Can you get a train directly from Arles to Aix-en-Provence? (Without having to change trains in Marseille?)
Hello Rod, you do not have to travel through the Aix TGV station. I found 3 trains in the morning. 7:04-9:10, 7:39-9:49 and 8:40-11:49 which will bring you to Centre-Ville in Aix. You do have to change at Marseille-St Charles though, regardless. And yes Bahn.de is my favorite site and I found this information there. Bon voyage, Karin
Rod,
I checked briefly and was only able to find trains with at least one change in Marseille-St-Charles. The route that I checked had a travel time of 2H:05M, via Regional Express.
Good luck!
Bonjour Rod! One of the benefits of changing in Marseille is that then you can arrive at the Aix en Provence Centre Ville station rather than the TGV station. The TGV station is quite a way out of town so you then need to take the shuttle bus in, take an expensive taxi or rent a car. I always do what I can to arrive en Ville and then depending on who my travel partner is, walk or take a taxi to the hotel.
In the past exact change was required for the bus.
I would be cautious about choosing the connections...For example there's a train out of Arles at 07:51 to Avignon Centre; the Deutsch Bahn then expects you to take the bus into the Avignon TGV, then the train to the Aix TGV and then the shuttle bus to Aix Centre Ville! I'm exhausted just reading about it. The 07:04 train arrives in Marseille at 07:56, then you take an 08:36 into Aix Centre Ville. Hope this helps!