Touring Marseille and Provence

We will be in Marseille for about 3 days prior to embarkation, which will be beginning of Setpember. We will not be renting an automobile.

We'd like to set up a tour of Provence but do not want a private one due to the cost (about 550 Euros). Can anyone recommend a guide that does small groups?

Have you done any touring of Provence by yourself? We could take a train to Aix or somewhere else. Any recommendations?

Thanks

I know you said that you would not have a car, but I want to encourage you to be brave and do that. I too was apprehensive about renting a car and driving in a foreign country, but once you get out of the big city, with the help of a Garmin, it is no different than driving here. You can learn the road signs by googling, and learn to drive round -a-bouts, and you will be just fine. We spent time in the Luberon area before a river cruise that started in Arles. We had a fabulous time. Yes, Garmin did "recalculate" but that was part of the adventure. If you are up for this, I will give you more details.

I'll second texasstar's suggestion. I have not driven in Marsaille, and generally find a car more trouble than it's are worth in cities, but have driven in rural France a number of times. Roads are well marked and most drivers are noticeably courteous. I have never encountered in France anything like the truck traffic on I-81; if you can handle that, France is a piece of cake.

If you really don't want a car, then your idea of using trains is a good second choice, especially if you plan to stick mostly to urban areas.

Thom

I would not want a car if staying in Marseilles but concur that for the smaller towns it is ideal.

We visited Marseilles as a day trip from Avignon and that was more than adequate for us. It was an easy train ride and Avignon is a nice smaller city, well suited for a short day trip.

Lyon is also easy to access by train and there is a tram that takes you from the station to the historical center, if you prefer not to walk. We really enjoyed our time in Lyon.

I agree that having a car while staying in Marseille would not be convenient, but it is a good place from which to rent a car. The rental agencies are clustered at the main train station, which can also be helpful. GPS led us smoothly into Marseille and to the train station -- the only difficulty was when we got off the highway to top up the diesel tank.

Thank you all for your opinions however, we are still not renting a car. My husband is always concerned about parking, traffic and it makes him somewhat nervous and uncomfortable. We have no problem traveling by train, in fact we just spent a couple of weeks traveling by train here in the US (Empire Builder, AMTRAK to and from Vancouver, Coast Starlight and South West Chief).

Jane

We love the South of France, but Marseille is not high on my list. There is much to see in Arles, Aix, Monaco, St. Paul de Venice, Nice, Avignon and Les Baux de Provence.

totally agree and would love to return to France. just wish the terror situation would abate. shocking killing of people in nice and today an attempted coup in turkey.

pity the trouble makers confine themselves to live together, somewhere and leave decent people alone.

We love the South of France, but Marseille is not high on my list. There is much to see in Arles, Aix, Monaco, St. Paul de Venice, Nice, Avignon and Les Baux de Provence.

I agree, Papa, and Marseilles is probably my least favorite in this area.

We are staying in Marseille for a couple of reasons - we are flying into their airport and more importantly, we are staying at the Radisson Blu because we have points and staying somewhere where we have points is much easier on our budget and allows us to do more traveling.

Since Marseille is not at the top of most people's list, we were asking about tour guide to go outside of the city to Aix, Cassis and other areas. For us that would be the best of both worlds - staying free on points and visiting the major tourist areas around Marseille.

Again, going back to my original question - I am looking for a tour guide if anyone has any personal experience with one. We will not be driving a car for several reasons regardless of how convincing you are all - my husband is just not that interested in it. I respect his decision and will support him.

Appreciate any help.

jane

https://www.viatorcom.fr/fr/7379/Marseille/d485-ttd?pref=02

Here are some good tours.

Thank you for the tour links