Marseille-If i dont do excursion, what to do?

[SpringTXcruiser]

any suggestions on what to do in Marseilles, France? Excursions are pretty expensive. Can I just walk off the ship and shop and maybe walk around.?

 

thanks in advance......Cruise Critics never let me down....

~tina~

[Hlitner]

In Marseille you will first need to get into town from the port which you can do by either using the ships shuttle service or a taxi. Once in town you can certainly spend your time just walking or even using public transit. If you are interested in going to the charming city of Aix en Provence you can get there on either the bus or a train (both leave from St Charles Train Station.

 

Hank

[AngloinProvence]

Once in the centre of Marseille, there are a number of possibilities: the Grand Tour (hop-on-hop-off bus) and the Petit Train (little tourist train) will take you to the major sights.

 

If you want to go around under your own steam, the metro and bus network in Marseille is fast and well-organised - you can also buy a Citypass which gives you travel on the public transport network plus entry to the major sights. It's quite a good deal.

 

Plus there are oddball options such as bicycle taxis and tuk-tuks... More about how to get around Marseille: http://www.marseille-provence.info/marseille-marseilles/practical-information-travel-food-climate/20-how-to-get-around-marseille.html

[Mrs Miggins]

Looked at the marseille link thanks.

Hank, have been to marseille before. I know you have great ideas and know the area well. My travelling companions are not so keen as I am to explore . Is the journey to Aix by train easy. Would love to 'sell' it to them. Any idea on timings? Unless of course you have another option.

We will be on Azmara Rome to Barcelona and the itinerary looks great.

Thanks for your amazing input on the Europe boards.

'

 

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[Hlitner]

Looked at the marseille link thanks.

Hank, have been to marseille before. I know you have great ideas and know the area well. My travelling companions are not so keen as I am to explore . Is the journey to Aix by train easy. Would love to 'sell' it to them. Any idea on timings? Unless of course you have another option.

We will be on Azmara Rome to Barcelona and the itinerary looks great.

Thanks for your amazing input on the Europe boards.

'

 

.

 

Thanks for the kind words. We learned a hard lesson years ago to not waste too much time trying to persuade reluctant travelers. Some folks just do not have the spriit of adventure and sometimes we wonder if they would be happier in their own living rooms. We hope your friends do not fall into that category. Aix en Provence is often mentioned on these boards because it is a charming city with much to offer a day traveler (or those that prefer to spend a few days in the area). Getting to Aix from Marseille is quite easy once you can get from the port into Marseille. There are frequent trains and buses (which also leave from the bus station right outside the train station) and both will get you to Aix in about 45 min. If you have a group of 4 you would probably do well in simply getting a taxi from the port directly to the St Charles train station (assuming there are taxis willing to do the run). Aix's own tourist office does a great job laying out options so I will simply give you their link:

http://en.aixenprovencetourism.com/aix-visiter.htm

 

As to Marseille, it is a very large city which for some reason has never become very popular with tourists. Marseille does also have its charms, plenty of cafes, and some nice neighborhoods. DW and I have spent a couple of days exploring Marseille and for some reason just never felt it had the kind of atmosphere we have grown to love throughout France. So, we tend not to recommend crusiers staying in Marseille for their port day. To be honest, we have been waiting to be persuaded otherwise and have been looking for other posters like Eurocruiser and Terry to convince us we have missed something in Marseille :)

 

For the really adventurious cruiser we think it makes a lot of sense to rent a car in Marseille and spent the day exploring the parts of Provence within an hours drive (or even a bit further if you have a long port day). But otherwise, it just makes a lot of sense to visit Aix and explore this popular city.

 

Hank