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Two days with car between Nice and Marseille

Posted by (Seattle) on

My friend and I are going to see Bruce Springsteen in Marseille on May 31 (I know, my life! I am in complete disbelief that she asked me to this concert two days ago, and I was YES within about three minutes). I would love advice for which places to visit as we wander between Nice and Marseille. (FYI we both speak French, drive manuals, and have never been to the Cote d'Azur/Provence)

OVERALL ITINERARY:
Planning falls to me - we're spending two nights in Nice at Ammihotels Hotel du Centre, then Thursday and Friday with a rental car between Nice and Marseille, arriving in Marseille Saturday morning, May 31, ditching the car, doing the concert, spending Sunday June 1 also in Marseilles and leaving on Monday June 2.

QUESTIONS: I would love any and all suggestions, but specifically:

1) places to stay in Marseille that are reasonably accessible via transit to Orange Velodrome where the concert is

2) Is Juan les Pins and the Picasso stuff there worth spending a morning/lunch at? I like art more than my friend, so is the area around the museum somewhere she could take a walk and coffee while I geek out? Or is it disappointing compared to Picasso in Paris, and we should just skip it and do little towns inland instead?

3) May 29/30: is that too early for lavender, even if it's a warm spring?

4) I have a little fantasy about standing in Roman ruins and declaiming some Shakespearean soliloquy, I'm a dork. Orange and Nimes are farther than we want to go just to indulge this daydream. Any suggestions for something closer to Nice?

5) I keep seeing recs for St Remy, Arles, Eyguieres, etc - but those look like I'd be driving past Marseille. Any small towns with charm and little farms, tours, Roman sites, etc in the area more NE of Marseille, closer on the Aix-en-Provence/Nice axis, that people recommend as highly as the places farther west? We'd rather walk and sip coffee than drive.

Thanks so much! I just found out about this trip and it feels like it's coming up quickly. This forum is always a great place for advice.

Posted by
11924 posts

My dh became ill on a trip in Provence and we found an excellent doctor to provide him care. As he recovered the doctor asked where we were going next. He said we needed to visit Eygalieres, where the locals go for the weekend. We did and were enchanted by it. Even though it’s off of your planned itinerary, I encourage you to stop there.

Posted by
1845 posts

Annette,
We like Bandol, but it is just an hour before you get to Marseille. Lovely harbor, small, sweet sandy beaches, nearby wineries, good market at the harbor. It's nice to stroll along the harbor and stop for an aperitif or coffee, or a meal. Or drive somewhat inland to Ste. Baume and visit (one of) the (many) places where Mary Magdalen is supposed to be buried. Aix-en-Provence is a nice university town only about a half-four north of Marseille. There are any number of provincial villages between Nice and Marseille. You can do the route completely inland or along the coast through Toulon. I might go inland for part of the trip (Grasse to begin with, then Ste. Baume, ending up in Aix, then south from Aix to Bandol. (Or Ste. Baume directly to Bandol, skipping Aix, or directly to Aix, skipping Bandol).
From Bandol to Marseille (just an hour away, almost a suburb of Marseille).
Your drive from Nice to Marseille has many lovely options. Enjoy!

Posted by
759 posts

Some answers for you:

2) There is the Picasso museum in Antibes, which is in the Old Town next to the sea. The old town and provencal market are very nice, and your friend can easily spend a lot of time there within easy walking distance. There is also a beach nearby (that can be very packed compared to the nice ones further away). The Paris museum reportedly has the largest and widest variety of works in the world, but some may be on loan. The Antibes museum includes a set of pieces he did in the same castle, and have never left.
3) late may is too early for the typical lavendar fields.
4) There are ruins at Glanum near St. Remy and in Arles (arena, Theatre). The theatres/arenas at Nimes, Orange and Arles are the best. In Nice, in CImiez, next to the Matisse Museum are some Roman ruins (mostly baths). These are little more than partial walls and a few columns, and the lower outline of an arena. In La Turbie, just above Eze, is the Trophee des Alpes, with spectacular views and about 1/5 of the original tower. There is a theatre in Frejus that is little more than rubble.

5) Close to Nice, there are towns like St. Paul de Vence (including the Fondation Maeght), Vence (including the Matisse Chapel), Tourettes-sur-Loup and Gourdon. Along the coast, the drive between St. Tropez/Ramatuelle and Hyeres (besides those towns) includes villages like Gassin and Bormes-les-Mimosa (and offshore, the Porquerolles). Inland, you have places like Tourtour and Contignac (but many other places in the Var, which will be very agricultural and less touristy). Close to Marseille, you have Cassis.

Adding a note about your Nice hotel. At night, I recommend walking on Jean Medecin versus taking the less populated route to the train station. The street at the end, Rue d'Angleterre near Rue d'Italie and de Belgique is the only area in the Centre where some may feel unsafe.

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