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Marseille old town street

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Travel to Marseille

Flying to Marseille

Airlines offering flights to Marseille Provence Airport include British Airways, Air France, Iberia, Ryanair, Delta Airlines, Alitalia, Finnair and KLM. Average flight time from the UK is around two hours. Being a major European city, Marseille is very much a year-round destination, with cheap flights easy to find, although popularity peaks over the summer months, and holiday periods such as Christmas and Easter.

Flight times: 

From London – 1 hour 50 minutes; New York – 11 hours; Los Angeles – 20 hours; Toronto – 13 hours; Sydney – 24 hours; Paris – 50 minutes.

Travel by road

Summary:

Traffic drives on the right in France and the minimum age for driving is 18 years. Drivers must give way to the right, unless the route is marked with 'passage protégé' signs (a broad arrow, a yellow diamond or an ‘X' on a triangular background) or if the driver is at a roundabout indicating ‘Vous n'avez pas la priorité'. Tolls are enforced. Speed limits are 130kph (81mph) on motorways (110kph, or 68mph, when raining), 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways separated by a central reservation, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas.

A national driving licence, the car's registration document, a high-visibility fluorescent vest and a red warning triangle (to be placed on the road in case of breakdown) must be carried at all times. EU nationals taking their own cars to France are advised to obtain a Green Card, without which insurance cover is limited to the minimum legal cover in France. The Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the car owner's domestic policy.

Autoroutes du Sud de la France (ASF) (tel: 0825 016 015; www.asf.fr) is responsible for the motorway network in southern France and produces free maps with information in English. The motorway network number (tel: 0892 707 001) provides information on traffic conditions and driving regulations in southeastern France. Traffic conditions are broadcast on RadioTrafic 107.7FM. Emergency telephones linked up to the police are located every 2km (1.2 miles) on each side of the motorway.

Emergency breakdown service:

Garage du Pharo (tel: 04 9505 3131).

Routes:

Three motorways connecting Spain, Italy and Northern Europe come together at Marseille: the A7 goes to the north (for Aix and Lyon), the A55 to the west (for Fos, Martigues, Monpellier and Barcelona) and the A50 to the east (for Cassis, Toulon, Nice and Genoa). The Prado Carénage Tunnel (toll road) connects the north coastline motorway (A55) to the east motorway (A50) (toll).

Driving times:

From Avignon – 1 hour; Barcelona – 5 hours; Paris – 7 hours.

Coaches:

The coach station in Marseille, place Victor Hugo, 3e, is located right by the train station. Coaches and buses depart from here for a number of destinations in Provence and further afield.

Travel by rail

Services:

There are some 200 trains calling at Marseille daily, including 15 trains to Paris.
Generally, trains are on time. As throughout France, train tickets must be validated prior to boarding – look for the waist-high ‘compostage de billets’ machines at platform entrances. The train station in Marseille, Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles, is the hub for regional and national rail travel.

The extension of the TGV line has brought Marseille within three hours of Paris, from where services connect to Lille, Nantes, Rouen, Brussels and Geneva, as well as onward to London with the Eurostar (tel: 0843 218 6186, in the UK only; www.eurostar.com). Regional trains serve Avignon, Nice, Toulon, Cannes and many other towns on the coast and inland.

Operators:

Societé Nationale de Chemins de Fer (SNCF) (tel: 0892 308 308, or 3635 from within France; www.sncf.fr) is the national rail carrier.

Journey times:

From Lyon – 1 hour 50 mins; Paris – 3 hours; Strasbourg – 6 hours 15 mins; London – 8 hours.

Travel over water

Summary:

There is a large ferry port in Marseille at Port Autonome, 23 place de la Joliette (tel: 04 9139 4000; www.marseille-port.fr), which is claimed to handle 100 million tons of annual traffic. For yachters, there are 13 harbours in the Marseille area, with a combined total of more than 6,500 berths.

Ferry services:

International ferry services are provided by SNCM (tel: 3260, France only; www.sncm.fr), who sail from Marseille to Corsica, Sardinia, Tunisia and Algeria.

Nearest port:

Marseille.

Transport to the city:

The port is located a couple of kilometres north of the city centre, making it straightforward to access by taxi, public transport or even – if you’re pushed – by foot.

Transfer distance:

3km (1.8 miles).

Transfer time:

10-15 minutes.

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