Marseille France Day Trips: 2 Days on a Budget
Two days from Marseille means picking the two cheapest, quickest day trips and skipping the rest: Cassis and the Calanques on day one, Aix-en-Provence on day two. Both are TER rides under 45 minutes, no car and no guided tour needed. The 3-day version adds Arles once a third day is available.
Book these before you go
- Calanques boat tour (optional, the hike is free): book on GetYourGuide
- A Marseille base near Saint-Charles: compare stays on Booking.com
- Skip-the-train Aix add-on tour: check GetYourGuide
| Day | Focus | Distance / time from Marseille | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Cassis + the Calanques | ~30-45 min by TER, plus a local transfer | TER ~EUR 6-7; free hike or ~EUR 19-40 boat |
| Day 2 | Aix-en-Provence | ~30-45 min by TER (fastest ~35 min) | ~EUR 9-10 one way |
Day 1: Cassis and the Calanques
Take an early TER from Marseille Saint-Charles to Cassis, roughly 30 to 45 minutes and about EUR 6-7 one way. The station sits about 3km from the village center, so budget a short bus or taxi transfer down to the port. From there, hike a marked trail into a calanque for free, or book a boat circuit for roughly EUR 19 for a one hour version up to EUR 40 for a two hour, five calanque trip with a swimming stop. In summer, hiking into the Calanque de Sugiton needs a free timed reservation booked three days ahead, check the Calanques National Park’s site before planning a July or August hike. Have lunch in the port before the TER back to Marseille.
Day 2: Aix-en-Provence
Aix is a 30-45 minute TER ride (the fastest run is about 35 minutes) for roughly EUR 9-10 one way, as low as EUR 4 on an advance fare. Walk the Cours Mirabeau, follow the Cezanne trail past his old haunts, and see the Aix-en-Provence Tourism site for the trail map, no second ticket is needed for either. It is the calmest, cheapest and least demanding of the six Provence trips this base city can reach, a good match for a short, budget-first two days.
Is two days enough to see Provence from Marseille?
Only a slice of it, and that is fine on a budget trip. Two days covers the two cheapest, quickest trips, Cassis’s Calanques and Aix-en-Provence, both a TER ride under 45 minutes with no car or guided tour required. Arles, Avignon, the Camargue and the Luberon all wait for a longer version of this itinerary.
Should Aix-en-Provence come before or after Cassis?
Cassis first, generally. The Calanques hike or boat benefits from cooler morning light and shorter lines at the ticket booth, while Aix’s Cours Mirabeau and cafes work fine at any hour, including a relaxed afternoon after an early Cassis start. Swapping the order does not change the cost, only the comfort of the day.
Buy the Cassis TER ticket the morning of rather than online. Regional TER fares rarely sell out, and a same-day ticket avoids a change fee if the calanque hike runs long and the return train needs shifting, check current departures on SNCF Connect before heading to Saint-Charles.