Marseille & Provence 2 Day Itinerary
Two days from a Marseille base covers the two easiest Provence trips: Cassis and the Calanques on day one, an easy Aix-en-Provence half day on day two. That’s a deliberately short list; the Camargue, Avignon, Arles, and the Luberon all wait for a longer stay. Add a day at a time with our 3-day through 7-day versions, or read the full Marseille day trips guide for context on every stop below.
Book these before you go:
- A Vieux-Port or Le Panier hotel : keeps you close to Gare Saint-Charles for early departures
- A Cassis calanques boat tour : summer weekend sailings fill up, book ahead
- A half-day Aix-en-Provence tour : only worth it if you’d rather have the Cezanne sites narrated than self-guide
| Day | Focus | Travel time from Marseille |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cassis and the Calanques | ~30-45 min (train plus a transfer) |
| 2 | Aix-en-Provence | ~30 min (train) |
Day 1: Cassis and the Calanques
Take the train from Gare Saint-Charles to Cassis, about 25 minutes, then budget another 15-20 minutes for the bus, taxi, or a steep walk down to the port; the station itself sits roughly 3km inland, so call it 40-45 minutes door to door, longer coming back up. The Calanques National Park , created by decree in 2012 and France’s tenth, is the reason to make the trip; a boat tour from the Cassis port runs roughly EUR21-40 depending on length and whether it includes a swimming stop.
Is a Cassis boat tour or the Port-Miou hike better for the Calanques?
Take the boat to see several calanques in one sitting; walk if you want to actually stand inside one. Port-Miou, the closest calanque to Cassis, is a flat, permit-free trail from the port, unlike Sugiton, which needs a summer reservation and is reached from the Marseille side, not from Cassis. Combining a short boat ride with the Port-Miou walk covers both in a single day.
Day 2: Aix-en-Provence
Aix is a 30-minute train ride with more than 20 direct departures a day, the easiest logistics on this whole plan. Walk the Cours Mirabeau, a tree-lined 17th and 18th century boulevard of fountains and cafes, then follow the Cezanne trail to his studio and the Musee Granet; check current hours on Aix’s tourist office site before you go.
Is Aix-en-Provence worth a guided tour, or is it a walk-alone town?
Walk it alone. Aix is compact and well-signed, and the Cours Mirabeau to Musee Granet loop takes half a day on foot without a guide, no operator needed for a town this size. Save the guided-tour money for the trips where local knowledge actually changes the day, like the Camargue or the Luberon.
Before you go
Confirm the Cassis train and boat times the night before rather than booking the earliest possible sailing; the station-to-port transfer eats more time than the timetable suggests. Carry cash in small bills for the Cassis boat kiosks, since not every operator takes cards dockside.