My sister and I are planning our first trip to France. We will spend a week in Paris and then take a train to someplace in Provence, where we will rent a car for 5 or 6 days. We are considering St. Remy as base in Provence. We need to hear pros and cons of which airport to use for the trip home. Nice or Marseilles. Should we plan to spend the night prior to our return flight near the airport to prevent problems getting to an airport on time? Have not made reservations yet.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10196 posts
The airport closest to Provence is Marseille.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23269 posts
In some ways it might make more sense to reverse your trip and come home from Paris. Marseilles is a larger airport than Nice but neither has international flights back to the US so that means an early morning connecting flight to another airport for the flight home. They are regional airports. Paris would provide a greater option of departing international flights at a more reasonable time.
You should always spend the last night within a reasonable taxi or subway ride to the airport.
Posted by
Folsom
2707 posts
St. Remy is an hour drive from Marseilles airport. Once you are on the freeways it's fast (except at rush hour). The signs have a huge airplane symbol so just follow that. The airport is large but rental car return (for ours) was right there-dropped off the car, walked into the terminal. If you leave enough time for the drive, allowing for traffic, no need to sleep in an airport hotel. We drove it from Lourmarin a few years ago, arriving three hours before departure. It was stress free. After a short flight we changed planes in Germany.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4044 posts
I reverse the order, flying into Marseille on the eastern trans-Atlantic itinerary (requiring a change in a gateway airport.) Then work my way to Paris where the long-haul flights west leave at a civilized hour of the day.