Marseille for the day

[cruisin73]

Our cruise will be docking in Marseille.  Can we get off the ship and walk to the center of town or would we need to get a taxi or are there shuttle buses there to take you to town?  

[edinburgher]

Fos (where the cruise terminal is,) is quite some distance from Marseille centre and is quite spread out.

 

You could take a taxi all the  way , or there is a public bus outside the port, which may be some distance from your dock,  but many cruise lines run their own shuttle buses from your dock to a central point near the Old Port.

 

Another option might be to take a taxi from the port to Joliette, a transport /terminus  hub which is part way between Fos and the city centre and from there take a public bus or Metro to wherever your first sightseeing stop is to be. An example could be public bus from Joliette to Notre Dame de la Garde.  You would need to check  Marseille bus routes online  to see if there is a direct bus on that route or if a change might be needed. (There is no Metro station at ND de la G.

[Hlitner]

Spending a day in Marseille (we have spent 2) has two problems.  Problem 1.  Spending a day in Marseille.   and Problem 2.  Not taking advantage of Marseille's geographical location to venture into some of the more charming parts of Provence. 

 

If you have your heart set on spending a day in a larger city without a lot of travel, one can easily get up to Aix en Provence.  But then there is the Luberon (with many charming villages), Arles, Nimes, Avignon, St Remy, Les Baux, Pont du Gard, etc. etc.  Truly a fabulous part of France.

[buckeye7]

11 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Not taking advantage of Marseille's geographical location to venture into some of the more charming parts of Provence

Hlitner, we are considering Cassis for our Marseille port day (have been to Marseille once before.) Would you recommend Cassis as well? I read there’s a winery right outside of town that I thought might be fun. Thanks for any advice!

[Hlitner]

We think Cassis is a fine destination for a day trip.  DW and I are happy, in most parts of France, enjoying a long lunch with regional wine.  We drove through the Calanques area and imagine a boat tour of the area (which we have never done) would offer some rewarding views.  We have never visited any of the area's wineries, but always enjoy winery tours.

 

I should mention, that depending on what time of year one is in Marseille, one might want to consider heading towards the Luberon (think, Peter Mayle's "A Year on Provence") to see some of the Lavender fields.  I am not a flower kind of guy but will admit to having been "wowed" by miles of lavender fields.
 

 

Hank

[cruisin73]

Could we take a taxi from the port in Marseille to Provence?  Would it be easy to get a taxi back to port from Provence?

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, cruisin73 said:

Could we take a taxi from the port in Marseille to Provence?  Would it be easy to get a taxi back to port from Provence?

You need to study some of the local geography.  Marseille is part of Provence.   The region is over 31,000 square kilometers. of about 12,000 square miles.  So you need to be more specific on where you want to go in Provence (you can easily drive hundreds of miles).  French taxis are very expensive so this is not usually a good option unless you want to stay in a relatively compact area.

 

As to how to get around, you have many options including excursions, tours, rental car, trains, buses, and even your feet :).  I will tell you that we have spent many weeks in Provence and have not even come close to seeing most of the region.

 

Hank

[cruisin73]

Hank thank you.  Clearly I need to research this area much more.

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, cruisin73 said:

Hank thank you.  Clearly I need to research this area much more.

Come on back with any questions as there are quite a few folks here who are familiar with that part of France.  Our first visit to Provence was on a cruise.  That led us to return (again and again) on independent driving trips, renting apartments, etc.  I always suggest that folks planning to visit Provence, for the first time, read Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence."  The book will make you smile and give you some knowledge of the atmosphere found in this part of the country.

 

Hank

[marazul]

20 hours ago, cruisin73 said:

Could we take a taxi from the port in Marseille to Provence?  Would it be easy to get a taxi back to port from Provence?

That is like saying that you are in Port Canaveral and you want to take a taxi to Florida. 

 

[edinburgher]

Clearly I need to research this area much more.

 

I agree with above suggestions that you need to read about the region of Provence (which  as pointed out above, is an entire region, not a specific town or city.) and decide WHERE you want to actually visit. Once you make a decision,you can begin to explore your travel options. Or do it the other way around and look for easier destinations to reach by train.from Marseille  (eg Aix-en Provence a short journey from the main train station in Marseille, and which can also be reached by bus)

 

There is a very good website to delve into,with a two word title, but wary of copyright, can only say the first word is the  english translation of the  french word  merveilleux (an easy translation or use Google translate)  and the second word  is the name of the region you are to read about.

 

You could also look at the shorex being offered by your cruiseline whether or not you want a shorex, as reading what they offer is a good indication of highlights of the region, and something there might appeal. From that point you could then find out how easy that would be to do yourselves.

 

First decision will be to decide if you want to stay in Marseille itself or venture out of the city, mand for that you would need to read about Marseille.  The Marseille Tourist Office has a very good website to start you off, (top right corner to choose the english version) also the website hinted at above, tripadvisor and others.

Edited February 18, 2023 by edinburgher

[bennybear]

On 2/4/2023 at 4:20 AM, buckeye7 said:

Hlitner, we are considering Cassis for our Marseille port day (have been to Marseille once before.) Would you recommend Cassis as well? I read there’s a winery right outside of town that I thought might be fun. Thanks for any advice!

We very much enjoyed a boat tour of the calanques and a lovely lunch in Cassis.  

[vjmatty]

You can also take a ferry to the island of Chateau D'If... it is an old French penitentiary which was the basis for "The Count of Monte Cristo."  The ride over isn't very long and the views are spectacular if the weather is decent.  There is also an outdoor restaurant for lunch... nothing fancy but convenient if you get hungry before the next ferry back to the port.

