Private Tours from Marseille, with a Local Driver-Guide
Marseille in half a day, or Aix, Cassis, the Luberon and the vineyards in a full one — your group only, picked up at your hotel or at the cruise terminal.
In brief
- A private tour from Marseille means your group alone in one vehicle, with one local driver-guide. No strangers, no fixed departure time.
- We pick you up at your hotel or rental in Marseille, or at the Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal, and bring you back to the same place.
- The Marseille city tour takes 3 to 4 hours: €300 for 1 to 4 guests, €400 for 5 to 8. Full days from Marseille run from €500 to €750 for 1 to 4 guests, and from €700 to €1000 for 5 to 8.
- Prices are per group, not per person. A Tesla Model Y takes up to 4 guests, a premium van up to 8. For more than 8, contact us directly.
- A 10% deposit confirms the booking, the balance is paid on the day by card or cash in euros or US dollars, and cancellation is free up to 5 days before.
What “private” actually means here
The word gets stretched. Online, “private” can mean anything from a minibus sold seat by seat to a coach with a small sign in the window. With us it means one vehicle, one driver-guide and the people you booked for. Nobody else joins, and nothing runs on a printed timetable: if at eleven you would rather spend another hour in Cassis than drive on, that decision takes a sentence, not a phone call to a dispatcher.
Small-group tours sold per seat are a perfectly reasonable product: a fixed departure, a set time at each stop, a price per person. They are simply not a private tour. The difference shows most on the days that do not go to plan — a ship docking late, a child who needs a break, a village you want to leave early.
Who a private day suits — and who it doesn't
Cruise passengers
A large part of what we do. You tell us your all-aboard time, and the day is planned backwards from it. The details for ship days are on our shore excursions page.
Couples and small groups
One price for the whole group. Two people on the city tour pay €150 each; six people in the van on the Aix, Marseille and Cassis day pay about €125 each.
Families
The pace follows yours: a stop when someone needs one, lunch when you are hungry rather than when the schedule says so, and a stop dropped without discussion if the day gets long.
Who it is not for
If the lowest price per head is what matters, a per-seat coach tour will cost less, and we would rather say so. Nor is a private day a way to cover six towns in seven hours: Provence's roads will not allow it, whoever drives.
The Marseille city tour
Three to four hours, €300 for 1 to 4 guests and €400 for 5 to 8. The first six stops below are the ones in the published itinerary. The last three are places people often ask about: they are not part of the standard tour, and we would rather tell you now than on the day.
Palais du Pharo
In the tourThe palace Napoleon III built for Empress Eugénie, and one of the best views over the Old Port and the harbour entrance.
Vieux-Port and a soap works
In the tourThe harbour at the heart of the city for 2,600 years, with a visit to a traditional savonnerie where Marseille soap is still made.
Vallon des Auffes
In the tourA small fishing inlet below the Corniche, with its boats and cabanons, where fishermen still bring in their catch.
Palais Longchamp
In the tourThe 19th-century monument built to celebrate the arrival of the Durance's water in Marseille, with its fountains and cascades.
Cathédrale de la Major
In the tourThe striped Romano-Byzantine cathedral by the port, one of the largest in France.
Notre-Dame de la Garde
In the tourThe basilica on the hill that overlooks the whole city. In summer the hill gets busy by late morning, so we go early or in the late afternoon when the day allows.
MuCEM
Not in the tourThe museum of Mediterranean civilisations at the harbour entrance. Not part of the tour: if you want time inside, ask when you book and we will tell you which stop it replaces.
Le Panier
Not in the tourThe oldest quarter of the city, best explored on foot. Not in the standard tour, but it can take the place of another stop if you ask for it.
Château d'If
Not in the tourThe island fortress of The Count of Monte Cristo is reached by boat from the Old Port, which puts it outside a 3 to 4 hour tour.
Full days from Marseille
These are the days we run from Marseille, with prices for the whole group. Days marked for cruise calls fit a normal time ashore; the others work better from a hotel stay.
Aix – Cassis – Marseille
Le Castellet - Cassis Wine Tour
Le Luberon (Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Lourmarin)
Avignon & Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Alpilles (Baux de Provence, Saint-Rémy and olive oil mill)
Aix-en-Provence Wine Experience
Cassis Wine Experience & Mediterranean Views
Valensole Lavender Fields & Villages
Lavender flowers from late June to mid-July. Outside those weeks the fields are cut, and we will tell you so rather than drive you there. The Valensole day lasts seven hours, which is why we do not offer it on a cruise call.
What a full day looks like, hour by hour
An example built on the real stops of our Aix, Marseille and Cassis day, over eight hours from an 08:00 pickup. Times are approximate: your driver-guide adjusts the order to the traffic, the weather and your own pace.
- 08:00Pickup at the cruise terminal or at your hotel in Marseille.
- 08:40Aix-en-Provence: a guided walk of about an hour and a half — the market, Saint-Sauveur Cathedral, the Cours Mirabeau, and a chance to taste calissons.
- 10:15Drive to the coast, about fifty minutes.
