Monte Carlo from Marseille - Possible?

[ronandannette]

I am in the process of planning our first (and maybe once-in-a-lifetime) Med cruise. DH must go to Monte Carlo, it's an absolute deal breaker for him. I know it is easy enough to access from either Nice or Cannes, but is it reasonable to do it as a day trip from Marseille? Many of the ships we're most interested in are making their only French port stop there but I can't even consider them if that puts Monte Carlo out of the question. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

P.S. We live in a place where a few hundred miles and back is an easy day's outing but I'm afraid this would be a bad misjudgement to make about the Riviera.

[Hlitner]

Your question is quite simple since its basic geography. The short answer is NO! The reason? Distance and time. If you want to take the train it will normally be about 3 1/2 hours each way. If you drive (fast) it might be possible to do it in a little more than 2 1/2 hours (each way). While this might be a day's outing in your neck of the woods, it is not a wise outing for a cruiser that wants to get back to their ship on time.

 

If Monte Carlo is a deal breaker you should look for a different cruise that either docks in Monte Carlo or tenders in nearby Villefranche. It is also a possible destination from a cruise that tenders into Cannes...although this is more then an hour trip (each way).

 

Hank

Edited October 16, 2015 by Hlitner

[marazul]

Listen to Hank. Find a different cruise.

Lots of other cruises stop in Villefranche, Nice or Cannes. Many stop in Monte Carlo. Some actually start or end in Monte Carlo.

You might want to look for mid-size ships rather than the mega ships.

 

Here is a list of the ships that will stop in Port Hercule (the name of the Monaco/Monte Carlo port) in 2016:

 

http://www.ports-monaco.com/docs/planning-croisieres-2016.pdf

 

And the same for Villefranche:

 

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruises-to-villefranche-nice-france.html

Edited October 16, 2015 by marazul

[marazul]

By the way, cruise critic is also a travel agency and it has a very handy tool to find cruises that visit specific ports.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruiseto/cruiseitineraries.cfm?port=129

 

Enter "Destination" as western Mediterranean and then just enter Villefranche in "Popular Ports," then repeat the search for Monaco.

[ronandannette]

Yes, thank you both so much. I have studied MANY itineraries - considering those that stop in Marseille opened up many attractive possibilities. Alas, with the Monte Carlo factor looming large, the information I really needed is whether or not an excursion there would be feasible. You have answered that decisively and I appreciate it!

 

(LOL - apparently I was right to assume that it's a little more difficult and time consuming to trek 200+km along the coast of France than it is across the Canadian prairies...):D

[BiggiB]

Yes, thank you both so much. I have studied MANY itineraries - considering those that stop in Marseille opened up many attractive possibilities. Alas, with the Monte Carlo factor looming large, the information I really needed is whether or not an excursion there would be feasible. You have answered that decisively and I appreciate it!

 

(LOL - apparently I was right to assume that it's a little more difficult and time consuming to trek 200+km along the coast of France than it is across the Canadian prairies...):D

 

Have a look at this new website: http://www.monacowalks.com.

Has some pretty nice references and lots of information on different tours for the real Monaco aficionado.

[ollienbertsmum]

I am in the process of planning our first (and maybe once-in-a-lifetime) Med cruise. DH must go to Monte Carlo, it's an absolute deal breaker for him. I know it is easy enough to access from either Nice or Cannes, but is it reasonable to do it as a day trip from Marseille? Many of the ships we're most interested in are making their only French port stop there but I can't even consider them if that puts Monte Carlo out of the question. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

P.S. We live in a place where a few hundred miles and back is an easy day's outing but I'm afraid this would be a bad misjudgement to make about the Riviera.

 

I may be jumping into this thread a little late, but please bear in mind that if you take a cruise that calls into Cannes, this is a tender port and if the weather is not favourable you may not get to Monte Carlo.

 

I recall one of our trips that the day was just a little blustery and we got to visit Cannes, friends on another ship told us later that on the same day they had their stop in Cannes cancelled.

 

Maybe that is a good reason to include a trip to the South of France in your trip to Europe :D

[Hlitner]

I may be jumping into this thread a little late, but please bear in mind that if you take a cruise that calls into Cannes, this is a tender port and if the weather is not favourable you may not get to Monte Carlo.

 

I recall one of our trips that the day was just a little blustery and we got to visit Cannes, friends on another ship told us later that on the same day they had their stop in Cannes cancelled.

 

Maybe that is a good reason to include a trip to the South of France in your trip to Europe :D

 

Not only is Cannes a tender port, but so is Villefranche (a popular port close to Nice and Monte Carlo). The only docking port in that part of France would be the pier in Monte Carlo (Nice also has a small port used by some very small cruise ships).

 

Hank