How can I get to Marseille centre ?

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  4. Arriving in Marseille

Are you planning to come to Marseille? Here are all the details to help you organize your stay in Marseille and get there, whatever your chosen means of transport. Once you’re here, the city offers an extensive network of soft and active mobility and public transport services, to make all your journeys easier.

Getting to Marseille by train

    Arrival at Gare Saint-Charles

    If you’re traveling by train, you’ll arrive at Marseille’s Gare Saint Charles, right in the heart of the city center. When you get off the train, you’ll discover the station, a U-shaped building topped by a large glass roof built in 1896 by architect Joseph-Antoine Bouvard, with a steel structure by Gustave Eiffel.

    The station overlooks the city from the Plateau Saint-Charles. Outside, on the esplanade, stands the monumental staircase that will take you to the Vieux Port in 20 minutes on foot. Take time to admire its sculptures on the themes of African and Asian colonies, a recurring decorative theme in this city, which developed in the 19th century largely thanks to trade with these distant lands.

    Practical information at the station:
    – Shopping area with boutiques and food services
    – Drop-off zone and cab rank in the basement
    – 2 underground parking levels
    – Luggage lockers on level – 1 (open every day of the week and public holidays from 8.15am to 9pm)
    – Free, unlimited WIFI
    – Cash dispenser
    – Mailboxes
    – Car rental: Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt, Wattmobile

    Public transport from Saint-Charles station

    Bus :
    lebus 52 > Gare St-Charles / Métro La Timone : Stop Square Narvik
    lebus 56 > Gare St-Charles / Belle de mai La Friche : Stop Square Narvik
    lebus 82 > Gare St-Charles / Le Pharo Catalans : Stop Gare routière – Sortie Honnorat
    lebus de nuit 521 > Gare St-Charles / Luminy : Stop Gare Routière – Sortie Honnorat

    Metro :

    Direct access to metro lines M1 and M2 linking downtown, central and southern Marseille. The 2 metro lines are accessible from the basement of Gare Saint-Charles.
    M1 < > La Fouragère / la Rose
    M2 <>Sainte Marguerite / Gèze

    Other transport options from Gare Saint-Charles

    Cabs:
    From the station, follow the cab / metro direction down the escalators to level -1.
    Ordered cabs are parked on the 3rd lane of the “Bourdet” drop-off area on level -1.

    My driver:
    A TGV INOUI service, a fixed-price cab service, booked with the train ticket. Guaranteed pick-up without waiting and at no extra charge (even if the train is delayed on arrival).

    Self-service bicycles :
    Fee-paying service, 3 stations nearby, boulevards Bourdet, Nedelec and Voltaire.

    Getting to Marseille by bus

      By bus, you’ll arrive at the bus station located in the city center on rue Honnorat, close to the Saint-Charles train station.

      Intercity buses

      Cartreize buses:
      To Martigues, Aix-en-Provence (direct via freeway or RN8), Aix Arbois, Trets, Vitrolles (via RN Les Pennes Mirabeau), Marseille Provence airport.

      Further information on La Métropole Mobilité

      Zou buses :
      to Nice, Forcalquier (via Manosque), Castellane (via Gréoux-les-Bains and Riez), Barcelonette (via Digne-les-Bains and Sisteron), Briançon (via Manosque, Sisteron and Gap), the Var.
      Find out more about Zou buses.

      National and international routes

      A number of bus companies offer regular routes within France and to Europe. Find out more on : Blablacar, Flixbus

        Book your tickets

        As you can see, it’s very easy to get to Marseille. Here’s a list of service providers to suit your needs. All you have to do is make your reservation!

        ouigo
        All your low-cost train tickets.

        tictactrip
        Book your journeys by train, bus or a combination of the two. Tictactrip is the solution to all your responsible transport needs.

        Trainline
        Find your combined train and bus tickets.

        kombo
        Book your train, bus and plane tickets. You’ll find the solution to suit your needs.

        Coming to Marseille by boat

          • You have a private boat

            Getting to Marseille by sea is the ideal way to discover one of its many facets: the sea is part of its heritage, and as you approach the coast you’ll be able to admire its beauty, with the islands and perhaps even the calanques if you arrive from the south.

            You’d like to make a stopover in Marseille

            From l’Estaque to Les Goudes, via the Vieux Port, Marseille boasts 14 marinas spread over 57 km of coastline, with a total of 8,600 berths. It’s the 1st largest marina in France and the 2nd largest in Europe.
            To reserve your berth, you’ll need to contact one of the harbor master’s offices, the main one of which is located in the Vieux Port:
            Capitainerie du Vieux Port (24h/24, 7j/7) – Quai Marcel Pagnol – Tél : 04 91 99 75 60

          • Taking part in a cruise

            If so, you’ll be arriving at the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille Fos (3.1 million passengers welcomed in 2019, including 1.85 million cruise passengers and 1.25 million ferry passengers). It is France’s No. 1 cruise port and one of the top 5 ports in the Mediterranean. Its state-of-the-art facilities enable us to welcome the latest generation of cruise ships.

