Princess excursion is sold out. Thinking of booking Viator: Marseille Shore Excursion: City Sightseeing Tour of Marseille

[MudderBear]

 

Marseille Shore Excursion: City Sightseeing Tour of Marseille.  Has anyone done this?  Is it worth it?  It's only about $89 and 4 hours.  I don't want any full day excursions and this trip will allow me to see Palais Longchamp which is the only thing I want to see in Marsaeille.  I've heard that you need to walk very far to get to the Viator bus.  Any thoughts?  Also, does anyone know how often Princess "adds" additional excursions once it is sold out?  Thank you.

[edinburgher]

2 hours ago, MudderBear said:

Marseille Shore Excursion: City Sightseeing Tour of Marseille. 

Are you aware that Viator is not a tour operator, only a broker/middleman which books you onto a tour with another company?  Their Tcs and Cs regarding refunds can cause issues for cruise pax in the event of a late port arrival or last minute port cancellation.  Lots of warnings on CC threads about them.

 

IMHO no actual tour is needed in Marseille.  Ship shuttles usually run their shuttle buses to and from the VIeux Port area and there is a good selection of attractions, sights and options easily accessed from there, a number of which are described on the thread below. I would encourage you to read it as it would be a shame to only visit the Palais Longchamp and nothing else at all in the city, the second largest in France.  Ignore the reference to "kids" in the title  as these suggestions are suitable for all ages, and within a few minutes by foot from each other.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2982828-marseille-with-kids/#comment-66691124

 

As for the Palais Longchamp, I do know it can be reached from the Vieux Port in a few minutes by bus, metro or tram, and internet searching should give you more detail as I am not current with lines or numbers.

 

You could use your saved $89 for a lovely lunch somewhere, but I caution not around the Vieux Port tourist trap area which mostly offers only "tourist" meals of poor quality for the prices they charge.

 

This is a copy/paste of a post I put on a thread in response to a different Marseille question.  More ideas for you here:

 

Potentially additional useful information for others.

 

Consider exploring  le Panier district. The oldest in the city. There are entrances to it from a block or two behind the Old Port, but the main entrance/exit there  is via Rue Poiriers, an incredibly steep street (the handrails are there for a reason) which is best avoided if you value your legs. 😀

 

An alternative with flat, easy access is next to the Cathedrale de la Major, (when facing the Cathedral, the small entry streets are to the right) barely 5 minutes walk from the Old Port  and across from MUCEM , in turn next to the fort St-Jean. (These locations are where the cruise shuttles usually drop off and pick up) Entering from this direction also gives the opportunitiy to visit MUCEM and the Cathedral. Lacking the views enjoyed from the Basilica Notre-Dame-de-la Garde, the Cathedral is nonetheless worth visiting inside and is one of the largest in France. Entry is free. 

 

Le Panier offers a few sights, but it is mostly best for strolling the narrow streets.  At the top is Place des Moulins, the perfect location for rest and resfreshments, although only two towers of the original windmills mills remain, and these are incorporated into homes.  All downhill from there,  means you can exit down the steep Rue Poiriers, much better for the legs than going up.  The splendid looking  Intercontinental Hotel is only a few steps away and has a lovely outdoor terrace with views of ND de la Garde and a little of the old port.  Across from it is the "Maison Diamantee" a building with unusual design features.

 

Info on MUCEM, the Cathedral, le Panier, Maison Diamantee, bouillabaisse etc can all be found online.

 

And for history enthusiasts, Marseille, having been founded by the Greeks around 600 BC (or perhaps even earlier) has a rich history, and visting any of the museums which display this gives a new perspective of the city.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 13 by edinburgher

[MudderBear]

Thank you.  I was started to wonder about Viator because as I did more research, I discovered that they were doing this on behalf of some other company, ...the name eludes me now but I thought it started with a D.  As far as doing something on our own.....my whole exploration attitude started expiring about a year ago.  I am now becoming a little afraid of wandering around not with a tour group.  My husband and I are up there in age.... I wish I had done alot of this traveling a while back.  My comfort zone right now basically rests with just Disney World, for what it's worth, lol.

[edinburgher]

9 hours ago, MudderBear said:

I am now becoming a little afraid of wandering around not with a tour group

I would not be worrying unnecessarily as you won't actually have to "wander" unless you choose to. The shuttle buses drop off very close to the Vieux Port and almost everything I described above is in very close proximity to it, and should you take a boat trip and/or the little tourist train or a HOHO, in addition to visiting the port itself, MUCEM and the Fort, most of your time will be taken up within a very small area with no chance of getting lost. Shopping opportunities are also available very close to there.

 

As with any large city, the usual advice is to keep your valuables safe and only take out with you the items you will need..

 

I think you will enjoy your time there.

