2026
- Météo-France: 1991–2020 normals, Marignane station, as used on our Marseille page
- Astronomical calculations: NOAA solar algorithm, IANA Europe/Paris time zone, applied by Destination de Voyage to the approximate coordinates of the basilica (15th of each month, year 2027)
- Our methodology
Updated November 2026. Prices, hours and access rules may change: check the official website before you go.