3 Days in Marseille: Day Trips to Provence

Three days adds Avignon’s Papal Palace to the Cassis and Aix combination from our shorter version, still entirely by train from Marseille Saint-Charles, no car needed yet. Only got 2 days? Drop to our 2 day itinerary . Want Arles, the Camargue, or the Luberon too? Move up to 4 , 5 , 6 , or 7 days .

Book these before you go

Day Day trip Travel time from Marseille
Day 1 Cassis + the Calanques 30-45 min by train and transfer
Day 2 Aix-en-Provence 30-45 min by train
Day 3 Avignon 30-40 min by TGV, closer to an hour door to door

Day 1: Cassis And The Calanques

  • Morning: Head to Marseille Saint-Charles for the Cassis train, about 25 minutes, then a short bus or taxi down into the port since the station sits inland. Board a Calanques boat tour from the Cassis waterfront, EUR 21-33 for a standard circuit past Sormiou, Morgiou, and En-Vau. Prefer to skip the transfer entirely? The Calanques boat tour with swimming leaves straight from Marseille’s own Vieux-Port
  • Afternoon: Swim at whichever calanque your boat stops at. Hiked in instead? The Calanque de Sugiton needs a free reservation booked 3 days ahead during peak summer, checked by QR code at the trailhead
  • Evening: Dinner in Cassis’s port, or back in Marseille’s Vieux-Port if you took the direct boat option

Day 2: Aix-En-Provence

  • Morning: Train to Aix-en-Provence, 30 to 45 minutes with frequent departures. Walk the Cours Mirabeau, the grand 18th century boulevard lined with fountains and plane trees
  • Afternoon: Cezanne’s studio and the Musee Granet, or just linger over lunch on the Cours Mirabeau, Aix rewards a slow pace more than a checklist
  • Evening: Train back to Marseille for dinner, or catch the Cassis and Aix-en-Provence Sightseeing Tour instead if you’d rather combine both towns in one guided day

Should Avignon replace Aix in a short trip?

Not really. Aix is the faster, lower-effort half day, while Avignon’s Papal Palace genuinely needs 1.5 to 2 hours inside plus the TGV transfer, closer to a full day once travel time is counted. If only one fits, pick Aix for ease and Avignon for the single biggest sight on this whole list.

Day 3: Avignon

  • Morning: TGV to Avignon, 30 to 40 minutes on the train itself, though budget closer to an hour once you add the shuttle from Avignon TGV station into Avignon Centre. Head straight for the Palais des Papes
  • Afternoon: The Papal Palace needs a genuine 1.5 to 2 hours, Europe’s largest Gothic palace and the seat of the papacy from 1309 to 1377. The combined Palace and Pont d’Avignon bridge ticket runs EUR 17 in 2026
  • Evening: Walk the Pont d’Avignon itself before the train back, or grab dinner in Avignon’s old town first

Do you need a car for Cassis, Aix, or Avignon?

No. All three run on direct trains from Marseille Saint-Charles with frequent departures, and the Calanques boats leave right from the Vieux-Port or the Cassis waterfront. A car only becomes necessary once the Camargue or the Luberon villages enter a longer version of this trip.

Transportation

Marseille Saint-Charles is the hub for all three day trips, a short walk or one metro stop from the Vieux-Port. Live timetables and TGV tickets for Avignon are on SNCF Connect . Inside Marseille itself, RTM runs the metro, tram, and bus on one fare, 1.70 EUR a single ride or 5.20 EUR for a day pass.

Tips And Essentials

  • Book the Calanques boat and Avignon’s palace ticket a few days ahead in summer, both sell out or queue up on weekends
  • Currency is the euro, and cards work almost everywhere, no need to carry a lot of cash
  • The Calanques park’s trail rules and closures sit on calanques-parcnational.fr

Three days gets Cassis, Aix, and Avignon done entirely by train, no car required. If Arles’ Roman ruins or a full week of Provence day trips is next, our 4 day itinerary and the Marseille France guide both build straight on top of this one.