The Marseille metro is the backbone of the local public transport system and the most reliable way to get around. Unlike in other tourist cities, however, the Marseille metro does not serve many of the city’s attractions, so buses may be a much more useful option.

Find out how much metro tickets cost, how often trains run and where to find official information.

Find a hotel near a metro station

The metro in Marseille is operated by ‘RTM’, as are the trams and buses. You can find the clear and informative official website atrtm.fr.

Map and metro lines in Marseille

The Marseille metro network comprises a total of 23 km of track and 2 lines. It is therefore one of the smallest metro systems in Europe.

The metro is reliable, frequent and fast. The stations are not very deep underground, so it’s worth using the metro even for short journeys.

You can find the official metro map on the website:rtm.fr/plans.

Metro lines are colour-coded and numbered.

• M1– the blue line forms a ‘U’ shape and provides a fast service from the outlying residential areas in the north-east and east of the city to the centre. It is very popular with tourists travelling from St Charles main station to the city centre, the Vieux-Port and on to Castellane station, from where some buses run to the Calanques National Park.
• M2– the red line runs north to south and provides a fast connection from St Charles station southwards to all buses heading for the Calanques National Park.

Metro tickets

The fare for the metro is the same as for trams and buses.

We explain the fare system in more detail in the Transport section.

How much does a metro journey cost?

The fare system isn’t complicated. The entire metro, bus and tram network is in a single zone.

• 1,70 eur – A single transfer ticket valid for 59 minutes. You can only use the metro once during this period.
• 5,20 eur – 24 hours
• 10,80 eur – 72 hours
• 15,50 eur – 7 days

How and where can I buy tickets?

The mobile app for buying tickets in Marseille is not currently working.

All-day and multi-day tickets can only be purchased as standard paper chip tickets. These tickets are sold without an issuance fee.

A single-journey ticket costing €1.70 is available as a paper ticket, but is subject to a ticket issuance fee of 0,10 eur.

You can also pay for a single-journey fare using your own contactless card. Unfortunately, there are no daily limits set for this payment method in Marseille (unlike in London, for example), and so paying by contactless card is not cost-effective if you make more than 3 journeys in a single day, with at least 1 hour between each journey.

How do you use a ticket on the metro?

You enter the station through the turnstiles.

When paying with your own contactless card, hold it against theblackvalidator.

If you are using a paper ticket, you must tap it against the yellow reader. This is a bit illogical, as the black validators, which in the underground only work for payment cards, also work for tapping paper tickets on buses and trams.

When changing services or getting off the underground, the turnstiles open automatically without you needing to tap your ticket or card.

Is the Marseille metro open 24/7?

None of the metro lines run non-stop.

Every day, the metro starts running at around 5.00 am (departures from terminal stations) and finishes between 0.30 am and 0.45 am.

On weekdays, trains run every 4 to 5 minutes during the day. Early in the morning, late in the evening and at weekends, the interval may be 6 to 10 minutes.

Detailed timetables and a journey planner can be found on the website:rtm.fr/horaires.

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What are the stations and trains like?

The metro stations are modern and very clean. Each station is equipped with a ticket machine and a staffed ticket office.

There are usually no toilets at metro stations, and there are generally no shops in the metro concourses either.

The metro trains date from the 1970s, although they were all modernised between 2005 and 2007. The trains are generally well-maintained and clean, but there isn’t much space inside the carriages, so they can get a bit crowded.

To open the doors, you need to lift the silver handle slightly.

Generally speaking, the metro system in Marseille is very easy to navigate, clean and safe.