Marseilles

[brian_uk]

Has anyone travelled to Carcassonne from Marseilles and if so, what is the best method.

 

It is 150 km and we dock at 8 am and leave at 6pm and I really do not know if there is enough time.

 

We have been to Cassis....fabulous, and to Aix....same, and are looking for another place to spend a day.

 

Any ideas ?

 

Brian

[dbh62ark]

We went to Carcassonne from the port of Port Vendres while on the Insignia last year. Carcassonne is just wonderful! We had a drive of a hour and a half each way between Carcassonne and Marseilles.

 

But there are some really good alternatives other than Aix and Cassis (I liked both of them too) from Marseilles. We used Olivier of http://www.rendez-vous-provence.com last September and highly recommend. Olivier is a great guide and took us to the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, to Les Baux-de-Provence, and to Arles. It was a great day, and I loved the variety in the itinerary. Les Baux is my favorite in the Provence area and is similar to Carcassonne in appearance. Olivier is a wonderful guide and provided great commentary for our group. His charges were very reasonable, and his cancellation policies are also very reasonable (passengers are not charged for events beyond their control such as change in ship's schedule due to weather, etc.). You can preview any of those options on http://www.flickr.com.

 

Since I was familiar with Marseilles, I wondered before we sailed if the Oceania ships were small enough to avoid the (yucky) industrial port area in Marseilles. Unfortunately, the Insignia did dock there, so just FYI to you in planning your tours from Marseilles.

 

If you need additional information, I'll be glad to help.

 

Donna

[china addict]

I too avoid Marseilles like the plague. Last summer on the Nautica 6 of us hired a driver named Christian Boyer from www.accueilprovence.com who knows Provence like the back of his hand, speaks good English, is a skilled photographer and very charming. At our request he drove us through "Peter Mayle" country and we stopped at local village markets to buy provisions for a picnic lunch, sampling locally made goat cheese, olives, fraises des bois etc. He helped us choose local specialties and found the perfect picnic spot in a remote area popular with rock-climbers. We wanted to see Les Baux (fabulous) but he also insisted on taking us to a nearby attraction called the Cathedrale D'Images, basically an old rock quarry with son et lumiere of Cezanne's paintings, so unique there are no words to describe it. Go to www.cathedrale-images.com for a tiny taste of what it's like. We voted this excursion the highlight of our two weeks in Europe. Sorry this doesn't answer your question about Carcassone (I'm surprised it's so close), but the Accueil Provence website will show you myriad options that are easily accessible from Marseilles. Enjoy!

[brian_uk]

Great response which I really appreciate.

 

You have slightly confused me as you said that you went from Port Vendres which is 350 km from Carcassonne in 1.5 hours. I assume you meant Marseilles.

 

I too have been to Marseilles several times and the Port really is ghastly. Last time we picked up a taxi and went to Cassis which was fantastic.

 

I will contact the tour guide....and thank you again.

 

Brian

[brian_uk]

ChinaAddict

 

The website is dead at the moment but I loved the suggestions.

 

Anything is better than Marseilles.

 

Brian

[dbh62ark]

Brian, sorry I was not clear in my message. Our 8/27/06 Insignia cruise called at Port Vendres, where we hired a driver to take us to Carcassonne, and then later in the sailing called at Marseilles too. So we hit both ports in the same cruise. We also had other ports in Spain and Portugal, so it was a great itinerary. ChinaAddict's day sounds nice too, so I hope you'll write about your day when you return.

 

Have a great cruise,

Donna

[dbh62ark]

Carcassonne is just wonderful! We had a drive of a hour and a half each way between Carcassonne and Marseilles.

Donna

This is too old for me to edit, but I mean to say that we had a drive of approx 1.5 hours between Carcassonne and Port Vendres. I don't have an estimate of the timing to drive between Carcassonne and Marseilles, but the highway we drove on from Port Vendres to Carcassonne was very nice (could have gone on into Paris!). I'm sure any of the private drivers in the area would know whether or not Carcassonne is feasible for a day tour from Marseilles.

 

Donna