Read more about Marseille.
Marseille is the second largest city in France. European capital of culture in 2013, Marseille is located in the Bouches-du-Rhone department in Provence and the PACA region.
Marseille tourism website
Paris to Marseille by train
TGV trains to Marseille Saint Charles station depart from Paris Gare de Lyon (20 boulevard Diderot, Paris 12) throughout the day.
Metro lines to and from Gare de Lyon
- Line 1 – La Defense to Chateau de Vincennes
- Line 14 – Saint Lazare to Bibliotheque Francois Mitterand
TGV trains to Marseille station
- Paris to Marseille station in 3 hours 09 minutes.
- Lille (connecting with Eurostar) to Marseille station in 4 hours 46 minutes.
- Charles de Gaulle airport to Marseille station in 3 hours 50 minutes.
Other connections to Marseille by TGV
- Popular direct connections include Avignon, directly east along the Côte d’Azur to Nice, Lyon, and Toulouse.
- Marseille has good high-speed TER (not TGV) links to major French cities such as Aix-en-Provence, Narbonne, Toulon and Nantes. Check out the main TER services on the TER website .
Marseille Saint-Charles station is on rue esplanade St-Charles, very close to the city center.
How to travel from London to Marseille direct
Now you can travel directly from London to Marseille without changing trains or stations. The new service started on May 1, 2015 and will take you from St. Pancras International to Marseille, with stops in Lyon and Avignon in just 6 hours and 27 minutes.
Travel with great train rides
Great Rail Journeys is a flexible, helpful and efficient company. This UK company organizes a well-accompanied group rail holiday. Take a look at some of his ideas on his website. Typical accompanied group holidays include 6 days in the Dordogne and Lot from £ 645 per person; and Languedoc and Carcassonne (7 days from £ 795 per person).
Great Rail Journeys will also make you a tailor-made vacation, combining river trips, city breaks and everything you want to see. Take a look at 4 days on the Côte d’Azur from Nice and Monaco at a cost of £ 320 per person, which includes train travel, 3 nights in a 3-star hotel in Nice and a train excursion to Monaco. Other destinations include Paris and Reims (from £ £ 470 per person); Paris and Avignon (5 days from £ 515 per person).
Contact Great Rail Journeys by phone on 0800 140 4444 (from the UK) or check their website.
- Great Rail Journeys overview
- Great Rail Journeys tailor made trips
Take a look at the direct route from London to Marseille
Train travel reservation
- Buy tickets from the US with Rail Europe
- Buy tickets from the UK with Voyages sncf
Getting to Marseille by plane
Marseille-Provence Airport is located 20 km (12 miles) northwest of Marseille. It is a major airport with domestic and international flights, including New York and London.
MP2 is the connected airport for cheap flights. A 5-minute shuttle bus connects the two.
Shuffle coaches from La Navette leave regularly for St-Charles train station and take about 25 minutes.
Destinations include Paris, Lyon, Nantes, and Strasbourg; Brussels; London, Birmingham, Leeds and Bradford; Morocco; Algeria Madeira; Munich and Rotterdam.
Getting to Marseille by car
Paris to Marseille is 775 kms (482 miles), taking around 7 hours, depending on your speed. There are tolls on the highways. Marseille is easily accessible as three motorways linking Spain, Italy and Northern Europe intersect in Marseille.
If you drive, check out my Tips and Advice for Driving in France
Car rental
For information on how to rent a car under the return lease scheme, which is the cheapest way to rent a car if you are in France for more than 17 days, try Renault Eurodrive’s buyback lease.
Getting from London to Paris
- By train (Eurostar)
Eurostar between London, Paris and Lille
- By bus / coach Eurolines offers a cheap service from London, Gillingham, Canterbury, Folkestone and Dover to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris Gallieni. Six coaches a day; 2 all night; The trip is 7 hours. The Euroline stop is at the Paris Gallieni bus station, 28 ave du General de Gaulle, right next to the Gallieni metro station, near Porte de Bagnolet (metro line 3, final stop).
Eurolines website for French travel - IDBus also operates between London and Lille and London and Paris. IDBus also runs from Lille to Amsterdam and Brussels.
IDBus website
