Marseille or Toulon?

[AutumnSky]

I am looking at a Mediterranean cruise which has two sailing dates. One goes to Marseille, and the other to Toulon. I've looked at the excursions offered, and they are similar. Looking at a map, Marseille looks closer to some of the sights, such as Aix-en-Provence and Arles, but the driving time for the excursions shows the same for both ports. Seems odd. Is one port preferable to the other? Both have historic sites and charming towns, which I love. I'd appreciate any feedback you may have. I do understand that preferences are subjective, but I wonder if I've missed something of which I should be aware. Thank you!

[mskaufman]

If you are taking a tour to Aix or Arles, it does not matter. If you are DIY'ing, my guess is that there are better transportation options from Marseille but will let someone else comment on that.

[kate52]

We've stopped at both ports and enjoyed them both.

I think Marseille has more to see than Toulon, but we docked right in town in Toulon. This obviously made it easier to go on a trip, stop off in town and make our own way back to the ship. However, I have read that bigger ships were docking elsewhere- La Seyne?

The cruise port in Marseille is some way out of town, about a 20 minute coach ride.

[AutumnSky]

Thank you, mskaufman and kate52, for responding. I guess I need to decide exactly what I want to see in the one day we'll be in Provence, then see how accessible it would be from each port. Thanks again!