On our Cruise from Sept. 15-22, 2018 we will have port days in Gibralter, Marseille, Genoa and Florence. We will be in Marseille on 9/19/18 from 8am to 5 pm. We would like to see Aix-en -Provence and the Calanques but my questions is do we have time if we take the train from Aix to Cassis and take a boat to the Calanques?
Once we disembark in Civitecchivia, we plan to travel by land ending in Paris 9/28-10/1/2018 which is Friday to Monday. We leave out of Orly airport at 2 pm. Wondering what the best way is to travel from Paris central to airport?
This is our first time in Europe so any help is much appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10176 posts
You've posted multiple questions, and some need clarification, but here goes.
If you were driving or had a driver, going to Aix and Cassis in the same day would be possible. However, by public transportation, you don't have enough time. You need to get to the stations, walk or wait for a taxi to and from the stations to the centers of town, change trains, buses don't run every day, wait for the boat to the Calanques, etc. Finally, you need to be back on the ship before five, not at five. Unless you hire a guide, you should choose one or the other. I spent six months in Cassis while one of my kids was at the university in Aix and would vote for either, but Cassis is more distinctive from your other stops.
What does travel by land mean? Are you driving or taking a train? Is there a question here? Unless you have specific stops and places you want to see, it's best to fly back to Paris. See rome2rio.com to compare time and prices.
Best way to Orly, if you are two or more persons is a taxi for 30-35 euros. Price depends on where in central Paris. There's an inexpensive bus from the Place Denfert Rochereau, which may be best for someone on a tight budget, but for two or more individuals any other option will cost nearly as much or more than a door-to-door taxi.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
As Bets remarked (above) your time in Marseilles is shorter than you think. Your ship will leave port at 5:00pm but you will be required to be back on board well before that, at least an hour before. They count noses as passengers return from their time in port and by 4:30 or earlier, loud speaker announcements are made naming passengers still not back on board. No doubt you are aware that if you are not on one of the ship's excursions, the ship will leave without you. I saw this happen in Lisbon and often wonder how the couple left behind managed their predicament.
Also, you will not get off the ship exactly at 8:00am. Priority is given to those who have booked cruise line excursions, so it would more likely be 8:30 or later.
As for getting to Orly from Paris, take a taxi, since you ask for the "best way".
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
I don't think that any of the boat options facilitate a circular route, but rather that each boat returns to where it started and you'd backtrack by train from Cassis. So the easiest way to see the Calenques is by boat from Marseille and then if you have more time, see something in Marseille, such as the North African Market district.
Posted by
OP
23 posts
Thank you all for your information! We will be mostly traveling by train from Florence to Venice for two nights then may take a flight to Munich and train to Nuremburg and stay two nights. My husband was stationed in Erlangan during the Vietnam era and wants to go back. From there we go to Paris by train for 3 nights. The only reason I said central Paris is because we have not reserved lodging yet.