We are flying in to Marseilles airport in July 2017 & taking the train to Avignon. Our arrival time is 2:20 pm. I was hoping to purchase our train tickets in advance at the Trainline.eu website but it warns that the departure station (Vitrolles station) does not have a self-service machine to retrieve our print-at station tickets. My question is: does this station have a manned ticket office & if so, can I then present my booking reference number to them to print my (prepaid) tickets? And do the shuttles between the airport & the train station require a ticket purchase prior to boarding & how efficient are they in getting you to the station on time for my train travel? Should I expect long waiting time because that will determine what departure time I should choose for our train tickets. Would greatly appreciate any info or experience with this itinerary.
Posted by
Normandie
270 posts
Perhaps this wouldn't work from a U.S. IP address, but before I started using a Voyageur card, I routinely purchased tickets on the sncf.fr website and printed them out with my home printer (or you could ask your hotel to print them for you). I'm not familiar with trainline.eu -- I just deal with the train companies themselves.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4044 posts
You will board the train at the Vitrolles station. But your actual departure is from the aeroport itself, on a shuttle bus that makes a five-minute run to the local station. The ticket for the bus is included in the train fare. On the SNCF website, type in Marseille Provence Aeroport to depart and Avignon Central for arrival. It's the TER service, rattling along the regional tracks for about an hour and arriving at the old station just outside the gates to the inner city. Definitely nothing "Tres Grande Vitesse" about it, but convenient. The SNCF site shows one transfer, which is from the shuttle to the train, not a major train connection. The alternative is a longer shuttle to the TGV station at Aix en Provence, a bullet train to Avignon TGV on the outskirts of the city, and a short train shuttle to Avignon Central. Smoother, but in total no faster, and not flexible.
On-line tickets usually show a specific day and time so don't have to be validated by the little machine that stamps that info on over-the-counter tickets. I don't know whether they can be used at other times, which would be convenient for plane arrivals. TER trains are pretty informal.
The Provence Aeroport website is especially useful. Its access map shows both a ticket agent and an adjacent ticket machine. It says the agent takes cash and credit cards while the machine requires a card. One connection to the TER's separate website suggests it might have to be a smart card so maybe America's old-fashioned swipe cards won't work. Or maybe they will. Or maybe wait for the office to open.
Sorry this is complicated, but it actually is more convenient than my last trip 10 years ago. Also, with much respect, the French genius is to provide so much information that it's like your kid's eager dog has wrapped his generous leash around your ankles and then wants to walk. You will be just fine, once untangled. Avignon is fun, and it has a good website too.
http://www.marseille-airport.com/access-car-parks/access/trains
http://www.avignon-tourisme.com/home-1-2.html
http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers
Posted by
OP
SF
10 posts
Thank you to both responses - very much appreciated. The info on the MRS website was very helpful. I am not too worried about retrieving my prepaid train tickets anymore. We are looking forward to our stay in Avignon as our base in Provence. We are there in July to catch the lavender season. It's going to be interesting & very crowded from what I read due to the coinciding theater festival. By the way, I checked train fares at SNCF & Trainline.eu (formerly known as Capitaine Train) & they are exactly the same & appears to offer the same service. Thanks again for the helpful information.