You can reach Marseille by all means of transport. Thanks to the large number of low-cost airlines operating at the local airport, Marseille is very affordable to reach, particularly from European destinations.

Marseille is also one of the main railway hubs in the south of France, and you can travel comfortably throughout France by high-speed train or regular long-distance trains.

The city is also a major port, from which large ferries sail to Corsica and Sardinia.

By air

The city’s main international gateway is its only airport Marseille-Provence MRS , situated 28 km north of the city centre.

The airport offers a very extensive network of destinations, particularly in France, Western, Southern and Central Europe, and North Africa.

Direct long-haul flights from Marseille go, for example, to Montreal, Addis Ababa and Réunion.

Where to buy flights to Marseille:

• ryanair.com - over 60 destinations across Europe and in Morocco
• volotea.com - around 20 destinations, mainly in France, Western Europe or Algeria
• transavia.com - year-round flights to several French destinations and 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 makes sense to combine the journey into a longer trip and use an airport in another city in the south of France for your return flight.

When travelling to Marseille, you can, for example, use the following airports in southern France:

• 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.

The extensive regional network covering the whole of Provence is complemented by TGV high-speed trains, which run from Marseille via Lyon to Paris and Lille or Nice.

Intercités long-distance services take passengers to cities such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, Montpellier and Nîmes.

Where to buy train tickets to Marseille:

Rail services to Marseille are operated exclusively by the French state railways, SNCF/OUI.

You can find all timetables and buy tickets online on the official SNCF website.

Buy a train ticket to Marseille

How long does the journey take and how much do tickets cost?

Average journey times and ticket prices are shown in the table below. Ticket prices for long-distance services and the TGV depend on current occupancy. The fuller the train, the higher the ticket price. It is therefore recommended that you buy tickets for inOUI, TGV and Intercités long-distance services at least 14 days in advance.

Destination	Average price	Journey time
Paris	from 35 eur	3h 15min
Lyon	from 16 eur	1 hr 30 mins
Nice	from 37 eur	2 hours 30 minutes
Toulouse	from 36 eur	3 hours 50 minutes
Bordeaux	from 49 eur	6h
Montpellier	from 14 eur	1 hour 40 mins

How do I get to Marseille-St. Charles railway station?

• Metro – lines M1, M2
• Buses – routes 52, 56, 82S

By bus

Long-distance buses may be less comfortable, but on some routes they are significantly cheaper than trains.

The main coach station is also called Marseille-St. Charles and is situated right next to the railway station.

Long-distance transport in France is mainly operated by two companies. For timetables and to buy tickets online, click on the link below.

• Flixbus.com
• Blablabus.com

On some routes, buses actually run more frequently and are just as fast as the train, for example to Nice.

In the table below, we outline a selection of destinations where it’s worth travelling by bus.

Destination	Price	Journey time
Nice	from 10 eur	2 hours 20 mins
Barcelona	from 16 eur	7h 30min
Genoa	from 16 eur	6 hours
Turin	from 20 eur	6 hours 30 minutes
Florence	from 20 eur	8 hours 30 minutes
Bilbao	from 35 eur	12 hours 20 minutes

Ferries

North of the historic centre lies the largest passenger ferry terminal in France.

Ferries carrying both passengers and cars sail from Marseille to Corsica or Algeria.

There are many different operators sailing from Marseille. You can easily compare all the tickets and book them straight away via the Directferries website, for example.

Buy a ferry ticket to Marseille

With ferries too – especially if you’re travelling with a car – the earlier you buy your ticket, the better chance you have of getting a good price.

How do you get to the port of Marseille? Use the ‘Arenc Le Silo’ or ‘Euromed Arenc’ stops for ferries to Corsica

• Tram – lines T2, T3
• Buses – routes 35, 70, 82

For international ferries, use the “Gare Maritime Internationale” stop, served by bus routes 49, 82 and 82S.

What are the ferry routes to and from Marseille?

Ferries to Corsica

The largest number of ferries sail to the French island of Corsica, calling at several ports.

Destinations	Journey time	Passenger fare	Car fare
Ajaccio	12 hours 45 minutes	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

There is also a regular ferry service to Algeria, with sailings to several ports. Prices for a one-way crossing are around 155 eur per passenger and 430 eur per car.

The crossing takes approximately 21 hours.

From Marseille, ferries sail to the following Algerian ports:

• Algiers
• Annaba
• Bejaia
• Oran
• Skikda

Ferries to Tunisia

Ferries operate between Marseille and two Tunisian ports:

• Tunis
• Zarzis (Djerba Island)

The crossing takes over 22 hours and costs from 220 eur for passengers, or 460 eur for a car.