MARSEILLE TO AIX AND CASSIS Help Please

[ALBOB330]

Our ship arrives Marseille at 7 and leaves at 5.

 

We are hoping to take early train to Aix , spend the early part of the day exploring , have lunch there then come back to Marseille and transfer to bus to Cassis ( I think the bus station is right behind the train station )and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing in Cassis.

 

Has anyone done these two places by public transportation in our time frame and is it doable without rushing to much.?

 

Is there a bus directly from Aix to Cassis so we wouldn't have to come back to Marseille?

 

I have the train schedule but can't seem to find the bus schedule. It would be a big help to figure the timing out better.

 

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated

 

thanks in advance

 

Bobbie

[brian_uk]

We took a taxi from the Port to Cassis along the coast road.

 

You should note that the shops close from 1-4 pm. The best time to get there is around 11 am and walk through the winding narrow streets around the Harbour and then stop at a local bistro for a light lunch and a bottle of Rose wine.

 

We then took a taxi back to Marseilles. Not as cheap as the bus or train but it saved a couple of hours.

 

Brian

[NAS-KARR]

I don't think you'll be able to do both destinations in one day....that's an awful big triangle and many miles to cover and still leave time to shop,eat and rest. Best to go to one or the other.....we did CASSIS via driver/guide and loved the place...a very quaint french fishing village with all the trimmings....GREAT PLACE.

 

CIAO,

[Hlitner]

It actually would be a very doable day trip if you were comfortable renting a car or wanted to spend the big bucks to hire a car and driver. A small rental car in France costs about $100 for a day, and driving in this country is not overly difficult. The nice thing about driving is that you have very fast Autostrade (like interstates, but faster) that run directly from Marseille to Aix (A 51) and than you can drive directly from Aix to Casis via the A8 to A52. As nice as the trains and local buses can be in France, the reality is that you lose a lot of time just going to and fro to stations and waiting for trains. As to your OP, I do not believe there is direct transportation between Aix and Cassis without going through Marseille. The distances between these places are really not that great (its less than 30 miles from Marseille to Aix). The driving time from Marseille to Aix is about 30 minutes, and it would take about 40 minutes to get back to Cassis. From Cassis to Marseille is pretty close, but you would need to allow a little extra time for Marseille traffic. By the way, I do practice what I preach as we are on our way to Europe in a few days and will be renting a car during a port stop in Le Harvre. The best price we got for a 1 day rental was from Budget, but Hertz and Europcar are usually competititve.

 

Hank

[willy paul]

try Catherine at provence-tours.com. we used her a few years ago on a similar itinerary and she was great and resaonable for three couples. she also took us to places we did not expect to go to.

[ALBOB330]

Thanks very much for all your suggestions.

 

I thought about renting a car .We have rented cars in Italy and love it but, we never leave or return from a large city. We find it to hard and stressful

 

We also considered a guide but the public transportation seemed to be quite good so we would like to use that if possible. This is our last port and the money for private guides is really mounting up.

 

I still can't seem to find the bus schedule which would really help me figure out if doing both towns is doable. Please let me know if you have the site.

 

If anyone has done it with public transportation and can give me first hand information please post---I have my heart set on seeing as much as we can.

 

Once again thanks to all

 

Bobbie

[grannynanny]

Hi Bobbie, is there any way you can e-mail me a copy of the map in your pictures. We will be in Provance and Villefranche and we have cousins in Bandol, which I saw on your map. My e-mail is: grannynanny21@bellsouth.net

Thanks

Nancy

[rodan]

Dear Bobbie,

With the amount of time I would take the train to Aix as soon as I got to the port. It is not a long walk to the train station. This would give you at least 4 good hours to take in Aix and more if you want. There is definitely enough to do to take it all in. Lunch outside in Aix is great if the weather permits and if not inside is not too shabby either. Plenty of shops and historical sites along with the scenic beauty. If you get back to Marseille early you will have time to walk around from the train station to the port without any stress. Forget Cassis unless you plan to rent a car or do a tour.We did this in our last visit to Marseilles and it was easy and quite enjoyable. The amount of time you have is definitly not enough to do both on your own by public transport-it leaves no margin for error if something should go wrong. Remember you lose time on both ends with the shuttle from the ship to the port. The harbor (where the ship is docked) is 3-4 miles from the port of Marseilles. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

-Irwin aka (rodan)

[teacherman]

Is it "better" to take ship shuttle to wherever it goes (Vieux Port?) and then walk to train sation or take a taxi, either from ship's berth area or shuttle drop-off? Also, I have heard that due to construction, there may not be trains to Aix this year but only busses. Does anyone know about this?

[rodan]

I would take the ship's shuttle -they will leave you off in the port area. From there you can walk to the station (about 15 min) or take a cab. THe bus station is right next to the train station so that if it is true that they are busing only then you will be in the right place. When we went to Aix by train the return trip was canceled since there were brush fires near the tracks between Marseilles and Aix. Not to fear they had us bused back to Marseille and the ride home was much faster than the train! THe ride back was mostly highway so we really moved. Whatever you do-Enjoy!

 

-Irwin