There are only a very few green spaces in Marseille. Most of those your will find when looking at a…read moremap o Marseille are cementaries a bit away from the city center. Jardin du Pharo is one of the few green spaces that exist reasonably close to the city center.
The locales most definitely have discovered this place. On weekends when the sun is shinning the park fills up with locals playing soccer, having picnics, families with kids playing on the playground and those that just like to enjoy the view of the city from up here (and the view is really good from up here). It's creates an almost electric atmosphere, though still with room to spare is you would just like to sit down and enjoy a bit of sunlight.
Be aware that some of the busses that stops nearby also continues down the coast stopping at the nearby beaches. Practical is you want to go there too, but it also means that they are pretty packed with people and getting off can be a bit tricky.