Royal Fort — Attraction in Grasse

The mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask and Alexander Dumas have inspired many to take the short ferry ride from Cannes to Île Sainte-Marguerite and explore the Royal Fort. It is definitely worth visiting as the entry to see the cell where the Man in the Iron Mask and the Museum is cheap. To access the fort one has to take the ferry service and the ferry operates every hour from Cannes (during the off season). There is car parking at the ferry terminal and it's not expensive to park there. You can purchase tickets online or at the shop and during the off season it was not crowded. The ferry ride is 15 mins and once you get off the island the access to the fort is a short walk with well maintained signs. There are hiking trails around the island and we groups out on the trails. The entry to the fort is free and you can see a cannon commissioned in Strasbourg at the entry with the stamping still intact. There are various view points to see the water and the access to the cell and museum is in one of the corner buildings with signs indicating. We were there at 10:15 and had to wait 5 mins for the museum to be opened up and to purchase tickets. The cell is nothing special but if you read the details of how and why it came into existence along with the guest who was houses in here it makes it interesting and the curiosity kicks in to explore more. There are paintings in adjacent cells to remind us of other prisoners that suffered at the fort. There is a museum visit included with the ticket and it provides a visual feast to those that crave for history and the Greco Roman civilization. Remains from a trading vessel and the water capturing cistern were two of the eye catching artifacts. The museum experience is great and makes the price of the ticket plus ferry worth the travel. There are restrooms not far off from the museum building by one of the quarters close to the water view. Exploring the fort area takes one to the fully intact historical church where one can enter the church to view through the glassed area and also go up the stairs to get a good view. Overall a good place to explore not far...

From what I can see in the comments, the island doesn't appeal to everyone. Better said to those that don't know a bit of history. Or to those that don't have the common sense to know that ALL MUSEUMS are closed on Mondays. Some people complain about the fact that the island is not cleaned and I suppose they are talking about the fallen branches that you can see in the forest for example, but to me that only adds to its charm. Why clean it and make it perfect when in those times nobody would have done it and since it's a fort/prison not some luxury estate ?? Instead of appreciating the authenticity, people complain about it. Also, those that say there is nothing to see must be really narrow minded people who spend a lot of time on their phones and cannot appreciate nature and history not one bit. Sad people. I recommend this island to anyone who loves to take a stroll in the past and enjoyes the smell of sea and forest while discovering endless paths that are scattered all...

A great place for hiking and trekking. You reach to this island through Ferry ride which frequent every hour. Last time for return from the island on our ferry tickets was 1830 hours. There is this fort on the top with breathtaking views which used to be a prison jail. There is a museum inside the fort which boasts to have the famous Iron mask of the unidentified French prisoner. Unfortunately, the prison and the iron mask were not open for viewing during our visit as they were setting up for grand opening of the exhibition. We could only see roman cistern system and old Roman ship excavation items and all other exhibitions were closed. We didn't find it value for money 4€ per person. I would recommend carry light as it is up hill climb. Do carry water. There are few food kiosks on the way up...