Getting There By Air:Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) Tel: (04) 4214 1414.
Website:
www.marseille.aeroport.fr Marseille Provence Airport is located 25km (16 miles) north of Marseille, in Marignane. The airport is the fourth airport in France for passenger traffic, with over five million passengers per year. In 2006, mp2, a new no-frills terminal, opened within easy walking distance from the existing International and Domestic terminals. It is now the main
Ryanair hub in France (website:
www.mp2.aeroport.fr).
Approximate flight times to Marseille: From London is 1 hour 50 minutes; from New York is 11 hours; from Los Angeles is 20 hours; from Toronto is 13 hours; from Sydney is 24 hours and from Paris Orly is 50 minutes. (All flights are via Paris, from London.)
Airport facilities: There is a bank and several ATMs, as well as a post office at the airport. Cafes, restaurants and newsagents can be found in all terminals. Duty-free shopping is available in the International Terminal and in mp2. Other shops, including some selling regional produce, can also be found at the airport. Left-luggage facilities are available. There is a Business Center (tel: (04) 4214 2774) in Hall 4 of the Domestic Terminal.
Transport to the city: There are shuttle buses (tel: (04) 4214 3127) to Marseille St Charles train station (journey time - 30 minutes). Taxis are available 24 hours a day and can be ordered in advance (tel: (04) 4214 2444; website:
www.taxis-aeroport.com).
Getting There By Road:Motorways (
autoroutes) bear the prefix ‘A’, national roads ‘N’ and minor roads (
départementales) are classed as ‘D’ roads. Traffic drives on the right and drivers must give way to the right, unless the route is marked with
’passage protégé’ signs (a broad arrow, a yellow diamond or an ‘X’ on a triangular background) or if the driver is at a roundabout indicating ‘
Vous n’avez pas la priorité’. Tolls (
péages) are enforced. Speed limits are 130kph (81mph) on motorways (110kph, or 68mph, when raining), 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways separated by a central reservation, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. The minimum age for driving is 18 years. Seatbelts must be worn by all passengers (front and rear). Children under 10 may not travel in the front seat. A national driving license, the car’s registration document and a red warning triangle must be carried at all times. All headlamp beams must be adjusted for right-side driving, by use of beam deflectors or by tilting the headlamp bulb-holder. The French police fine motorists on the spot for driving offences. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.05%. EU nationals taking their own cars to France are strongly advised to obtain a Green Card, without which insurance cover is limited to the minimum legal cover in France. The Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the car owner’s domestic policy.
Autoroutes du Sud de la France (ASF) (tel: (04) 9032 9005; website:
www.asf.fr) is responsible for the southern France motorway network and produces free maps with information in English. The motorway network number (tel: (04) 9178 7878) provides information on traffic conditions and driving regulations in southeastern France. Information is also available from
Autoroutel (tel: 0892 707 001). Traffic conditions are broadcast on
RadioTrafic 107.7FM. Emergency telephones linked up to the police are located every 2km (1.2 miles) on each side of the motorway.
Emergency breakdown service: Garage du Pharo (04) 9159 4040 (24hours/day, seven days a week)
If you need an ambulance, use the orange SOS phones which are situated every 2km (1.2 miles) on motorways and every 4km (2.5 miles) on dual carriageways and other major roads. Or dial 15 from a normal phone. You must also call the police (dial 17).
Routes to the city: Three motorways connecting Spain, Italy and Northern Europe come together at Marseille: the A7 goes to the north (for Aix and Lyon), the A55 to the west (for Fos, Martigues, Monpellier and Barcelona) and the A50 to the east (for Cassis, Toulon, Nice and Genoa). The Prado Carénage Tunnel connects the north coastline motorway (A55) to the east motorway (A50) (toll).
Approximate driving times to Marseille: From Avignon - 1 hour; Barcelona - 5 hours; Paris -7hours.
Coach services: The Coach Station, place Victor Hugo, 3e (tel: (04) 9108 1640) is located right by the train station. Coaches and buses depart from here for a number of destinations in Provence and further afield.
