Excursion decision from Marseille need help

[stone1061]

I have read through the threads and still having a tough time making a decision. We arrive in this port on a Sunday....we originally were going with Aix but i have read many things are closed on Sundays. Options are stay in Marseille for walking tour/food/shopping, Arles and Saint Remy a day in Provence, Aix transfer, or Avignon. It is myself and my 22yr old daughter travelling. Im sure she would love some crepe's and shopping. I cant seem to find something that say "oooh yes lets do that" any help would be great!

[Hlitner]

Your Sunday concern is valid when it comes to shopping. There will be stores open in Aix, but there will also be other stores closed. St Remy (we actually rented an apartment in this town) is not a great choice on Sunday's because many of the small shops (in St Remy its all small shops) are closed. To be honest, although we like St Remy enough to make it our base on long trips we have never understood why its the destination on excursions.

 

So what to do? We are not big fans of Marseille (others might disagree) although it does have some charms (around the old port) and its OK for a quiet day with a nice lunch, perhaps a visit to a church, and a boat ride out to Chateau d'If (if you like old fortresses).

Avignon is a nice place to visit with lots of shopping (even on Sunday) and some sites like the Palace of the Popes. Another good place to visit on Sunday is the small hilltop village of Les Baux (touristy but still cute). An excursion that includes both Avignon and Les Baux would be a good option for 2 ladies :). Otherwise, we would simply head to Aix en Provence either on a tour or by using the easy train or bus options from Marseille.

 

But my favorite Sunday place in all of Provence is Isle sur la Sorgue with its amazing Sunday morning market (unless its a very rainy day) which is one of the best in all of France. But alas, this is generally not an option on cruise line excursions and difficult to do on one's own without a rental car. And the cruise line's do not ask me to design their excursions :( If I were planning a small group tour for a nice Sunday it would immediately drive to L'Isle sur la Sorgue, where we would give our folks about 2 1/2 hours on their own and suggest they get lunch. We would then drive them to the village of Fontaine de Vaucluse to simply stroll, enjoy the atmosphere, etc. If it was a very long port day we would stop in Aix en Provence during the return drive.

 

Hank

Edited October 8, 2018 by Hlitner

[Tranquility Base]

On 10/9/2018 at 7:55 AM, Hlitner said:

 Otherwise, we would simply head to Aix en Provence either on a tour or by using the easy train or bus options from Marseille.

Do you have any advise regarding buying of return train or bus tickets from Marseille - Aix en Provence ?

Also there on a Sunday.

 

Thanks

[Hlitner]

When you are talking of the trains and buses it is generally about regional transportation (similar to commuter transportation).  You simply go to the train/bus station and buy tickets for the train.   You can get them out of vending machines or at a ticket window.  If you are 60+ years old and purchasing a train ticket you can try asking for a "senior" rate which is generally about a 25% discount.  I am not sure if they will give you the discount on this short route but it never hurts to ask :).  In France (like in most of Europe) you will usually need to "validate" a train ticket before you get on the train.  There are validations machines strategically placed....usually near the door that leads to the platforms or sometimes on the platforms. You just insert each ticket into the machine which stamps them with a time/date code.  Failure to validate can get you fined, on the spot, by the train conductor if he/she does a ticket check.  There are some exceptions to the validations rule which apply to the higher speed intercity trains where you actually have a reservation....but this would not impact the trains to Aix.

 

Regarding the bus, we have not used this is decades so I am not sure whether you can just pay the driver or must pre-purchase outside the bus.   Either way you will need to have Euros :).

 

Hank

[Tranquility Base]

Thanks for that Hank.