Edited March 14 by edinburgher

[Mimiya11]

On 3/13/2024 at 7:03 PM, MudderBear said:

Thank you.  I was started to wonder about Viator because as I did more research, I discovered that they were doing this on behalf of some other company, ...the name eludes me now but I thought it started with a D.  As far as doing something on our own.....my whole exploration attitude started expiring about a year ago.  I am now becoming a little afraid of wandering around not with a tour group.  My husband and I are up there in age.... I wish I had done alot of this traveling a while back.  My comfort zone right now basically rests with just Disney World, for what it's worth, lol.

We use Viator all the time (which is also affiliated with Trip Advisor) for both cruises and land vacations.    

Never had an issue, always found wonderful tours (who cares if they are acting on behalf of a company - that is how those companies get marketed and maybe business if they don't have their own social media presence).   We always back to ship in plenty of time as these companies want to keep their business.  And we don't have to get on a big bus with hordes of people.      

[edinburgher]

On 3/13/2024 at 11:03 PM, MudderBear said:

I am now becoming a little afraid of wandering around not with a tour group

Thought I would try to reassure you that minimal "wandering" would be needed, but this time with another member explaining how they did it.

 

Suggesting you read this current thread, but especialy post #4 by the other member.😀

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2998979-marseille/#comment-67145803

 

Edited March 26 by edinburgher

[Zana711]

On 3/13/2024 at 11:03 PM, MudderBear said:

a little afraid of wandering around not with a tour group.  

To add on what's been said, Marseille is relatively easy to explore on one's own, given the free port shuttle bus. Once you get off the port shuttle, it's also a relative easy walk on flat ground to the closest bus stop and metro stop. If you're comfortable using public transport (tram, bus), then you're okay to wander around on your own.

Someone mentioned Palais Longchamp, there's a tram around the corner from where you get dropped off by the port shuttle bus. And it stops right outside Palais Longchamp, so that's easy to see on public transport as well. You can pay via contactless card on the tram, too. 

I did just that on my first trip to Marseille from the cruise port on my own. If you're interested on how I did my DIY excursion, here's my blog post. 

https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/marseille-cruise-port-diy-excursion-guide

[edinburgher]

On 3/29/2024 at 2:35 PM, Zana711 said:

Marseille is relatively easy to explore on one's own, given the free port shuttle bus.

Zana711, thank you for taking the time to post  the link to your Marseille DIY blog as I am sure others will find it really useful. I have also dipped into the others you posted,  found them all very informative and hope that others will take time to read them.

 

I know Marseille quite well from numerous previous land and cruise visits and have long encouraged others to consider spending their port day there due to the ease of DIY sightseeing which offers many varied options to suit most interests  within really quite close proximity to the shuttle bus drop off/pick up points. And with no need to have any knowledge of the French language. Some members really dislike the city and encourage others to go anywhere at all, as long as they get away, although some of those who have spent the day in the city have posted that they enjoyed their time.  As you mention le Panier district  in your blog,as a complement to your own info, I am posting some additional information on it which I had posted on a previous thread as others may find it useful.

 

Consider exploring  le Panier district. The oldest in the city. There are entrances to it from a block or two behind the Old Port, but the main entrance/exit there  is via Rue Poiriers, an incredibly steep street (the handrails are there for a reason) which is best avoided if you value your legs. 😀

 

An alternative with flat, easy access is next to the Cathedrale de la Major, (when facing the Cathedral, the small entry streets are to the right) barely 5 minutes walk from the Old Port  and across from MUCEM , in turn next to the fort St-Jean. (These locations are where the cruise shuttles usually drop off and pick up) Entering from this direction also gives the opportunitiy to visit MUCEM and the Cathedral. Lacking the views enjoyed from the Basilica Notre-Dame-de-la Garde, the Cathedral is nonetheless worth visiting inside and is one of the largest in France. Entry is free. 

 

Le Panier offers a few sights, but it is mostly best for strolling the narrow streets.  At the top is Place des Moulins, the perfect location for rest and resfreshments, although only two towers of the original windmills mills remain, and these are incorporated into homes.  All downhill from there,  means you can exit down the steep Rue Poiriers, much better for the legs than going up.  The splendid looking  Intercontinental Hotel is only a few steps away to the left and has a lovely outdoor terrace with views of ND de la Garde and a little of the old port.  Across from it is the "Maison Diamantee" a building with unusual design features.

 

Info on MUCEM, the Cathedral, le Panier, Maison Diamantee,  etc can all be found online.

 

And for history enthusiasts, Marseille, having been founded by the Greeks around 600 BC (or perhaps even earlier) has a rich history, and visting any of the museums which display this gives a new perspective of the city.

 

 

Edited March 30 by edinburgher

[Zana711]

Thanks for your kind words! Appreciate it! @edinburgher

[onyx007]

Yeah, don't need a pre-booked-tour as there is a shuttle in the the oldtown and there is either one of those little-tourist-trains or as I remember as well an Hop-on-Hop-of-Bus