Getting Around

Marseille & Aix En Provence: Principal Destinations: Marseille: Getting Around

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As a large, urban center, Marseille has a good range of public transportation that is easy to use and not too expensive. The same tickets and fare structures apply to buses, Metro and trams. If you are driving, it really makes sense to leave your car in a municipal garage – there’s a big one near the Hotel de Ville close to the Vieux Port – and use public transportation:

The Metro: A single Metro journey costs €1.50, a day pass with unlimited journeys costs €4, or you can buy a CityPass for unlimited access to the public transportation system as well as museum admissions and tours. There are two Metro lines and a short tram line that cover most of the tourist sites. It is even possible to combine Metro, bus and boat services to reach the beaches, the calanques and the harbor islands, including the Château d’If.

Buses: If you are staying close to the Vieux Port, local buses are a good bet. The Number 83 bus – La Joliette to Métro Rond Point du Prado – goes all around the Vieux Port and connects with most other bus lines. The Number 60 bus – Ballard to ND de la Garde – stops at both Abbaye St Victor and Notre Dame de la Garde. Ask at the tourist information office for other bus routes.

Ferry: A five-minute ferry trip takes you across the Vieux Port (which is bigger than it looks on most maps!) all day long, between the Quai de Rive Neuve and l’Hotel de Ville.

Power Launches: GACM (1 Quai des Belges, 13001 Marseille, ☎ 33 04 91 55 50 09, fax 33 04 91 55 60 23, gacm@wanadoo.fr, www.answeb.net/gacm/if.html) operates water taxis ranging from 20-minute journeys to Château d’If and the beaches of Frioul to four-hour calanque cruises to Cassis. There are also voyages to the calanques and beaches to the east of Marseille as well as a “Histoboat” tour of the entire port area. For fares, stop in at the office, located at the head of the Vieux Port, not far from the tourist information office.

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