Marseille to Aix en Provence

[ladocevita]

So can we walk to bus stop from port ? Understand it takes about 35 minutes and from the tourist office very walkable. 
On the way back how do we get to the town of Marseille. Read not close to port. Any help appreciated

[Hlitner]

As a general rule no.  Most cruise ships dock in a commercial port that is a long hike into town and even further to the bus terminal (which is adjacent to the train station).   On the way back you can take a bus or train from Aix back to Marseille.  At that point most would suggest just grabbing a taxi at the train station and having them take you back to the port.  Another option would be to walk to the Vieux Port (Old Port) where the shuttle buses (which can cost money depending on the cruise line) load to go back to the port.

 

Hank

[ladocevita]

13 hours ago, Hlitner said:

As a general rule no.  Most cruise ships dock in a commercial port that is a long hike into town and even further to the bus terminal (which is adjacent to the train station).   On the way back you can take a bus or train from Aix back to Marseille.  At that point most would suggest just grabbing a taxi at the train station and having them take you back to the port.  Another option would be to walk to the Vieux Port (Old Port) where the shuttle buses (which can cost money depending on the cruise line) load to go back to the port.

 

Hank

Hi Hank… you’ve been a great help now and in the past. So do you suggest we take shuttle to the old port in marseille and then walk to train or bus station to Aix? And then do the same thing in reverse. 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, ladocevita said:

Hi Hank… you’ve been a great help now and in the past. So do you suggest we take shuttle to the old port in marseille and then walk to train or bus station to Aix? And then do the same thing in reverse. 

Because time is always an issue with port days we actually recommend grabbing a taxi from the port to the train/bus station.  Using shuttle buses is our 2nd option (especially if you cannot get a taxi)  but you do waste time just waiting for the shuttle.  The walk to the train station (from the shuttle drop) is certainly reasonable although it will take most walkers about 15 min.    When you return, we think it usually depends on how much time and energy you have remaining (Aix is a large city that can wear you out).  If you have the time and energy you might want to walk to the old port area and perhaps enjoy a drink at one of the restaurant cafes.  Otherwise the taxi is the easiest option.  Taxi fares do add up on a cruise, but we do often find that saving the time and aggravation outweighs the extra cost.

 

 

[ladocevita]

6 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Because time is always an issue with port days we actually recommend grabbing a taxi from the port to the train/bus station.  Using shuttle buses is our 2nd option (especially if you cannot get a taxi)  but you do waste time just waiting for the shuttle.  The walk to the train station (from the shuttle drop) is certainly reasonable although it will take most walkers about 15 min.    When you return, we think it usually depends on how much time and energy you have remaining (Aix is a large city that can wear you out).  If you have the time and energy you might want to walk to the old port area and perhaps enjoy a drink at one of the restaurant cafes.  Otherwise the taxi is the easiest option.  Taxi fares do add up on a cruise, but we do often find that saving the time and aggravation outweighs the extra cost.

 

 

Hi Hank…How much approx. would a taxi cost from ship to train station ? Which is faster/better taking the train or bus to Aix? 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, ladocevita said:

Hi Hank…How much approx. would a taxi cost from ship to train station ? Which is faster/better taking the train or bus to Aix? 

Now you put on the spot!  We have not been to that port in about 3 1/2 years (thanks to COVID) and prices have certainly increased.  My educated guess is a taxi would likely ask about 25 Euros (for the entire taxi).  If there are some larger van/taxis the drivers might offer a per person price somewhere between 5-10 Euros per person.    Train vs bus is a good question.  But assume that most of the trains take 40-45 min.  The buses  (used to be the L050 route) and the time varies depending on the time of the day.  In low traffic times I think the buses can make it in about 35 min, but when there is traffic it would likely be about 45 min.   What to do depends on your timing (what is next?) and your own feeling (do you prefer a train to a bus).  The buses from St Charles (the train station) run very frequently (several times an hour).  

 

I am hesitant about saying too much since we have not been there in the past year.  COVID has changed many things in many places and those of us who do our own thing need to learn about changes.  In fact, on our April visit to Nice we discovered that the ole #400 bus we used to take from a bus terminal in Nice to St Paul de Vence no longer departs from anywhere in Nice.  It now originates from a bus terminal out near the airport and one must connect using a relatively new (and very nice) tram line,    We had no clue to these changes until we were in Nice and asked our hotel concierge.   For all we know there are also some changes within Marseille.  I would not expect changes between Marseille and Aix since both the train and bus routes are popular and run many times every day.

 

Hank

[ladocevita]

9 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Now you put on the spot!  We have not been to that port in about 3 1/2 years (thanks to COVID) and prices have certainly increased.  My educated guess is a taxi would likely ask about 25 Euros (for the entire taxi).  If there are some larger van/taxis the drivers might offer a per person price somewhere between 5-10 Euros per person.    Train vs bus is a good question.  But assume that most of the trains take 40-45 min.  The buses  (used to be the L050 route) and the time varies depending on the time of the day.  In low traffic times I think the buses can make it in about 35 min, but when there is traffic it would likely be about 45 min.   What to do depends on your timing (what is next?) and your own feeling (do you prefer a train to a bus).  The buses from St Charles (the train station) run very frequently (several times an hour).  

 

I am hesitant about saying too much since we have not been there in the past year.  COVID has changed many things in many places and those of us who do our own thing need to learn about changes.  In fact, on our April visit to Nice we discovered that the ole #400 bus we used to take from a bus terminal in Nice to St Paul de Vence no longer departs from anywhere in Nice.  It now originates from a bus terminal out near the airport and one must connect using a relatively new (and very nice) tram line,    We had no clue to these changes until we were in Nice and asked our hotel concierge.   For all we know there are also some changes within Marseille.  I would not expect changes between Marseille and Aix since both the train and bus routes are popular and run many times every day.

 

Hank

Thanks Hank! We are there from 8-6 on Wed. Sept 7. I have posted on our roll call, Regal Princess Aug 27, if another couple wants to share a taxi with us from ship to train station. Will take whichever comes first either the bus or train since takes about the same length of time. On the way back will probably stop and have a glass of French wine in Marseille time permitting.
 

[AndreaUbok]

We will be on the Constellation 9/23 at docked at Provence Toulon, France.  We've never been to Provence or Marseille. Can anyone recommend a comprehensive private tour for this port?  Would anyone else be interested in sharing the tour with us?    Thanks, Andrea & Mike 

[Hlitner]

53 minutes ago, AndreaUbok said:

We will be on the Constellation 9/23 at docked at Provence Toulon, France.  We've never been to Provence or Marseille. Can anyone recommend a comprehensive private tour for this port?  Would anyone else be interested in sharing the tour with us?    Thanks, Andrea & Mike 

You probably should also post this on the CC Roll Call for your cruise.  Perhaps you will get lucky and find somebody else with similar thoughts :).  We should also mention that Toulon is an entirely different port (and location) than Marseille.   It is about an hour drive between the two ports.  Access to parts of Provence are slightly different.    Toulon is also relatively close to both Le Sayne sur Mer and Bandol.  There are also some beaches in the area which might interest a few cruisers.

 

Hank