Marseille by rental car

[bearette]

We use Avis for most of our rentals so prefer that company, but I am so confused by which location would be the best to rent from (there are three, the10 Boulevard, 31 Boulevard and Garage Vag Dhaiti). Our ship hours are 8-5pm and we don't want to do a tour as we will have our kids. My husband is comfortable driving in foreign countries and a car with a stick will be no problem. They all seem to open by 8am, but which location would be easier/convenient to get to.  I would prefer a bus or walking options as paying for an expensive can both ways defeats the purpose.  Has anyone rented a car and can shed light on which way would be the best of how they did it?  I saw the previous post on this, but they recommended the airport because of the early port time, but that isn't something we have to worry about and it is usually more expensive to rent from the airport. 

 

Also, this car rental is for a trip in November,so we should be safe from all the closures by then, but it will be the off season of that matters.

 

Thanks for any tips!

[Host Jazzbeau]

We often use Avis too, but I usually choose based on convenient location.  We were dropping our car off in Marseilles and taking the TGV the next day, so we chose a hotel at the train station and were happy to find car rental agencies there as well.  We used Europcar (Gare de Marseille St-Charles MRSL01, 31 Blvd Voltaire Hall B, 13001 Marseille), but I think there are others there as well [use google maps].  This could be a good location for you too, because the train station is easy to find and there will be taxis to bring you back to the ship.

 

What are you planning to do with the rental car?  It will not be helpful to sightsee Marseilles, as parking will be a bear and there is a good HOHO bus.  You can easily make a day trip to the west and visit (some of) Avignon, Pont du Gard, Les Baux, and Arles – all are terrific and walkable, but the driving loop alone is 3-4 hours so there isn't enough time to see them all.  Another option would be Aix-en-Provence, which would be a very nice leisurely day trip.  I suggest you get the Rick Steves Provence book and figure our what you want to do, then decide if a rental car works for you.  [I would suggest getting the book at your local library, but they're probably closed – so amazon...]

[bearette]

I have it(Rick Steve's book) on order from my library, but you are right, my library is closed.  I have time to figure what I want to see.  If we want to see Marseille we will forgo the car and just walk, taxi or bus ourselves around.  

 

I was interested in some of the outer towns you mentioned, but will probably pick one or two in the time we have. It sounds like the most convenient will  be anything near the train station. Do you or anybody else know what parking is like in those others towns?

[Host Jazzbeau]

Aix-en-Provence has a pay lot at La Rotonde [the center of town].

Arles has a parking garage near the TI

Avignon has free lots with shuttle buses and pay lots closer to the center

Les Baux has designated parking lots

Pont du Gard has parking on both sides of the river; Rick recommends choosing the Rive Gauche lot near the museum

 

I like to pack a lot into a day, so I would do Pont du Gard, then Arles, then Les Baux

But Pont du Gard is the furthest away from Marseille, so if you just did Arles and Les Baux you would have time to savor both.  Arles has the Van Gogh connection (and a free walk that takes you to the locations of many of his famous paintings), and Les Baux includes the Carrières de Lumières where they project art on the walls, ceiling and floor of a salt mine (this is really special and would be my #1 recommendation) 

https://www.carrieres-lumieres.com/en/home

 

I google mapped the Avis locations, and the one that is closest (by far) to the port is the one at the train station:

Avis Location Voiture Gare Marseille St Charles, 31 Boulevard Voltaire, 13001 Marseille, France

 

[Hlitner]

There are no rental car locations convenient to the port.  The area around the St Charles Train Station has quite a few rental car agencies and you would probably want to simply shop for the best deal in that neighborhood.  The easiest way to get to those locations from the port is via a taxi.  But there will also be some kind of shuttle service (perhaps at a price) from the port into town where you are dropped adjacent to the Vieux Port (Old Port).  From there it is about a 20-25 min walk to any of the rental car agencies near the station.

 

Hank

[Host Jazzbeau]

I would take a taxi.  We tried to walk and got very lost [and I'm a pretty reliable navigator].

[bearette]

We use Avis because of points/ account so it usually ends up being best for us, even if it is a few dollars more then the competition.

 

Les Baux was on my radar before but you have convinced me now.  Then I'll let my husband pick the other town based on what he would like to do.

