Marseille to Avignon

Between those two, I’d go with Avignon. I’ve spent several days there on each of numerous trips. Last time in Provence, though, my husband and I flew to Marseille, then (with rental car) spent a week staying in Saint-Remy. Glanum, a fascinating ancient Roman sight just down the road, and the stunning hilltop village Les Baux just beyond that. There’s the hospital/asylum where Van Gogh spent a year after cutting off part of his ear, and a tremendous market and town, too. Getting from Saint-Remy to Avignon for your cruise is €4 on the 30-minute Line 57 bus.

The bus also runs from St-Remy to Arles, and I think there's also service to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. That's a lot more places than you'll have time for if you only plan to spend two nights up in that area. (Add more nights if you can.) St-Remy is attractive and about 1/5 the size of Arles, which is about 1/2 the size of Avignon. The trade-off is that St-Remy has no rail station.

Before making a final decision, though, I'd pick up a guidebook to that area, make a list of places in Provence that sound intruiging, and check their locations on a map. Do you have a cluster of points of interest that suggests a possible base? Avignon is a rather important transportation hub for that area, so there will be a number of places you could stay with decent access back to Avignon to catch your curise.

Rick's guidebook to southern France has more info on Provence than the general book on France.

It all depends on what you want to see and do during those few days. You haven't said. However, the Marseille airport is between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. You have a local train from Aix to Avignon. I hope you are packing light because there's schlepping involved.

The train station for L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is located in that town. Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is fairly close (about 5 miles away); it has no train service at this time, being served by buses from L'Isle.

I was living in the past when I said there is a local train, a TER, city center to city center. Progress marches on.

Thank you all for your replies. For a bit more clarification, this will be the beginning of a five week trip in Europe - , if Covid allows. We usually try and fly into a city a day or two before a river cruise to deal with jet lag from a flight from the West Coast of the United States. Since our flight is part of the cruise package we will be flying into Marseille. If we arrive early then we need to use our own transportation to get to Avignon. We will be traveling with two other couples who have done minimal travel in Europe. We also will be caring an extra suitcase because after the cruise we will be visiting friends and will have gifts and requested items to schlep along with us. The cruise includes some time in Avignon and in Arles. The cruise ends in Lyon where we will rent a car and travel on our own. Do you recommend arriving early and spending a couple of days in Marseille. If so, How much of a hassle Will it be using public transportation to get to Avignon?

On that last trip of ours, after flying into the Marseille airport, we took the bus to downtown Marseille, for a walk, a wonderful lunch, more strolling, and museum visit, before bussing back to the airport to collect a rental car for our drive to Saint-Remy. It was a nice, albeit short stop to see some of the city. Much of a day is worthwhile if you’re going to be in the neighborhood! I’d spend more time in Avignon, though, than in Marseille, myself.

Avignon’s TGV bullet train station is away from the center, but a regional train gets you into Avignon. Either way, along with travel to/from the stations in Marseille and Avignon, it’ll take you 60-90 minutes total.

When I spent six months in Cassis, I went in to Marseille a couple of times a week. It's a very interesting city with a variety of churches, temples and artifacts going back to the early Greeks, etc. Some very interesting museums. too. The St. Victor Abbey, high on a hill, has the remains of a Celtic holy spot in the crypt , complete with carved head racks. The only other place in Provence to see a head rack carving is in the museum in Aix-en-Provence. The rest of the crypt has Roman sarcophagi. There's also a black Madonna. But since Marseille is off most foreign tourist maps, St. Victor isn't well-known. You can visit the much newer Notre Dame de la Garde with hundreds of votives. The Le Corbusier Cité Radieuse is in Marseille. You'd have to check to see if tours are available because it is an occupied apartment block. Marseille has a lot to offer. I'd stay a couple of nights.

I was in Avignon years ago and again a couple of months ago-- during Covid. It's ok. My husband stayed for a month once during the theater festival and has fond memories.

Finally, since there are six of you and extra luggage, why don't you hire a car to drive all of you from your first hotel directly to the river boat.

6 months in Cassis, how nice!

Arles, Les Baux, Avignon and Aix are all great places, also the ancient Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard.

Thank you also very much for your suggestions and comments. We’ve decided to fly into Marseille and hopefully be able to rent a van for six people and their luggage to drive to Avignon. I’m looking into an Airbnb in or near there for all of us. I think one day we will go over to the area, Gigondas? that has wineries. I’ll have the others help me decide what to do on the second day before we Join the cruise. I was thinking perhaps Pont du Gard. Any ideas on if any wineries near Gigondas will be available for tasting? Our cruise will be taking us around Avignon and ArLes. I know we won’t see a lot in either place however hopefully it’ll be a good overview and my husband and I plan to return.