fmax Posted December 8, 2005 #1 Share Posted December 8, 2005 aw a posting on the Princess thread which might be worth duplicating. Have a posting for each of the ports where people can post tips and answers to most often asked questions and it can be the first place to look. I think the idea was that people didn't ask questions in the thread it was purely for posting useful information. And if the information couldn't be found there, they could start their own new thread, or search the boards This way the link doesn't get hijacked and become irrelevant. So here goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted December 8, 2005 Author #2 Share Posted December 8, 2005 Getting around Marseille You can get a taxi or shuttle from the port to Marseille's Old Port or "Vieux Port". If you arrive on a Sunday there's not much to do as the stores are mostly closed. Here is a link which describes the Marseille Metro system http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/mar/marseil.htm There is also a hop on/off bus which will take you around the town. I believe the tourist train that goes around the town will take you closer o the top of Notre Dame de Garde than the tourist bus does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted December 8, 2005 Author #3 Share Posted December 8, 2005 In 1524 a fortress was built to protect Marseille against sea-attacks. The island was later used as a state prison for slaves and republicans. The place has become famous from the novel written by Alexandre Dumas (The Count of Montecristo)and has been opened to public since 1890 You can take a ferry/boat from Marseille's Old Port. Once there you can tour the prison, the museum, and other parts of the island. Also, there is a snack bar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted December 8, 2005 Author #4 Share Posted December 8, 2005 NOTRE-DAME-DE-LA-GARDE http://www.notredamedelagarde.com Towering 531 feet above the harbor, the neo-Byzantine Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde was built in the 19th century. Known affectionately as La Bonne Mère ("The Good Mother"). The basilica and crypt are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted December 8, 2005 Author #5 Share Posted December 8, 2005 NOTRE-DAME-DE-LA-GARDE http://www.notredamedelagarde.com Towering 531 feet above the harbor, the neo-Byzantine Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde was built in the 19th century. Known affectionately as La Bonne Mère ("The Good Mother"). The basilica and crypt are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted December 8, 2005 Author #6 Share Posted December 8, 2005 NOTRE-DAME-DE-LA-GARDE http://www.notredamedelagarde.com Towering 531 feet above the harbor, the neo-Byzantine Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde was built in the 19th century. Known affectionately as La Bonne Mère ("The Good Mother"). The basilica and crypt are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted December 8, 2005 Author #7 Share Posted December 8, 2005 NOTRE-DAME-DE-LA-GARDE http://www.notredamedelagarde.com Towering 531 feet above the harbor, the neo-Byzantine Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde was built in the 19th century. Known affectionately as La Bonne Mère ("The Good Mother"). The basilica and crypt are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted December 8, 2005 Author #8 Share Posted December 8, 2005 Aix en Provence http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/hallgb.htm Cassis http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/bouches/cassis/cassis.htm Avignon http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/vaucluse/avignon/avignon.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivian02 Posted December 11, 2005 #9 Share Posted December 11, 2005 My wife and I did a cruise in the Meditterean in late May of 2004. I did a booking for "Les Bureax" and the tour really worked out well for us. First of all this was the first port to stop and it was on a Sunday. We noticed most of the passengers on this cruise were still jet lagged so the 12:30 PM departure time appealed to us. The scenery was wonderful especially the farther away you got from Marsalle. We will be doing another Meditterean cruise in 2006 but will be porting in Nice and not Marsalle. I would do the Les Bureax tour again or go into the Providence area. Its just so "different". I hate to say this but the word was out about Marsalle when we were there...watch your purses ladies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted January 22, 2006 Author #10 Share Posted January 22, 2006 http://www.frommers.com/images/destinations/maps/jpg/151_marseille.jpg And here is link to tourist site http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/servlet/otcm?LANGUE=2&dist=1GP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Posted January 22, 2006 #11 Share Posted January 22, 2006 We'd like to tour Aix de Provence for half a day from Marseille pier this May. Is the train station very far away on both ends? How about direct bus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted January 22, 2006 Author #12 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Excerpt from http://www.cruise-addicts.com/reviews/readreview.php?id=0000003336 We decided to take the local train to Aix-en-Provence. Unfortunately, on a Sunday, the trains are not so frequent. Arriving in Marseille, we took a 10-15 minute uphill walk to the station and had a 90 minute wait for a train. The queue to buy tickets took nearly 40 minutes though. I think it may be possible to buy them online in advance. There is a Metro line that runs from Vieux Port to Marseille St. Charles. It is only 2 stops and costs 1 and a half Euros single. Please note that the map provided by the ship does not show the station, which is slightly further north. Eventually we caught the 10.48 train, arriving in Aix at 11.37. It is a lovely ride, the line climbs steeply out of the city and into to the Provencal countryside. There was an artisan’s (craft) market all along the main street of Aix. We had a good wander around, a beer watching the world go by and caught the 14.01 train back, arriving in Marseille at 14.41. We could have stayed until later; the last train would have been 16.39, arriving in Marseille at 17.30, allowing plenty of time to catch the metro and coach back to the ship. A site with lots of good info on Aix-en-provence. You can probably post to their forum and get a local to answer your questions http://www.cruise-addicts.com/reviews/readreview.php?id=0000003336 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leighuf Posted January 23, 2006 #13 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Always have a back up plan . . . there was a public transportation strike (no trains, no buses) on the day we were in Marseille. We bought tickets for the Petit Train tour up to the Notre Dame and also the tour of the old city. In addition, we walked to the Abbey (toured the crypts) and the Nicholas Fort. There are many outdoor cafes lining the Vieux port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy paul Posted January 25, 2006 #14 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Last August