1st time Marseille - Aix, Le Baux or Luberon on our own?

[llarsen]

Hello,

 

We will be in Marseille Oct 10, 2013 8:00am-6:00pm (first time to the Med)

We plan on taking the train to Aix-de-Provence for the day, but saw photos of Le Baux and Luberon villages that look fabulous.

 

We want to keep the price down, (will be doing a lot in Italy)

Our other ports in France are Cannes and St Tropez.

 

Will Aix be a nice enough day for us, or should we rent a car and see Le Baux or Luberon?

The train seems inexpensive, but not sure we can even get to the others by train.

I'm guessing a car will cost around 150.00?

 

Should we stick with Aix given our time in port, or are we really missing something not going to Le Baux or Luberon?

 

Also do we need to buy our train tickets online prior or get them when boarding the train?

Thanks!

[hubofhockey]

We enjoyed Les Baux. It is certainly unique. I think you certainly could combine Les Baux with another stop such as Arles or Aix.

[Hlitner]

Great questions and you are correct. If you want to simply go to Aix en Provence, Avignon, or Arles this can be done by train (or even bus for Aix). But to go to places like Les Baux (we love this town) or explore the Luberon (its a large rural region) you would need a car. Will you miss something by not going to Les Baux? Yes.....Les Baux! But seriously, we have spent months exploring Provence (we have previously rented an apartment in St Remy) and have yet to see everything. On a port day you need to carefully pick and choose and perhaps think about returning for a multi-week vacation in Provence.

 

Hank

[cberge]

I see you have another post on this board,and maybe more.Dp some reading on these boards re your ports as well as go to the library and take out some guide books to get the lay of the land re your port of calls to see what you might like to see and do since you have not been in the Med before.A little reading can go a long way to a great cruise.

[hubofhockey]

When we had our stop at Marseille a couple of years ago, our thought was that we might not get the chance to go back there for quite some time. We did a tour that included Les Baux, Arles, and the Pont du Gard. It was one of the best days I have had in the Med. Maybe at some point we will make it back. But if we don't, I have no regrets about our day there and I would recommend seeing Les Baux, if only because how unique it is.

[llarsen]

Thank you all for your replies.

 

I tried looking on a map to see how far away these places are from Marseille, but it's hard to judge not knowing the area and traffic conditions.

 

cberge- I have Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports, which has really helped a lot!

But he only mentions Les Baux as a medieval castle and hill town packed with boutiques and cafes. I've seen it mentioned hear on Cruise Critics which is why I'm considering it.

 

Hank- I've come across so many of your posts packed with helpful information! Love reading them even if it's a port we will not be visiting.

 

Our ship sails at 6:00, so if we rent car should probably be back in Marseille by 4:30 to return car and board by 5:30.

Do you think we have time to rent car and see Aix, Les Baux and possibly some others, or should we save them for another trip?

Maybe take train or bus and combine Aix and maybe Avignon or Arles?

 

I'm sure we will be back to this area, but you know how it is...you want to see the nicest places if possible.

 

Thanks again!

[cberge]

Thank you all for your replies.

 

I tried looking on a map to see how far away these places are from Marseille, but it's hard to judge not knowing the area and traffic conditions.

 

cberge- I have Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports, which has really helped a lot!

But he only mentions Les Baux as a medieval castle and hill town packed with boutiques and cafes. I've seen it mentioned hear on Cruise Critics which is why I'm considering it.

 

Hank- I've come across so many of your posts packed with helpful information! Love reading them even if it's a port we will not be visiting.

 

Our ship sails at 6:00, so if we rent car should probably be back in Marseille by 4:30 to return car and board by 5:30.

Do you think we have time to rent car and see Aix, Les Baux and possibly some others, or should we save them for another trip?

Maybe take train or bus and combine Aix and maybe Avignon or Arles?

 

I'm sure we will be back to this area, but you know how it is...you want to see the nicest places if possible.

 

Thanks again!

Love.love.love Les Baux...great place for French tablecloths,and material.Have a grea time no matter where you go.:D

[soonerdi]

llarsen, we are also going to Provence (Marseille) France from an NCL cruise in May. We wondered about getting from the port to Marseille. Do you have any information on this? We didn't know if it was better to do an excursion with NCL, or go on our own? Any information you can supply will be helpful. We are new at this :)

Diane

[buggins0402]

Thank you all for your replies.

 

I tried looking on a map to see how far away these places are from Marseille, but it's hard to judge not knowing the area and traffic conditions.

 

cberge- I have Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports, which has really helped a lot!

But he only mentions Les Baux as a medieval castle and hill town packed with boutiques and cafes. I've seen it mentioned hear on Cruise Critics which is why I'm considering it.

 

Hank- I've come across so many of your posts packed with helpful information! Love reading them even if it's a port we will not be visiting.

 

Our ship sails at 6:00, so if we rent car should probably be back in Marseille by 4:30 to return car and board by 5:30.

Do you think we have time to rent car and see Aix, Les Baux and possibly some others, or should we save them for another trip?

Maybe take train or bus and combine Aix and maybe Avignon or Arles?

 

I'm sure we will be back to this area, but you know how it is...you want to see the nicest places if possible.

 

Thanks again!

 

If you take the train - would suggest you just do Aix - there's enough to sites to wander around there and have a pleasant lunch.

 

If you want to rent a car - Les Baux is really nice (it's similar to Eze) and St. Remy is just a few miles up the road - a really pleasant little Provence town (not a Luberon town but really nice). You might also do a web search of Provence market days and see if any of the little towns in the area of those two have a market - those are always neat to run across.