            How do I get to downtown from the cruise terminals?

            The cruise terminals are located at Gate 4 of the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille Fos, some 6 km from the city center. But beware: it’s not possible to get there on foot, as the area is surrounded by the freeway. You can choose between cabs (approx. €20 per trip), paid shuttles operated by your cruise line, free port shuttles (from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every 30 minutes, only on ship arrival days) or local buses (RTM bus no. 35T or 35) located at the exit of the Cruise Port – Bus in the direction of La Joliette.

          • You arrive with a regular ferry service at the ferry terminal

            This is the point of departure and arrival for scheduled national services to Corsica, and international services to Sardinia, Tunisia and Algeria. These destinations are served by the shipping companies La Méridionale and Corsica Linéa.
            Established in 2011, the ferry terminal is located in the heart of the city, on Place de la Joliette in an area served by numerous means of public transport.
            Address:
            23, Place de la Joliette
            CS 81965 – 13226 Marseille

            How to get to the Vieux-Port by public transport from the Gare Maritime?

            Metro: Line 2 (direction Sainte Marguerite/Dromel) change lines at Gare Saint-Charles station, then take Line 1 (direction la Fourragère) and stop at Vieux-Port station.

            By streetcar: take line T2 (towards La Blancarde) or line T3 (towards Castellane) and get off at Belsunce -Alcazar.
            More information on public transport.

            On foot: Walk for around 20 minutes, taking either the “sea side” Quai de la Joliette or the “city side” Rue de la République.

            By bike: You’ll easily find a station, every 300 meters or so.
            For more information, click here.

          Getting to Marseille by car

            If you’re arriving in Marseille by road, you’ll probably take one of the three freeways that enter the city.

            > The Autoroute Nord (A7) crosses the city’s northern districts, ending near the Marseille-Saint Charles train station. This is the southern terminus of the major north-south motorway (linking Lille to Marseille via Paris and Lyon). The A7 freeway also links Marseille to Nîmes, Montpellier and Toulouse (via the A9 and A54) and Aix-en-Provence, Gap and Grenoble (via the A51).

            >The Autoroute du Littoral (A55) from Martigues skirts the port area before crossing the Joliette district via the footbridge to the north-western end of the Vieux-Port.

            > The Autoroute Est (A50) from Toulon crosses the eastern districts and ends at Menpenti.

            The Prado-Carénage toll tunnel links the A50 and A55 freeways. Exits are possible at “Vieux-Port” and “la Major”.

            The L2 bypass, open since late 2018, links the A7 and A50 motorways.

            canebiere-haut-tram-place-des-reformes-micaleff.jpg
            The Low Emission Zone
            The ZFE-m zone was introduced in Marseille on 1 September 2022. Find out what this means for travel by car, motorbike or camper van. Residents and visitors are concerned.

            Getting to Marseille by plane

              You’ll arrive at Marseille Provence Airport, France’s 2nd largest regional airport with over 9 million passengers in 2022. It is served by over 170 airlines operated by more than 30 companies, with direct connections to 128 destinations in 36 countries.

              For all flight information, please contact the passenger information service
              0820 811 414 (0.12cts / min)
              www.marseille.aeroport.fr

              How do I get to Marseille from Marseille Provence airport?

              The airport is located 27 km from Marseille city center. There are three ways to get there: LeCar, cab or car rental.

              Bus transfer

              Airport shuttle <> Marseille St Charles train station.
              – 7 days a week, from 4.10 a.m. to 1.30 a.m.
              – Departure every 10 minutes during rush hour from 7.55am to 8.15pm.
              – Journey time between 30 and 50 minutes.

              The bus station is located between terminals T1 and T2.

              Buy your ticket :
              Online, at the ticket office (credit card, cash), from vending machines, from the driver outside ticket office opening hours.
              Single ticket price €10 / €10.90 if combined with a RTM ticket.

              Cab transfer

              The airport cab rank is located in front of terminal 1.
              Cabs run 24/7 to and from terminals MRS and MP2.
              Between the airport and the city center, expect to pay around €70/€80 during the day and €90/€100 at night with luggage. Excluding Sundays and public holidays (higher fares).

              To book your cab:
              www.taxis-aeroport.com
              04 42 14 24 44

              Car rental

              For travelers needing to reach Marseille and the surrounding area independently, a dozen car rental companies are open 7 days a week.
              More information on car rentals.

              By train

              You can reach Marseille by train from the airport. Take the bus + train from the airport (bus station – platform 5) to Vitrolles station. The bus operates 7 days a week, with around 57 round trips a day (including Sundays and public holidays). Journey time is around 5 minutes. Once at Vitrolles- Aéroport station, take a TER train to Marseille Saint-Charles (journey time approx. 20 minutes).