5 Days in Marseille: Day Trips to Provence

Five days builds on Cassis, Aix, Avignon, and Arles from our shorter versions, then adds the Camargue, the first day trip on this list that genuinely needs a car or an organized tour. Shorter trip? Drop to 2 , 3 , or 4 days . Want the Luberon villages too? Move up to 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 4 Arles About 1 hour by train
Day 5 The Camargue 1.5-2 hours via Arles, car or tour needed

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

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

Day 4: Arles

  • Morning: About an hour by train to Arles. The Roman amphitheater and ancient theater, both UNESCO listed, anchor the morning
  • Afternoon: Walk the streets and light that shaped Van Gogh’s 300-plus works from his 1888-1889 Arles period. Here’s the honest part: almost none of the original paintings still hang here, most live in museums abroad, so come for the atmosphere, not a gallery visit
  • Evening: Dinner in Arles’ old town before the train back to Marseille

Is the Camargue worth the extra travel time?

For wildlife and landscape travelers, yes. Flamingos, wild white horses, and salt marsh scenery reached via Arles are a genuine bucket-list day, not a filler stop. It’s also the least convenient option logistically, so treat it as a full-day commitment rather than an easy half-day bolt-on.

Day 5: The Camargue

  • Morning: A car or organized tour is the honest way to do this one, public transport thins out fast past Arles. Head for Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and the Pont de Gau bird park, a Camargue day tour from Marseille covers the whole loop without the logistics
  • Afternoon: Flamingos, wild white Camargue horses, and salt marsh scenery, with 4x4 safari or horseback options for a closer look
  • Evening: Back to Marseille by early evening, this is the longest day trip on the list once travel time is counted

Do you need a car for the Camargue?

Effectively yes. Public transport past Arles thins out fast, and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and the Pont de Gau bird park sit well beyond a reasonable walk or bus connection. A rental car or a scheduled group tour both work; a tour removes the driving without losing the wildlife.

Transportation

Marseille Saint-Charles is the hub for the train-based 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, Avignon’s palace ticket, and the Camargue tour a few days ahead in summer, all three 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

Five days adds the one day trip on this list that genuinely needs a car. If the Luberon villages are next, or a full week of Provence day trips, our 6 day itinerary and the Marseille France guide both build straight on top of this one.