Marseille or Aix en Provence

Hi everyone,

I along with my family will be porting on Marseille for one day this first week of October 2011. It is our first time in Europe. I am planning on booking a private tour but i can't decide on which tour to do. Can I get people's opinion on Marseille or Aix en Provence? Thanks

Aix, has a bit of history, a beautiful and accessible center city cafe culture and a prototypical Provencale atmosphere. Marseille has some interesting places, but boulliabaise at the old port just isn't the same as a lunch on the Cours Mirabeau. and Notre Dame de la Garde has some great views but not the history of Saint Sauveur.

Others may disagree.

it would be Aix for me, as you will visit europe for the 1st time.

Aix is a regal city and you will get a real taste of provence, i hope you are there on the main market days.... nothing like a diving into a full on french market as your 1st visit to europe. there is small daily market.

Marseille is a busy cosmopolitan city, with the odd nice touch/feature; parts of it feel like north africa and it is run down.

We are doing a Carnival Marseilles tour in the Am and a Carnival Aix tour in the afternoon because I had a hard time deciding which to do. We have an hour in between for a quick lunch. The total cost of doing both tours wasn't too bad.

A quick lunch in France? Non, c'est imposible! :eek:

Really one of the truly wonderful things about France is taking 2 hours for lunch. And one of the great things about Aix is that they invented the sidewalk cafe where one can have that lunch while watching the world go by.:cool:

I know both these cities well and they are very different in character -- each one has its charms. It all very much depends what you're looking for. Aix is a little over-touristy IMO but elegant, historic, well-mannered, compact and easy to get around. A strong Cezanne connection for those interested in art. As another post notes, it might be more congenial for a first-timer in Europe.

Marseille is a cosmopolitan, colourful, bustling port - stunningly situated on hills around the bay, but sprawling in its layout and more than a little rough and ready. I certainly wouldn't say it's not rich in history - it was founded in 600 BC and is the oldest city in France - but there isn't as much of a well-preserved old quarter (eg the Old Town was dynamited by the Germans, though a lot of it remains). Notre Dame is a stunning church, like a beacon or lighthouse overlooking and protecting the city, and well worth a visit. More about both Marseille and Aix on this site: http://www.marseille-provence.info.

We did not go into Aix. Others who did most ports with us loved it. We did a private tour to Arles, Les Baux, and the Pont du Gard and all three were outstanding. Our guide advised to skip Marseille. In her words, "the only people who say that they truly like Marseille are from Marseille and they are all liars". She is from Avignon and lives in Aix. :D

We strongly agree with Angloinprovence's post. We have often been asked questions about Marseille vs various Provence cities such as Aix and we like to quickly explain that it is really like comparing apples to oranges. Marseille is actually a pretty decent destination (many never spend any time in this city) and is a very large place and is actually the 2nd largest city in all of France. Provence is basically a very rural region with quite a few wonderful small cities and towns...of which Aix is one of the gems. Although it is very easy to get to Aix on your own (via regional bus or train from Marseille) we think it is a bit sad that passengers only get limited to spending their time in one place. But, I guess that is what caused us to go back and spend many wonderful weeks in Provence (we even rented a flat). I must admit that Ljberkow's post about going to Arles, Les Baux and Pont du Gard is a great itinerary and would probably be high on our list of recommended one-day excursions. But to do this would require either taking an excursion or renting a car (which we think is a fabulous option). That particular itinerary gives a visitor a good "flavor" of Provence since it includes a medium size city (Arles) with its amazing Roman Amphitheater, the small wonderful hill town of Les Baux, and Pond du Gard which should be up there with the 7 wonders of the world that still exist.

I should also mention that we do really enjoy being in Aix en Provence, and particularly enjoy having a long lunch in one of the cafes that line the Cours Mirabeau. Too many day tours in France do not allow time for a long lunch and ignore the fact that cusine (and dining) is a very important part of the French culture.

Hank

We strongly agree with Angloinprovence's post. We have often been asked questions about Marseille vs various Provence cities such as Aix and we like to quickly explain that it is really like comparing apples to oranges. Marseille is actually a pretty decent destination (many never spend any time in this city) and is a very large place and is actually the 2nd largest city in all of France. Provence is basically a very rural region with quite a few wonderful small cities and towns...of which Aix is one of the gems. Although it is very easy to get to Aix on your own (via regional bus or train from Marseille) we think it is a bit sad that passengers only get limited to spending their time in one place. But, I guess that is what caused us to go back and spend many wonderful weeks in Provence (we even rented a flat). I must admit that Ljberkow's post about going to Arles, Les Baux and Pont du Gard is a great itinerary and would probably be high on our list of recommended one-day excursions. But to do this would require either taking an excursion or renting a car (which we think is a fabulous option). That particular itinerary gives a visitor a good "flavor" of Provence since it includes a medium size city (Arles) with its amazing Roman Amphitheater, the small wonderful hill town of Les Baux, and Pond du Gard which should be up there with the 7 wonders of the world that still exist.

 

I should also mention that we do really enjoy being in Aix en Provence, and particularly enjoy having a long lunch in one of the cafes that line the Cours Mirabeau. Too many day tours in France do not allow time for a long lunch and ignore the fact that cusine (and dining) is a very important part of the French culture.

