Marseille can be reached by all means of transport. Thanks to the massive presence of low-cost airlines at the local airport, Marseille is very cheap to reach, especially from European destinations.
Marseille is also one of the main rail hubs in the south of France, and high-speed or long-distance regular trains will take you conveniently all over France.
The city is also a major port, with large ferries to Corsica or Sardinia departing from here.
By air
The city's only airport serves as the main international gateway to the city Marseille-Provence MRS located 28 km north of the centre.
The airport offers a very extensive network of destinations mainly in France, Western, Southern and Central Europe and North Africa.
Direct long-haul flights from Marseille go to Montréal, Addis Ababa and Reunion Island, for example.
Where to buy tickets to Marseille:
- ryanair.com - Over 60 destinations across Europe and Morocco
- volotea.com - around 20 destinations mainly in France, Western Europe or Algeria
- transavia.com - year-round flights to several French destinations or Senegal and a large number of seasonal flights to southern Europe and North Africa
- airfrance.com - very frequent connections to both Paris airports
- klm.com - via Amsterdam
- lufthansa.com - via Frankfurt
- flytap.com - via Lisbon
- iberia.com - via Madrid
- and many more
Open-jaw flights
Marseille lies roughly in the middle of the French Mediterranean coast, so it's suggested to combine the trip into a longer trip and use an airport in another city in the south of France for departure.
In combination with Marseille, you can use the following airports in the south of France, for example:
- Nice NCE - 193 km
- Montpellier MPL - 165 km
By train
The only station where all long-distance and regional services terminate is located in the city centre and is called Marseille-St Charles.
Extensive regional connections throughout Provence are also supplemented by high-speed TGV trains running from Marseille via Lyon to Paris and Lille or Nice.
Long-distance Intercités services take passengers to cities such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, Montpellier and Nimes.
Where to buy train tickets to Marseille:
Rail services to Marseille are operated exclusively by SNCF/OUI, the French state railways.
All timetables and online ticket purchases can be found on the official SNCF website.
Buy train tickets to Marseille
How long is the journey and how much do tickets cost?
Average journey times and ticket prices are shown in the table below. Ticket prices for long-distance and TGV services are based on availability. The fuller the train is, the higher the ticket price will be. It is therefore advisable to buy tickets for long-distance inOUI, TGV and Intercités services at least 14 days in advance.
| Destinations | Average price | Travel time |
|---|---|---|
| Paris | From 35 eur | 3h 15min |
| Lyon | from 16 eur | 1h 30min |
| Nice | from 37 eur | 2h 30min |
| Toulouse | from 36 eur | 3h 50min |
| Bordeaux | from 49 eur | 6h |
| Montpellier | from 14 eur | 1h 40min |
How to get to Marseille-St. Charles train station?
- Metro - lines M1, M2
- Buses - lines 52, 56, 82S
By bus
Long-distance buses are a less comfortable, but on some routes significantly cheaper transport than trains.
Also, the main bus station is called Marseille-St. Charles and is located right next to the train station.
Long-distance transport in France is mainly provided by two companies. Click on the link below for timetables and to buy tickets online.
Buses are even busier and as fast as the train on some routes, such as to Nice.
The table below describes a selection of destinations worth travelling to by bus.
| Destinations | Price | Travel time |
|---|---|---|
| Nice | from 10 eur | 2h 20min |
| Barcelona | from 16 eur | 7h 30min |
| Genoa | from 16 eur | 6h |
| Turin | from 20 eur | 6h 30min |
| Florence | from 20 eur | 8h 30min |
| Bilbao | from 35 eur | 12h 20min |
Ferries
Just north of the historic centre is the largest passenger ferry dock in France.
Boats carrying passengers and cars sail from Marseille to Corsica or Algeria.
Many different companies sail from Marseille. You can compare all tickets at a glance and buy them directly, for example, via the Directferries website.
Buy a ferry ticket to Marseille
Also for ferries, especially if you're travelling by car, the earlier you buy your ticket, the better chance you have of getting a good price.
How to get to the port of Marseille? Use the stop "Arenc Le Silo" or "Euromed Arenc" for ferries to Corsica
- Tram - lines T2, T3
- Buses - lines 35, 70, 82
For international ferries, use the stop "Gare Maritime Intrenationale" where buses of lines 49, 82 and 82S stop.
What are the ferry routes to/from Marseille?
Ferries to Corsica
The largest number of boats sail to the French island of Corsica, with several ports of call.
| Destinations | Sailing times | Price for passengers | Price for car |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajaccio | 12h 45min | from 80 eur | from 270 eur |
| Bastia | 13h | from 80 eur | from 300 eur |
| Ile Rousse | 12h 15min | from 78 eur | from 220 eur |
| Porto Vecchio | 14h | from 100 eur | from 295 eur |
| Propriano | 13h | from 102 eur | from 250 eur |
Ferries to Algeria
A regular boat service also operates to Algeria, with several ports of call. Prices for a one-way cruise are around 155 eur per passenger and 430 eur per car.
The cruise takes about 21 hours.
From Marseille, there are sailings to the following Algerian ports:
- Algiers
- Annaba
- Bejaia
- Oran
- Skikda
Ferries to Tunisia
Ships sail between Marseille and two Tunisian ports:
- Tunis
- Zarzis (Djerba Island)
The cruise takes over 22 hours and costs from 220 eur for passengers or 460 eur for a car.