Train or fly to Marseille from CDG?

There’s a direct train from Aeroport Charles De Gaulle but I don’t see any that depart in the morning: https://www.sncf-connect.com/.

We took the TGV from Gare de Lyon and it was fast and comfortable. After a long flight you will probably have a snooze on the way south. I believe you have more options for departures from Gare de Lyon. Take a taxi from CDG to the station and the train from there if the times work better for you. We picked up our car rental at the Marseille train station (Gare St. Charles). Most all companies have facilities there.Do be aware that if your plane is scheduled to arrive at 10:00, that is usually when the wheels touch down. Deplaning, going through immigration, etc. will take some time. And the taxi to the Gare de Lyon will take a little while. I suggest buying your TGV train tickets ahead of time to save money, but you will need to allow plenty of time for hiccups on the way there. If you want to wait until you get to the station that's okay too. We went first class and reserved our seats, but bought tickets a couple of months before. The TGV was a great choice for us. Check the SNCFwebsite for time options with the TGV, whether from CDG or Gare de Lyon.
For the flight option, if you haven't bought the tickets to Marseille on the same ticket as your flight into CDG, I wouldn't fly. You may have to hoof it to another section or terminal and could be short on time, especially if your flight arrives late.
Just out of curiosity, where is the VRBO? We have family in Bandol and have spent lots of time in the area.

meapeak,
Be aware that the airport for Marseille is north of the city and has car rental options there also. You could probably avoid driving in Marseille on the way to your rental if you fly to Marseille.

The flight is only an hour. Are there no flights 4 hours or so after you arrive? It’s not the train versus driving — it’s the train versus flying. I would fly. I am not afraid to drive in France and I have driven in Marseilles but I would avoid driving there again if possible. If you decide to take the train, there is usually one at around 12:30 and one at around 2, which I think are better choices than going into Paris to get a train especially since the usual suggestion is to allow 3 hours between ETA and the train’s departure time for trains from CDG and 4 hours for trains from Paris. You don’t need a morning train. You need an afternoon train and there are many of those.

I agree with JHK, just fly since you are already at the airport. If you are on a Delta, Air France or another Sky Team plane, it can all be on one itinerary. I live in the south and prefer flying when coming solo from the US. My husband prefers waiting for the train.

No clue where OP is coming from, but assuming from the US, early Sept is still prime hurricane season, so if the originating flight is from a Gulf or East coast airport, weather could be a consideration and cause a significantly delayed arrival Paris.

Any separately pre booked travel reservations, plane or train, could be lost.

If flying to MRS on a single ticket isn't possible, then the choice is a walk up train fare, ~$120; walk up plane fare is $300+

Depending how many is 'we', the choice of fast or cheap is up to OP

Choose wisely and enjoy your trip

I agree, fly from CDG to Marseille. I did it last year and it is an easy flight. Do not know your age/where you are coming from, however, it is just easier to fly

Thank you, everyone, for the excellent information & ideas - appreciate it!

Since you need to pick up a car, flying will be more convenient: you will avoid driving inside Marseille altogether.

And if you end up taking the train, depending on your VRBO location it might make sense to take it to Aix TGV instead of Marseille, to rent a car there, a little bit out of the city. Toulon could also work if you are "one hour east".

Driving in Marseille is difficult even for this Parisian, getting to the motorway from St Charles station (car rental places) is very easy if you are headed north but not straightforward otherwise.

meapeak,
Balso is correct. We have to drive in Marseille sometimes to visit a cousin, and it is horrible. (Not nas bad as Paris or Rome though!)

Hope OP reports in Sept what choice was made and how it worked.

Others planning to get to Marseille would be interested in knowing what choice to make ( or avoid)