Has anyone done a pre cruise in Marseille?

[GetMeToTheSpa]

Where did you stay?

Proximity to cruise terminal?

Was there enough to do in the city? 
 

I was surprised that flights for us into Marseille are way cheaper than Barcelona even with the connection in Madrid. So considering embarking in Marseilles instead of Barcelona. 

thanks in advance!  

Edited January 25, 2023 by GetMeToTheSpa
Grammar

[marazul]

10 hours ago, GetMeToTheSpa said:

Where did you stay?

Proximity to cruise terminal?

Was there enough to do in the city? 
 

I was surprised that flights for us into Marseille are way cheaper than Barcelona even with the connection in Madrid. So considering embarking in Marseilles instead of Barcelona. 

thanks in advance!  

HAVE YOU CHECKED WITH YOUR CRUISE LINE THAT THIS IS OK?  YOU NEED TO CLEAR IT BEFORE YOU START LOOKING FOR FLIGHTS.  ALSO ASK FOR A QUOTE ON FLIGHTS FROM YOUR CRUISE LINE.  THEY HAVE HAD SOME GOOD RATES RECENTLY.

 

Also, calculate the price per day of the cruise and factor in how much money you would waste if you skip boarding in Barcelona.  Not to say that you would be missing one of the prime stops of your tour - Barcelona. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by marazul

[edinburgher]

Absolutely check with the cruiseline as different countries may have different embarkation rules

 

Was there enough to do in the city? 

 

As Marseille is the second largest city in France, there is much to see and do, and you would be spoiled for choice.  And in addition to sights including the Old Port, Notre Dame de la Garde, the Cathedral and next door MUCEM, there are several other churches, museums and art  in the city itself, there are boat trips on offer, most popular being to the Calanques or across to the Chateau d'If (of Count of Monte Cristo fame)  I suggest you browse the official Marseille Tourist Info website (choose the english version ), Marvellous Provence, and Tripadvisor for  what you might expect to find there.  it is also easy to move around, using either buse or, the metro network. There are also HOHOs.

 

And wonderful shopping.

 

The main cruise terminals in Marseille are located at Fos, some distance from the city. You could take a taxi or a public bus, the latter not ideal with luggage as it would only take you to the port entrance, and depending on where your ship is docked there could still be quite a walk to reach it from the gate, so a taxi would  be the better option.

 

If you google something like "hotels near Marseille cruise terminals" you should find something, although we have no experience of any in that location, instead  only using airport hotels when we were flying out very early morning.

 

Although I am somewhat biased having been visiting the city off and on for several decades and seeing it become a ever increasing popular tourist destination over that period, it isn't Barcelona, but if you already visited Barcelona and want somewhere different, it is  a good option- providing your cruise line allows it.

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2023 by edinburgher

[GetMeToTheSpa]

On 1/25/2023 at 8:06 PM, marazul said:

HAVE YOU CHECKED WITH YOUR CRUISE LINE THAT THIS IS OK?  YOU NEED TO CLEAR IT BEFORE YOU START LOOKING FOR FLIGHTS.  ALSO ASK FOR A QUOTE ON FLIGHTS FROM YOUR CRUISE LINE.  THEY HAVE HAD SOME GOOD RATES RECENTLY.

 

Also, calculate the price per day of the cruise and factor in how much money you would waste if you skip boarding in Barcelona.  Not to say that you would be missing one of the prime stops of your tour - Barcelona. 

Yes..  The Cruise originates in Marseille.  I was considering one that originates in Barcelona, but was surprised about the flights.  at least from my city.  I wouldn't be missing Barcelona as that is a port on the cruise as well.  Thank you for your info! 

[GetMeToTheSpa]

23 hours ago, edinburgher said:

Absolutely check with the cruiseline as different countries may have different embarkation rules

 

Was there enough to do in the city? 

 

As Marseille is the second largest city in France, there is much to see and do, and you would be spoiled for choice.  And in addition to sights including the Old Port, Notre Dame de la Garde, the Cathedral and next door MUCEM, there are several other churches, museums and art  in the city itself, there are boat trips on offer, most popular being to the Calanques or across to the Chateau d'If (of Count of Monte Cristo fame)  I suggest you browse the official Marseille Tourist Info website (choose the english version ), Marvellous Provence, and Tripadvisor for  what you might expect to find there.  it is also easy to move around, using either buse or, the metro network. There are also HOHOs.

 

And wonderful shopping.

 

The main cruise terminals in Marseille are located at Fos, some distance from the city. You could take a taxi or a public bus, the latter not ideal with luggage as it would only take you to the port entrance, and depending on where your ship is docked there could still be quite a walk to reach it from the gate, so a taxi would  be the better option.

 

If you google something like "hotels near Marseille cruise terminals" you should find something, although we have no experience of any in that location, instead  only using airport hotels when we were flying out very early morning.

 

Although I am somewhat biased having been visiting the city off and on for several decades and seeing it become a ever increasing popular tourist destination over that period, it isn't Barcelona, but if you already visited Barcelona and want somewhere different, it is  a good option- providing your cruise line allows it.

 

 

 

What are HOHO's  I have so much to learn!  🙂  It is greatly appreciated!  

[marazul]

22 minutes ago, GetMeToTheSpa said:

Yes..  The Cruise originates in Marseille.  I was considering one that originates in Barcelona, but was surprised about the flights.  at least from my city.  I wouldn't be missing Barcelona as that is a port on the cruise as well.  Thank you for your info! 

That's good.  It wasn't clear if you were skipping the first port.

Before you decide which cruise to pick, compare the time each of those cruises spends in each port.  Some cruise lines tend to have very short port stops to keep prices down.  That can be a false economy if you don't have enough time to see what you wanted to see.  

 

HOHO = hop on-hop off tour bus

Edited January 27, 2023 by marazul

[jsn55]

On 1/27/2023 at 6:03 AM, GetMeToTheSpa said:

What are HOHO's  I have so much to learn!  🙂  It is greatly appreciated!  

Hop On, Hop Off buses, usually double-deckers with open tops.  My absolute favorite way to tour a city.  Commentary via ear buds so you know what you're seeing, and a good map showing all 'the sights' and location of the bus stops.  You hop on, ride for a while, hop off to see something, hop back on ... or you board the bus and just ride around the whole route.  Whatever you wish.  

 

[Hlitner]

DW and I are not big fans of Marseille, and these days, avoid spending much time in the city.  But even great minds can disagree and folks do each have their own taste.  With that in mind I am posting a link to an very even handed article about Marseille.  Since this article has nothing to do with cruising or travel agencies, it will hopefully be OK with the mods,

https://abrokenbackpack.com/is-marseille-worth-visiting/#:~:text=Report Ad-,The Sights,two stunning churches worth visiting.

 

Our main problem with Marseille (besides the crime problem that can impact one's evenings) is that there are just so many other places (in France and elsewhere) we would rather be!  No question, that we prefer Barcelona (for a short pre or post cruise stay) over Marseille.  We have never embarked on a cruise from Marseille, but if we did we would likely spend pre-cruise time somewhere to the North (Provence) in a nearby city like Aix en Provence or as far away as Avignon (a city where we have even rented an apartment).

 

Hank