- 11:10Photo stop above Cassis at Cap Canaille, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe — when the fire-risk level leaves the road open.
- 11:40Cassis: free time for the harbour, the boutiques and lunch at a quayside restaurant. The published tour allows up to three hours here; on an eight-hour day, this is the block we shorten.
- 13:45Back to Marseille, about forty minutes.
- 14:30Notre-Dame de la Garde and its view over the whole city.
- 15:15Saint-Victor Abbey and its crypt, among the oldest Christian sites in France, then the view over the Old Port from the Pharo palace.
- 16:00Back at the terminal or your hotel.
Lunch, drinks and paid entrance fees are not included. On a cruise day we keep a margin before your all-aboard time and cut a stop rather than rush the motorway.
Pickup at your hotel or at the cruise terminal
Hotel, rental or apartment: we collect you at the door anywhere in Marseille and drop you back there at the end of the day. Give us the address when you book.
Cruise ships dock in the northern part of the port, in the Cap Janet sector, reached through Gate 4. It is a working commercial port rather than a walkable waterfront, so your driver-guide meets you at the terminal instead of at a meeting point in town. Send us your ship's name and your all-aboard time.
What we do not promise: we are an independent operator, not your cruise line, so we cannot make the ship wait. We plan the day backwards from your departure time, keep a margin, and shorten the itinerary if anything runs late.
The vehicles
A Tesla Model Y for up to 4 guests, or a premium van for up to 8. Both are private and air-conditioned, with WiFi on board. For a group of more than 8, contact us directly and we will tell you what we can organise.
Price and what it covers
One price for the group, whatever the number of guests up to the vehicle's capacity.
Included: your driver-guide, the vehicle, fuel, parking, WiFi on board, bottled water and full insurance.
Not included: lunch and drinks, paid entrance fees, and tasting fees at wine estates.
A 10% deposit confirms the booking. The balance is paid to your driver on the day, by card or in cash, in euros or US dollars. Cancellation is free up to 5 days before the tour.
Who drives you
Gilles, Tommy and Lionel were born and raised in Provence and began driving visitors around it in 1998. That is where the practical knowledge on this page comes from: which hill is crowded at what hour, which road closes in summer, and how long a lunch in Cassis really takes.
About usLocal knowledge that changes a day
Three things we check before a Marseille day that rarely appear in a brochure.
Why a coast road can close overnight in summer
From 1 June to 30 September, access to the forest massifs of the Bouches-du-Rhône is regulated by the prefecture because of fire risk. The level for the next day is published every evening between 5 and 6 p.m., massif by massif. On a red day the Route des Crêtes above Cassis is closed and land access to the Calanques National Park is forbidden, according to the park itself. We check the evening before and replace the Cap Canaille viewpoint with another stop.
When to go up to Notre-Dame de la Garde
The basilica is the stop everyone wants, and in summer the hill fills up from late morning. Early in the day or late in the afternoon, you walk straight to the terrace instead of waiting in traffic on the way up.
Bouillabaisse on a short day
A real bouillabaisse is a long meal, and several restaurants ask for it to be ordered in advance. If it matters to your group, tell us when you book: we will plan lunch around it rather than discover at 1 p.m. that it cannot be done.
What Our Guests Say
Don't just take our word for it - hear from our satisfied customers
See all reviewsExcellent service
"Gilles is a very friendly guy, his van is very clean, he was waiting for us on time. Before the arrival date he was always available by messages. He prepare an excellent tour to us, And we saw the most importants places of the area"
Frequently asked questions
The Marseille city tour is €300 for 1 to 4 guests and €400 for 5 to 8. Full days from Marseille run from €500 to €750 for 1 to 4 guests and from €700 to €1000 for 5 to 8. The price covers the whole group, not each person. Lunch, paid entrance fees and wine tasting fees are extra.
Yes. Your driver-guide meets you at the Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal, in the Cap Janet sector reached through Gate 4, and brings you back there at the end of the day. Send us your ship's name and your all-aboard time when you book. We also pick up at hotels and rentals anywhere in Marseille.
We plan the whole day backwards from your all-aboard time, keep a margin, and cut a stop without hesitation if the day runs late. What we cannot do is promise that the ship will wait: we are an independent operator, not your cruise line.
Yes. That is our Aix, Marseille and Cassis day: 6 to 8 hours, with a guided walk in Aix, free time in Cassis and Notre-Dame de la Garde on the way back. It costs €550 for 1 to 4 guests and €750 for 5 to 8.
Yes. All our tours are guided in English, by driver-guides who were born and raised in Provence.
One vehicle takes up to 8 guests. For a larger group, contact us directly by WhatsApp or through the contact page, and we will tell you what we can organise for your numbers.
English-speaking Guide
Provence expert for a relaxed and comprehensive experience
Comfortable minivan or Tesla
Our nonsmoking & A/C minivan ensure you a safe and comfortable travel
Tell us your dates
Send us your hotel or your ship's name, the date, the number of guests and the one thing nobody in your group wants to miss. You will get an itinerary, a price for the group and an honest note about what will not fit.