 

Depends what you're after - small town Provence or bigger town Provence.

Avignon is a push - there's so much to see and it's big and relatively far. Arles has never been a favorite of mine - but that's just a personal thing.

[llarsen]

soonerdi- I think we have decided to take the train from Marseille to Aix-en-Provence.

It seems very easy and looks like there is much to see there. I believe it is 45mins by train and you can easily do your own walking tour of the area.

 

If you send me your email, I will email you the walking tour I have for Aix-en-Provence.

Or you can pick up a copy of Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports. It has lots of information in there, and it is where I got the walking tour directions.

 

What other ports are you going to?

[llarsen]

buggins0402- Thanks for the info. I think you are right, we will just do Aix since we are taking the train. Looks like there is enough for us to see, and we don't want to stress about missing the ship venturing out too far.

Thanks!

[Colorado Kat]

buggins0402- Thanks for the info. I think you are right, we will just do Aix since we are taking the train. Looks like there is enough for us to see, and we don't want to stress about missing the ship venturing out too far.

Thanks!

 

Good decision! Don't try to cram too much into one day. Aix-en-Provence is a delightful town.

[CCJack]

I have a similar question... we have full days planned for most of our cruise and I would really like a half day at Marseille - and return to the ship to relax in the afternoon. It looks like Les Baux is recommended by most over Aix, so I think we will probably do that... Aix is a bigger village, however, correct?

[enakvacation]

soonerdi- I think we have decided to take the train from Marseille to Aix-en-Provence.

It seems very easy and looks like there is much to see there. I believe it is 45mins by train and you can easily do your own walking tour of the area.

 

If you send me your email, I will email you the walking tour I have for Aix-en-Provence.

Or you can pick up a copy of Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports. It has lots of information in there, and it is where I got the walking tour directions.

 

What other ports are you going to?

 

 

llarsen, would love to see that walking tour for Aix-en-Provence

[llarsen]

enakvacation- Sure, I can email it to you if you give me your address.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

enakvacation- Sure, I can email it to you if you give me your address.

 

Llarsen, Can you email me your walking tour too - thanks winikj @ bellsouth dot net :)

Much appreciated.

[tsuds]

Hello!

 

My questions seem similar to those put forth in this original post, so here goes...

 

We are a family of five renting a car for an all day (approx 8am to 8pm, ship departs @ 2300) Sunday shore excursion from the port of Marseilles this summer. Unfortunately our time in Provence is very limited but we are hoping to get a "taste" of the region. After some research, we are hoping to visit Les Baux and St Remy, then possibly swing west to the Luberon region (Roussillon) before heading back to Marseilles. Does this seem too ambitious? If so, any alternative recommendations? Also, not sure if we can get an in-car navigation system. Any iphone map app or Michelin map suggestions?

 

All and any suggestions would be most appreciated!

 

Tim

[tsuds]

Great questions and you are correct. If you want to simply go to Aix en Provence, Avignon, or Arles this can be done by train (or even bus for Aix). But to go to places like Les Baux (we love this town) or explore the Luberon (its a large rural region) you would need a car. Will you miss something by not going to Les Baux? Yes.....Les Baux! But seriously, we have spent months exploring Provence (we have previously rented an apartment in St Remy) and have yet to see everything. On a port day you need to carefully pick and choose and perhaps think about returning for a multi-week vacation in Provence.

 

Hank

Hi Hank,

I always look forward to reading your suggestions posted on cruise critic-detailed but practical and quite often a bit of humor thrown in!

We will have a rental car out of Marseilles for 12 hours on a Sunday this summer and have never been to Provence. If this were your one shot at seeing this part o' the world, where would you go? What would you attempt to squeeze in during the 720 minutes available (but who is counting!)?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Tim

[buggins0402]

Hi Hank,

I always look forward to reading your suggestions posted on cruise critic-detailed but practical and quite often a bit of humor thrown in!

We will have a rental car out of Marseilles for 12 hours on a Sunday this summer and have never been to Provence. If this were your one shot at seeing this part o' the world, where would you go? What would you attempt to squeeze in during the 720 minutes available (but who is counting!)?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Tim

 

Not Hank, but if we could do only one thing on a Sunday in Provence it would be this....

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

 

If you love markets - this town's Sunday market is the biggest market in Provence (and it isn't just Antiques).

[marco2]

Just returned from a med cruise. We had planned to take the bus to Aix( runs more frequently,cheaper and takes same amount of time) The bus stop is right beside the train station. In the end our taxi driver encouraged us to have him drive us, and pick us up. We were a group of 4, so although a bit more it seemed worth it for us. (I think it was 55e each way). anyways check out the bus, leaves every 10 minutes for just over 5 euros each way.

[Hlitner]

Sorry to be slow responding, but yes, we have been busy traveling. We agree that Isle sur la sorgue is the place to go on a Sunday morning. However it is important to get there early as much of the market starts to pack-up by noon. When we rented a flat in St Remy we drove over to Isle Sur La Sorgue every Sunday. It is one of the best weekly markets in all of France. After visiting that market you might want to drive over to Les Baux for a visit.

 

Hank

[llarsen]

Julia-I have tried emailing you but it says it's not a good address.

Can you recheck it.

Thanks!

[lamwinn]

enakvacation- Sure, I can email it to you if you give me your address.

Hi LLarsen,

I also need the walking tour. Please email me: lamwinn@yahoo.com

Thank you so very much. I will be on the cruise in June 2013