[Hlitner]

On 4/20/2020 at 11:10 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

I would take a taxi.  We tried to walk and got very lost [and I'm a pretty reliable navigator].

Hate to toss this at a mod, but that is why they make cell phones and map programs :).   But we do agree that a taxi, from the port, makes the most sense in the interests of saving time.  

 

As to Bearette's post, if you decide to drive to Les Baux that works well with a short stop in St Remy de Provence and you could also pair that with the Roman ruins just outside of St Remy.   Arles and/or Aix en Provence also work although you need to consider the time and should preplan your route.

 

Hank

[Host Jazzbeau]

53 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Hate to toss this at a mod, but that is why they make cell phones and map programs :).   But we do agree that a taxi, from the port, makes the most sense in the interests of saving time.  

 

Everybody has their blind spot.  I'm willing to pay for Premium Economy airfare, but not for Verizon international cell coverage...

[Hlitner]

28 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Everybody has their blind spot.  I'm willing to pay for Premium Economy airfare, but not for Verizon international cell coverage...

ROFL!  Consider that up until 2 years ago DW still used an old flip phone :).  But while on a HAL cruise off of Italy we learned a valuable lesson from one of the HAL entertainers.  In a word it is "T-Mobile."  At the time we could get their senior plan for $60 a month which included two lines with unlimited text, data and phone in North America and unlimited test and data with 20 cents a minute for coverage in over 140 countries.  Unlike Verizon and ATT, T-Mobile does not have any extra fees for using it in all those countries unless one wants to pay extra for higher speed.  To quote the HAL entertainer, "get T-Mobile because it simply works everywhere."    We also like that our family can reach us when we travel just about anywhere in the world.

 

Hank

[bearette]

I am the worst map reader, that is why we now have T- mobile so we can always access the maps! I plan the trip and my husband does the navigating.

 

Roman ruins- is that where this Roman amphitheater is located? https://www.arenes-nimes.com/en/home

I'll have to look at what is around St. Remey.  We don't have a ton of time, and we will have to be back to the ship by 5pm, so 4pm at the latest to return the car.

 

I'm more of a spend 10 hours in one area girl, so I won't plan for more then two places, one far and one closer so we can make our way back on time. Aix-en-Provence will be my back up if we take too long. 

 

Has anyone been to the  Château des Baux-de-Provence? It can be bought as a combo ticket with the  Carrières de Lumières. https://www.chateau-baux-provence.com/en/home

 

We love the history and architecture items so Roman ruins and castles are right up our alley.  It also looks like the company that runs all of these has kid friendly touring option too ( I found the other places by clicking on the pictures at the bottom from the Carrières de Lumières page.) Does anyone know how feasible these places would be in our limited time?  

[Host Jazzbeau]

Practically everyone who has been to Les Baux has visited the Castle, because that's the main part of the village.  It is very interesting.  All of the Rhone area is filled with Roman ruins [Arles has a Roman Arena that will remind you of the Colleseum in Rome, plus a Roman Theatre] – but if you want a unique and jaw-dropping Roman ruin you should get an early start and drive straight to Pond du Gard:

https://www.pontdugard.fr/en

 

Pont du Gard and the Carrières de Lumières are my absolute top-two faves in this area.

[bearette]

That would have been perfect, but now our cruise is in limbo.  It is the new MSC ship with all news outlets saying it won't be ready until 2021, but it hasn't been cancelled yet. We are waiting to see if they offer an alternative.  If not I'm putting a pin in this post because I might just tour this area for a future vacation as it has a lot of appealing areas for me.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Another option would be a river cruise on the Rhone.  Start in Lyon [fly to Paris, then TGV] and sail downstream to Arles via several interesting towns including Avignon.  Shore excursion choices [included in the fare] will include Pont du Gard and Les Baux.  So almost everything we've been talking about is covered by the river cruise.  At the end, rent a car and drive toward Marseille via Aix-en-Provence.  Drop the car at the Marseille station and TGV back to Paris.  

 

Here's an example:  https://www.amawaterways.com/destination/europe-river-cruises/2020/colors-of-provence

 

Sweet trip!  All you need is for France to allow US citizens in...