 

Hank

Hello Hank, I have a party of four and would very much like to experience the most Provence has to offer. Can you recommend a guide that we should use for this.

I am also trying to decide between the 2. If you want to do some shopping for items like provincial fanrics, lavender soap etc and it is not a market day in Aix, and you dont want to see stores that are in the us, like luxury brands, which would you go to? We were thinking of shopping in the markets near the port and going to a nice lunch in marseilles. We will be traveling a lot at the italy ports and want a little more low key here. Thoughts?

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Thank you all for the information. I am excited to research and decide what we will do in this port.

If it helps, here is a link to some pictures.

https://markandkareneurope2012.shutterfly.com/pictures/497

We have a cruise stop in Marseille this summer and are planning to go back to Provence (although not Aix).

Hello Hank, I have a party of four and would very much like to experience the most Provence has to offer. Can you recommend a guide that we should use for this.

Sorry to take so long to respond, but we were actually away on a 55 day cruise (HAL) with limited internet. When it comes to guides or tour companies we are totally clueless as we do our own thing in just about any part of Europe. In fact, our recent cruise hit 31 ports (8 or 9 countries) and we did not take a single guided tour. You are probably aware that hiring a private car/driver/guide in France is expensive (expect to pay over 500€) which is a deterrent to many folks. Keep in mind that Provence is actually a very large area that would take many months to properly explore. So one does have to make difficult choices when limited to only a port day.

Hank

Sounds like fun

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When it comes to guides or tour companies we are totally clueless as we do our own thing in just about any part of Europe. In fact, our recent cruise hit 31 ports (8 or 9 countries) and we did not take a single guided tour. You are probably aware that hiring a private car/driver/guide in France is expensive (expect to pay over 500€) which is a deterrent to many folks. Keep in mind that Provence is actually a very large area that would take many months to properly explore. So one does have to make difficult choices when limited to only a port day.

 

Hank

to do the same in Livorno where we hope to visit a winery or 2 near Pisa .

We are finding private tours expensive especially traveling as a couple . The tours from our roll call members

are not our first choice .

If you did rent cars , what are your thoughts and advice ? (Already got the international drivers licence)

Thanx .

So how did you visit all these ports ? Did you rent a car ? We have already rented a car in Naples and are likely

to do the same in Livorno where we hope to visit a winery or 2 near Pisa .

 

We are finding private tours expensive especially traveling as a couple . The tours from our roll call members

are not our first choice .

If you did rent cars , what are your thoughts and advice ? (Already got the international drivers licence)

Thanx .

We just do what works in each port. We did rent cars in Punta delgado, Livorno and a couple of other ports. In some places we used the train or local/regional buses. And in many ports we simply used our legs/feet and sometimes walked miles :). In Dubovnik (have been there a few times) we took the shuttle to town (we have also walked on previous trips) and met Dubrovniklady (a long time poster here on CC) for a delightful lunch. One nice thing about doing our own thing is the total flexibility. So on our one very rainy port, Kotor Montenegro, we had talked about renting a car or using a local bus to visit some nearby areas (we had previously been to that port). But when we arrived in the morning it was rainy very very hard. Those that had pre-booked tours went off and got totally drenched (heard stories about a lot of ruined shoes). We just relaxed on the ship all morning, and then enjoyed lunch in the Lido. During lunch, the rain stopped and it started to clear up...so we caught the next tender into town and just enjoyed shopping and a local cafe. In Monte Carlo (we have spent a lot of time in the south of France) we had no plans. But it was a gorgeous day so we decided to walk over to a couple of rental car agencies (about a 1 mile stroll) and get a car. But there were no cars available for at least 2 hours..so we just walked around the corner and took the #100 bus to Nice (1.5€ per person) where we enjoyed the weekly Antique Market (it was Monday). Later, we decided to eat a nice lunch at a cute restaurant in the Old Town and ended up spending our day in Nice. It was like that for most of our 30+ ports...where we made on the spot plans based on our mood and the weather (which was mostly perfect).

In Naples we took our time at breakfast and did not leave the ship until after 9am. On a whim, we thought it might be nice to take the jetboat over to the island of Procida....but since we got a late start we missed the boat. No biggie as we then decided to spend our day in town (Naples does have its charm) and to finally try the Pizza at Da Michelle (possibly the most famous pizza place in the world). From Civitavecchia we took the train (BIRG ticket for 12€) and had planned a long lunch at a cafe at the Piazza Navona. But while walking in the area we stumbled on a cute cafe a block away....and stopped there for what turned out to be a 2 hour delightful lunch.

Regarding a rental car in Livorno, we strongly recommend booking directly from Sifracar.com (the local Hertz franchisee). They do charge a little more money, but deliver your car right to the pier (and you can drop it next to the ship when you return). A small car (with manual shift) cost us less than 100€ for the day and has the extra benefit of giving you a way in and out of the port (which is a problem in Livorno). When we docked at Livorno, I walked off the ship and the Sifracar folks were right at the end of the gangplank...and our car parked less than 50 feet from the ship. I quickly did the paperwork, they gave me the keys, and I went back aboard to finish my coffee :). Totally perfect.

Hank

Thank you so much for the advice specifically concerning Livorno . Hertz is who we are going to rent with .

What did you do there ? Do you have a recommended winery or site to visit ?

Thanks again .