Is Aix a "must see" or is Toulon Petit Train Okay?

[kimkencruzers]

Hello!

 

My question is: Is Aix en Provence worth it?

 

We are doing a med cruise in the end of March with a family of two adults and two teens. We have a day and a half in Rome (with private transfers all 3 ways) and we have Rome in Limo shared tours booked for Florence and Naples and a ships tour for Carthage. We also plan on doing Sagrida Familia and lots of other things DIY planned in other ports. As you can imagine, this trip is getting pricier and pricier...

 

I will gladly pay for experiences that can't be missed but I am wondering if the Petit Train is enough to get a feel of the place rather than spending $250 on a ships tour to Aix (NCL doesn't offer anything more interesting). I'm worried that while beautiful, Aix is just another small town with fountains and shops and a market like any other. And it may be cold weather in late March. We also would have been in Monaco the day before.

 

DayPortArriveDepartDay 1 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy (EMBARK) --- 5:00 pm

 

 

 

Day 2 Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy 7:00 am 7:00 pm

 

 

 

Day 3 Monte Carlo, Monaco 8:00 am 5:00 pm

 

 

 

Day 4 Provence (Toulon), France 9:00 am 5:00 pm

 

 

 

Day 5 Barcelona, Spain 8:00 am 5:00 pm

 

 

 

Day 6 Valencia, Spain 8:00 am 5:00 pm

 

 

Day 7 At Sea

--- --- Day 8 Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy 8:00 am 5:00 pm

 

 

 

Day 9 Carthage, Tunisia 8:00 am 5:00 pm

 

 

 

Day 10 Palermo, Sicily 8:00 am 5:00 pm

 

 

 

Day 11 Naples, Italy 8:00 am 6:00 pm

 

 

 

Day 12 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy (DISEMBARK) 5:00 am ---

 

What do you think?

 

Thanks!

[Hlitner]

Normally I would not say that Aix is a "must see" but when you compare it to Toulon it might be better classified a "much better option." And if you do not want to spend $250 on a ships tour you could just take the fast TGV train there for about 34 Euros (round trip) and walk around on your own :). It's not hard to do if you do a little pre-trip homework. The train takes about an hour (each way).

 

Hank

[mskaufman]

Agree with Hank that Aix is a better option than Toulon. If the $250 price for a ship tour is per person it is very expensive. Last year, RCI took us there for $54 pp.

[kimkencruzers]

Thanks for the responses.

 

The $250 is for all of us.. more accurately, $59 per person ($236) it is bus to Aix, walking tour and time on your own, total of 5 hours (I guess 2 hours of that is driving). There is also a tour to Marseilles and Aix, total 7.5 hours for $89 per person but I don't think that would be worth the extra money to stop there from what I have read.

 

I also gathered from the board that you don't know where you dock (I'm NCL Jade), so that might add a bunch of complications and the train has to switch in Marseilles, so I'm not sure I want to deal with all that because by the time you add up the taxi and train fare, it's close to the same price for four of us anyway. The private tours are very expensive.

[Twickenham]

It appears you will be there on a Tuesday, which is market day in Aix. That alone would make it a must for me.

[kimkencruzers]

It appears you will be there on a Tuesday, which is market day in Aix. That alone would make it a must for me.

 

 

Thanks for that! I thought they had a farmers market every day?

[Hlitner]

Thanks for that! I thought they had a farmers market every day?

 

The "markets" is France are very special and most communities have one (or two) market days a week. The folks that set up stands at these markets actually travel around from town to town so that if you spend a lot of time in France and go to many markets you actually get to know some of the vendors. The Aix market is a good one and attracts lots of interesting vendors. We often tell folks that if you want to learn about the local/regional culture just go a market.

 

When we rented an apartment in St Remy we used to keep a list of all the various markets on our fridge. On many days it was the highlight to visit the market towns.

 

Hank

[kimkencruzers]

Sounds like Aix is the place to go, I hope it's enough time. With 9 hours in port, you would think they would give you more time there.

[mskaufman]

If it helps, here is a link to our Aix pictures

 

https://markandkareneurope2012.shutterfly.com/pictures/497

[kimkencruzers]

If it helps, here is a link to our Aix pictures

 

https://markandkareneurope2012.shutterfly.com/pictures/497

 

 

Thank you for posting! I saw these from another thread also. I especially liked the one with the older guy with his bag of baguettes and the older lady with the cane and her shopping bag.

[mskaufman]

Thanks, I used to only do lanscapes and cityscapes. My DW has tought me to look for interesting people and store windows.

[AngloinProvence]

It's true that most towns in France have farmers' markets. What makes Aix a bit special IMO is that these are scattered through the squares of the Old Town in very picturesque settings. Here's a little picture gallery and details of what's on where: http://www.marseille-provence.info/aix-en-provence/what-to-see/243-gallery-the-markets-of-aix-en-provence.html

[Hlitner]

It's true that most towns in France have farmers' markets. What makes Aix a bit special IMO is that thesesettings. Here's a little picture gallery and details of what's on where: http://www.marseille-provence.info/aix-en-provence/what-to-see/243-gallery-the-markets-of-aix-en-provence.html

 

We agree that Aix's market's are special and we like to drive over to Aix on Tuesday's for that reason. But our favorite market in Provence (and one of our favorite in all of France) is the Sunday market at L'Isle de la Sorgue. Its so much fun and a wonderful way to spend Sunday mornings.

 

Hank