Marseille France Day Trips: 5 Days on a Budget
Five days from Marseille keeps the three cheap TER trips, Cassis and the Calanques, Aix-en-Provence and Arles, then adds two that need a paid tour: Avignon’s Papal Palace and a full-day Camargue outing. Day five is the first day on this plan that costs more than a train ticket and one admission fee. The 3-day version stops after Arles; the 6-day version adds the Luberon on top of these five.
Book these before you go
- Calanques boat tour (optional, the hike is free): book on GetYourGuide
- Avignon Papal Palace, especially in peak summer: book on GetYourGuide
- A Camargue day tour, these run as scheduled group departures: check Viator
- A Marseille base near Saint-Charles: compare stays on Booking.com
| 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 4 | Avignon | ~1h door to door by TGV | Train fare plus EUR 17 Palace and bridge combo |
| Day 5 | The Camargue | ~1.5-2h via Arles, a car or tour required | A guided day tour runs roughly EUR 100-150 per person |
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, 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.
Day 4: Avignon
Avignon is about an hour door to door by TGV, the longest single train leg on this plan so far. The Papal Palace, seat of the papacy from 1309 to 1377, costs EUR 14.50 alone or EUR 17 for the combined Palace and bridge ticket, per the Palais des Papes’ official pricing page . Budget at least 1.5 to 2 hours inside, it is Europe’s largest Gothic palace and takes longer than it looks from outside.
Day 5: The Camargue
The Camargue is reached via Arles plus a further local leg, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours total, and it is the first day on this plan that genuinely needs a car or a guided tour rather than a walk-up TER ticket. A group day tour runs roughly EUR 100-150 per person and covers flamingos, wild white horses and the salt marshes around Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a private outing costs more. Book this one ahead, unlike the first four days, seats on a scheduled Camargue tour do sell out.
Is a fifth day, the Camargue, worth the extra cost?
For wildlife and landscape travelers, yes. It is the priciest single day on this plan, a group tour running roughly EUR 100-150 per person against a EUR 6-11 train fare on the earlier days, but flamingos, wild white horses and salt marsh scenery are not available on any of the first four trips. Skip it if the budget has to stop at four days.
Should Avignon or the Camargue come first on day four?
Avignon, generally. It is a straightforward TGV day with one paid ticket and no tour to coordinate, a good midpoint after three train-only days. The Camargue benefits from being the final day since it is the longest and most tour-dependent leg, better closed out than opened with, in case a tour departure needs to shift by a day.
Confirm the Camargue tour’s departure point before booking, most run from Arles or Avignon rather than directly from Marseille, and factor that transfer into the day’s total time.