Getting There By Rail:Societé Nationale de Chemins de Fer (
SNCF) (tel: 0892 353 535; website:
www.sncf.fr) is the national rail carrier. There are some 200 trains calling at Marseille daily, including 15 trains to Paris. Generally, trains are on time. As throughout France, train tickets must be validated prior to boarding.
The train station,
Gare St Charles (tel: 0892 353 535
or 9167 6869), is the hub for regional and national rail travel.
Rail services: The extension of the TGV line brought Marseille within 3 hours of Paris, from where services connect to Lille, Nantes, Rouen, Brussels and Geneva, as well as London with the
Eurostar (tel: 08705 186 186 (UK number), or +44 12336 17575 (from outside the UK); website:
www.eurostar.com) (journey time - 8 hours). Regional trains serve Avignon, Nice, Toulon, Cannes and many other towns on the coast and inland.
Getting Around:
Public TransportRégie des Transports de Marseille (
RTM) (tel: (04) 9191 9210; website:
www.rtm.fr) provides public transport throughout the city and some of the suburbs. There are two
metro lines (blue and red) and over 80
bus lines. The metro runs from 0500 until 2100 every day and from 0500 until 1230 from Friday to Sunday and when there is a football match at the Velodrome Stadium. Buses run from around 0500 until 2100 every day, consult the RTM website (above) for exact timetables for various bus routes.
Tickets can be bought in any metro station, at the RTM office on 6 rue des Fabres, or any shop displaying the RTM sign (blue on white) in their window.
Major roadworks are currently under way to build a new tram system, which will become operational by spring 2007.
Day passes are available for one day (
Carte Journée) or three (
Carte 3 Jours). There are also a weekly pass and various money-saving cards for groups (ask for more information at any station). Tickets have to be validated, or you might incur an on the spot fine. You can travel on the same ticket for up to one hour. After that, another ticket must be validated.
TaxisMajor taxi providers include
Taxi Blanc Bleu (tel: (04) 9151 5000),
Taxis Plus (tel: (04) 9103 6003),
Taxi Radio Marseille (tel: (04) 9102 2020; website:
www.taximarseille.com) and
Taxi Tupp Radio (tel: (04) 9150 3793). Tips are welcome but not expected.
Driving in the CityParking in Marseille has always been a problem, especially in some of the ‘quartiers’ where narrow streets are the norm, and over the past few years this has become even more of a headache, so the advice is to leave the car behind if you can. The city center is compact enough to explore on foot, and public transports links are good.
To make matters worse, major roadworks are currently under way to build a new tram system, so traffic disruptions are unavoidable until completion (scheduled for spring 2007). For more information, log onto
www.metro-tramway-marseille.com (French only).
Driving in Marseille (as anywhere else in the south) can be a nerve-racking experience, as drivers do not always abide by the Highway Code and have their own take on right of way. The use of the horn is also popular. Take it all in your stride if you are behind the wheel, it’s all part of the local color.
Car HireThe minimum age to hire a car varies from 21 to 25 years. Drivers must possess a national driving license, which they must have held for at least one year. Third party insurance is mandatory for driving in France and this should be covered in the hire price. Additional insurance is optional.
Providers in the city center include
Ada (tel: (04) 9164 9059; website:
www.ada.fr),
Avis (tel: (04) 9164 7100; website:
www.avis.fr),
Europcar (tel: (04) 9110 7490
or 0825 825 680; website:
www.europcar.fr),
Hertz (tel: (04) 9179 2206; website:
www.hertz.com),
National/Citer (tel: (04) 9105 9086; website:
www.citer.fr) and
Thrifty (tel: (04) 9195 0000; website: www.thrifty.com). All of the above have desks at the airport. So do
Budget (tel: (04) 4214 2455; website:
www.budget.com) and
Sixt (tel: (04) 4214 3530; website:
www.sixt.fr).
Bicycle HireCycles Do, 72 cours Lieutaud, 6e (tel: (04) 9154 3314; website:
www.mbk.fr) hires out motorbikes, scooters and bicycles.
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