[cruisin73]

I found 2 excursions.  One through the cruise line going to Aix en Provence.  That one is a walking guided tour. The other one is from a third party vendor not sure if I am allowed to mention who the company is but it is an excursion in marseille. This one is a small group tour with a guide. 

These are some of the things we would see.

Explore the Palais Longchamp and learn about its historical significance

Tour the Old Port and hear about its transformation from your guide

Climb the to the basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde for ocean views 

 

Knowing about these areas better then me Which one would you choose?

 

[marazul]

50 minutes ago, cruisin73 said:

I found 2 excursions.  One through the cruise line going to Aix en Provence.  That one is a walking guided tour. The other one is from a third party vendor not sure if I am allowed to mention who the company is but it is an excursion in marseille. This one is a small group tour with a guide. 

These are some of the things we would see.

Explore the Palais Longchamp and learn about its historical significance

Tour the Old Port and hear about its transformation from your guide

Climb the to the basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde for ocean views 

 

Knowing about these areas better then me Which one would you choose?

 

Aix!!!!!!

[carlmm]

3 hours ago, cruisin73 said:

I found 2 excursions.  One through the cruise line going to Aix en Provence.  That one is a walking guided tour. The other one is from a third party vendor not sure if I am allowed to mention who the company is but it is an excursion in marseille. This one is a small group tour with a guide. 

These are some of the things we would see.

Explore the Palais Longchamp and learn about its historical significance

Tour the Old Port and hear about its transformation from your guide

Climb the to the basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde for ocean views 

 

Knowing about these areas better then me Which one would you choose?

 

The three sites mentioned are some of the major ones in Marseille. Thus it sounds like a reasonable option.

Make sure these are not only outside visits. At least you should also go into the church.

There are many more sights in Marseille to keep a visitor busy for several days, several of which you could also discover on your own, eg the castle, the cathedrale or the NEW museum site by the port.

Either way I certainly recommend for a first visit to enjoy some of the many sights of Marseille and not to travel an hour or more to other cities.  

[bigsky]

On 2/20/2023 at 11:04 AM, cruisin73 said:

I found 2 excursions.  One through the cruise line going to Aix en Provence.  That one is a walking guided tour. The other one is from a third party vendor not sure if I am allowed to mention who the company is but it is an excursion in marseille. This one is a small group tour with a guide. 

These are some of the things we would see.

Explore the Palais Longchamp and learn about its historical significance

Tour the Old Port and hear about its transformation from your guide

Climb the to the basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde for ocean views 

 

Knowing about these areas better then me Which one would you choose?

 

We're also trying to figure out this day. I try and avoid going thru the cruise lines as much as possible. Much more money and too many people. We're looking at another company. Are we allowed to say who? We're actually using them for 3 tours. Small group for much less money. If someone knows if we can mention them, I'd like to suggest them.

Good luck!  We've been on so many cruises, but the Meditteranean cruise is new to us. So many places to see. Plus you really have to travel quite a ways to see the sites.

This is one stop that I want to get out and see the beautiful countryside and charming villages.

[binky&jane]

On 2/26/2023 at 11:55 AM, bigsky said:

We're also trying to figure out this day. I try and avoid going thru the cruise lines as much as possible. Much more money and too many people. We're looking at another company. Are we allowed to say who? We're actually using them for 3 tours. Small group for much less money. If someone knows if we can mention them, I'd like to suggest them.

Good luck!  We've been on so many cruises, but the Meditteranean cruise is new to us. So many places to see. Plus you really have to travel quite a ways to see the sites.

This is one stop that I want to get out and see the beautiful countryside and charming villages.

I think that you can mention the name… 

[Host Bonjour]

On 3/24/2023 at 9:30 PM, binky&jane said:

I think that you can mention the name… 

 

Can confirm that members may name the tour companies of tours they have taken in response to an inquiry from another member about excursions/tour companies recommendations only. 🙂

 

A topic may not be started in order to recommend any private company or paid guide. (as a reminder 😉 )

 

If the tour or excursion has not yet happened, but has been booked, the company may not be recommended, even if they've been lovely to work with so far. Upon return from your cruise, you are welcome to share your experience with other Cruise Critic members who have asked for advice. 

 

Cruise Critic appreciates your understanding and your wonderful contributions to the community. 🙂

 

Colleen

[pfopma]

Rick Steves has a 30 minute show on Provence that you can find on YouTube .Watch that for starters and see if anything interests you. It's a beautiful area.

[debra fox]

On 2/19/2023 at 8:22 AM, vjmatty said:

You can also take a ferry to the island of Chateau D'If... it is an old French penitentiary which was the basis for "The Count of Monte Cristo."  The ride over isn't very long and the views are spectacular if the weather is decent.  There is also an outdoor restaurant for lunch... nothing fancy but convenient if you get hungry before the next ferry back to the port.

This is what we would want to do! Do you have to buy tickets ahead of time?

[vjmatty]

19 hours ago, debra fox said:

This is what we would want to do! Do you have to buy tickets ahead of time?

 

We didn't buy them in advance, and with this port visit being on a weekday you shouldn't have to.  In fact it's probably better to wait and see what the weather is going to be.

[shilu]

Has anybody done Aix en Provence, and Cassis day trip or will this be too rushed?

[marazul]

22 minutes ago, shilu said:

Has anybody done Aix en Provence, and Cassis day trip or will this be too rushed?

Plenty of time for both. Plan to get to Cassis for lunch in one of the many waterfront restaurants. 

[shilu]

3 minutes ago, marazul said:

Plenty of time for both. Plan to get to Cassis for lunch in one of the many waterfront restaurants. 

Thanks Marazul