our ship stopped in Marseilles and my wife arranged a private tour using Catherine from provence-tours.com ( I think that is the correct address). My wife gave her a list of things she wanted to see or do - a private wine tasting, lunch in a country setting, visit to Aix, etc. Catherine arranged all that was asked for and more. We shared the tour with two other couples and had a wonderful time. With the two other cpuples the cost was very reasonable for the services provided. She has a Mercedes 8 passenger van. We recommend her highly. There are other posts about her tours on this site and they are all positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted January 27, 2006 Author #15 Share Posted January 27, 2006 From my useful websites thread Tourisim Websites: http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/s...NGUE=2&dist=1GP (Marseille) Marseille: http://www.provence-travel.com/prov...hiers/home.html http://provencetours.free.fr/accueil_anglais.htm Frances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smurph Posted January 28, 2006 #16 Share Posted January 28, 2006 We've stopped at Marseilles twice now, and the best bet to see the town is the little hop on/off train or bus from the Old Port. Boullaibaise (fish stew) was invented in Marseilles so the other must do thing is sit at a restaurant, order boulliabaise, enjoy the ritual of it being served to you (an enormous platter of every kind of fish arrives, together with a tureen of fish stock/soup, and the fish is added to the soup at the table). Eat slowly, enjoy a glass of fine wine, and watch the ships in the port and the world going by. Can't be beaten! :) :) Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_uk Posted February 10, 2006 #17 Share Posted February 10, 2006 When on an MSC cruise last summer we did a half-day excursion to Cassis. This is a very lovely small fishing village (well it was just a fishing village) that isn't too touristy. We only had a couple of hours there which wasn't enough. Here's a link to the pictures I took that day: http://www.*****/travelpage/aspgallery/view_ad.asp?Ad_ID=1917 Then back to Marseilles, lunch in a cafe by the Vieux Port, and a beer in a harbour-side cafe a while later. An excellent, easy restful day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted February 14, 2006 Author #18 Share Posted February 14, 2006 Some private drivers mentioned on these boards for the area Olivier N’guyen from Rendez-vous Provence.com Catherine at http://www.provence-travel.com Tania from Provence Tours http://provencetours.free.fr/accueil_anglais.htm http://provencetours.free.fr/combines_uk.htm Eva Devemy. It is Provence Sightseeing Cote d’Azur email: contact@provencesightseeing.com Frances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Posted April 14, 2006 #19 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Does anyone know the coach bus details (number, colour, etc.) to Aix en Provence? It takes 50 min according to http://www.provencelive.com/practical/travel/busout.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyoftheLake Posted April 21, 2006 #20 Share Posted April 21, 2006 We have been on a Cruise before and used tour guides but this is the first time we have been to Marseille and are looking for a good tour guide If anyone has used Eva Devemy please respond. She is suggesting lunch at a Michelin Restaurant named L'Oustaou de Beaumaniere, if anyone is familiar with this also please respond Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted May 29, 2006 Author #21 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Some information for getting from Marseille to Aix en Provence The Marseille bus station is conveniently located next to the train station. The bus from Marseille to Aix down-town costs 4,10 euros, leaves every ten minutes. From Aix TGV station to down-town 3,60 euros, leaves every half hour. From Marseille airport to Aix down-town 7,30 euros, leaves every half hour. Bus station "Gare Routière" in Aix Information : +33 442 912 680 Tickets : +33 442 912 681 This is taken from the following website: http://www.provencelive.com/practical/travel/gettoaix.html Frances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melodyis ashore Posted May 30, 2006 #22 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Lady of the Lake: We used Eva in September 2003. She picked up 4 of us in Villefranche and we toured the coast from Antibes to Monte Carlo, exactly the itinerary I requested. I do not have any experience with her dining recommendations. We are early eaters (for France) and were scrounging around Nice for lunch about noon. Nothing open that early for lunch, most places still serving Breakfast. We should have raided the ship and packed the cooler. The only deviation from my itinerary was a Perfume Factory. We agreed to check it out, and were actually pleasantly suprised at the informative "factory" Presentation and had a ball mixing our own "scents". She gives a good quality tour, and went out of her way to make sure we were happy, and any physical needs were accomodated. She's flexible, and will deviate from the itinerary if requested. Actually, we'll be in Marseille in August, and would use her again, if I can find someone else on my Ship to share. No thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted July 28, 2006 Author #23 Share Posted July 28, 2006 Useful site with lots of general info and links to street maps (and satelite) of Marseille http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marseille Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 28, 2006 #24 Share Posted July 28, 2006 I have always enjoyed Marseille. There is much to see here and because of its history has some excellent museums, Notre Dame de la Garde, the Old Port, some very good shopping, and from the Old Port, take a boat trip either along the coast to the beautiful Calanques (by Cassis) or across the bay to the Chateau d'If. There is lots to see and do, it only takes a little planning. It is a bit of a building site right now...has been for the last several years, as the city expands and modernises. It is very much a boom town these days with many individuals and businesses relocating here. It is also becoming a popular week end or short stay destination. It is very much on the "up" although I feel that it has lost some of the charm it had in the past. A few links which some mght find useful. http://www.marseille-cruise.com/gb/Access/access.html http://www.mrsairport.com/eng/acces/acces_bus.jsp#digne http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/servlet/otcm?dist=2GP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted January 24, 2007 Author #25 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I thought it was about time to add to this thread and get it back to the front given the fact we've probably got a lot of new cruisers onboard. So here's a link to the Conde Naste site with an article on Provence. it might give some idea of other places to visit for those who may have already done Marseille or who want to venture further. http://www.concierge.com/destination/provence/seeanddo Frances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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