Marseille France Day Trips: 3 Days on a Budget

Three days from Marseille adds one more TER day trip to the cheap-and-quick pair: Cassis and the Calanques, then Aix-en-Provence, then Arles for its Roman arena. All three run under EUR 11 one way in train fare, with no car and no guided tour anywhere on this plan. The 2-day version drops Arles; the 5-day version adds Avignon and the Camargue on top of these three.

Book these before you go

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 3 Arles ~1h by TER Train fare plus EUR 11 arena (EUR 9 reduced)

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, 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.

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.

Day 3: Arles

Arles runs about an hour away by TER, a step up in distance from the first two days but still a straightforward day trip, check SNCF Connect for the current timetable. The Roman amphitheater costs EUR 11 full price (EUR 9 reduced, free under 18), and a combined pass covers the ancient theater and the Roman baths for a bit more. Van Gogh painted here for 15 months, but his actual canvases mostly hang in museums abroad now, the value is the arena and the light rather than a collection to view on-site.

Which of these three trips is the best value for the money?

Aix-en-Provence, by a clear margin. It costs the same TER fare as Cassis and less time on the train than Arles, and once there the Cours Mirabeau and the Cezanne trail cost nothing beyond the ticket. Arles is the best value for a paid attraction specifically, EUR 11 for a genuine Roman amphitheater.

Can these three trips be done in a different order?

Yes, and the order barely changes the cost, only the logistics. Cassis works best early for cooler hiking weather and shorter boat-ticket lines; Arles is the longest single train ride, so putting it on the day with the least to carry back makes sense; Aix slots in comfortably on any day since it needs nothing booked ahead.

Confirm the Arles amphitheater’s seasonal hours before locking in day three. Hours shift between the March to April, May to September and October ranges, and a same-day arrival outside them wastes the whole trip out.