Private Shore Excursions from Marseille Cruise Port
Meet-and-greet at the Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal, an English-speaking driver-guide, and a day built around your all-aboard time.
One day, one real decision: how long is your call?
Everything else follows from that. Most cruise ships give you somewhere between six and ten hours ashore, and the Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal sits several kilometers north of the Old Port, so the useful time is always shorter than the scheduled time. Below, our private shore excursions are sorted by the time they actually need — not by what we would like to sell you.
Where do cruise ships dock in Marseille?
At one of two terminals. Large ships dock at the Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal, in the Cap Janet sector of the working port, reached through Gate 4 — La Calade / L'Estaque — off exit 5 of the A55. There is nothing to see on foot from those berths, which is why cruise port pickup matters more here than in most Mediterranean ports. Smaller ships dock at J4, in the city centre next to the MuCEM, a few minutes' walk from the Old Port.
How far is Aix-en-Provence from the Marseille cruise port?
About 30 kilometers. Allow roughly 30 to 45 minutes each way by road depending on traffic, since the terminal sits north of the city and you are already on the right side of Marseille for Aix. That leaves a comfortable margin on a full-day call, and keeps Aix realistic even on a shorter one.
How do you get from the cruise port to Aix-en-Provence?
With us it is door-to-door: your driver-guide meets you at the terminal and drives you straight there in a private air-conditioned vehicle. On your own it is less direct — the port shuttle to Place de la Joliette, then a bus or a taxi onward to Aix — which is perfectly workable, but it spends time from a window you have no way of extending.
And Cassis, or the Old Port?
The Old Port is 7 to 10 kilometers from the terminal, roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Cassis is around 40 minutes each way, because the road goes around Marseille rather than through it. Both are comfortable on a full day. Cassis is tight on a short call, and we will say so rather than sell it to you.
The best overview of the region in one day
Aix – Cassis – Marseille
If you only come ashore once and want to understand what Provence actually is, this is the day we recommend. It combines three places that are genuinely different from one another: the elegant streets and fountains of Aix-en-Provence, the panorama over Marseille from Notre-Dame de la Garde, and the fishing harbor of Cassis beneath the cliffs of Cap Canaille. City, coast and countryside in a single loop, and back at the terminal in time.
Short call, around four hours ashore
If your window is genuinely tight, do not try to leave the city. Marseille alone has enough to fill it, and the drive back to the cruise terminal is short.
Full day, seven hours or more
With a longer call you can reach the countryside, the villages or the vineyards. Every one of these is a tailor-made Provence tour planned around your departure time.
Le Luberon (Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Lourmarin)
Journey through the most beautiful villages of Luberon, including Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux and Lourmarin
Alpilles (Baux de Provence, Saint-Rémy and olive oil mill)
Explore the Alpilles (Baux de Provence, Saint-Rémy and olive oil mill)
Aix-en-Provence Wine Experience
Build your perfect wine day in Provence — we adapt to your time, pace, and desires
Cassis Wine Experience & Mediterranean Views
Discover exceptional wines at Domaine La Font des Pères with stunning Mediterranean coastline views
Le Castellet - Cassis Wine Tour
Explore medieval Le Castellet village, dramatic Cap Canaille cliffs, and charming Cassis harbor with optional wine tasting and Michelin dining
Avignon & Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Discover papal history at the Palais des Papes and Pont Saint-Bénézet, then explore the prestigious wine region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape
From the Marseille cruise port to Aix, Cassis or the Old Port
Every day we run is port-to-port: your private tour guide and driver meets you at the ship and brings you back to it. These are typical road times from the Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal in normal traffic, not promises — they are the reason some days fit a cruise call and others do not.
| From the cruise port to | Distance and drive time | Our private day |
|---|---|---|
| The Old Port (Vieux-Port) | 7 to 10 kilometers, about 15 to 20 minutes | Marseille City Highlights 3-4 hours · From €300 |
| Aix-en-Provence | About 30 kilometers, 30 to 45 minutes | Aix – Cassis – Marseille 6-8 hours · From €550 |
| Cassis | About 40 minutes — the road goes around Marseille, not through it | Le Castellet - Cassis Wine Tour 6-8 hours · From €550 |
| The Luberon villages | Roughly 1 hour 15 to Gordes (approximate) | Le Luberon (Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Lourmarin) 6-8 hours · From €650 |
| Avignon | About 100 kilometers, roughly 1 hour to 1 hour 15 (approximate) | Avignon & Châteauneuf-du-Pape 6-8 hours · From €750 |
Docking at J4, in the city centre? The Old Port is then a few minutes away on foot; for Aix, Cassis and the rest, count roughly the same driving times.
Which terminal is your cruise ship at: MPCT or J4?
Marseille has two cruise terminals, and where your cruise ship docks changes your first hour ashore.
Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal (MPCT)
In the working port north of the city, reached through Gate 4 off exit 5 of the A55, according to the Port of Marseille Fos. This is where the large ships dock. It is not a walkable waterfront: on your own, a free port shuttle or the 35T bus takes you to Place de la Joliette, then about 25 minutes on foot to the Old Port, according to the Marseille tourist office. With us, your driver-guide meets you at the terminal.
J4 terminal, in the city centre
On the J4 esplanade next to the MuCEM, the Old Port and La Major cathedral, a few minutes from the centre on foot, according to the Port of Marseille Fos. Smaller ships use it — in the October 2026 call schedule, these included Ponant, Windstar, Club Med 2 and some Viking and Oceania ships.
The berth can change, sometimes at short notice. It is on your ship's daily program, and we confirm it with you the day before.
Whether you are sailing with MSC, Costa, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Viking, Oceania or Silversea, the day works the same way: you give us your ship's name and all-aboard time, and we build the day backwards from it. We are an independent operator, not affiliated with any cruise line.
Starting or ending your cruise in Marseille?
Many MSC and Costa cruises begin or end here. If you are embarking or disembarking, tell us where and when you need to be picked up and dropped off — the cruise port, your hotel, Saint-Charles station or the airport — and the day is built around those times and places.
How we handle a cruise schedule
Cruise port pickup
Your English-speaking driver-guide is waiting at the Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal when you step off — meet-and-greet at the port, door-to-door, not a meeting point you have to find on your own first.
The day is planned backwards
Tell us your all-aboard time when you book. Everything is built from that hour, working backwards.
A flexible itinerary
Because the shore excursion is private, a stop can be cut at any moment if the day runs late. Nothing is locked in.
A private vehicle for your group only
A private air-conditioned vehicle — a Tesla for up to four, a premium minivan for up to eight. No waiting for twenty other passengers at every stop, which is where a coach day quietly loses an hour.
Being straight with you: We are an independent operator, not your cruise line, so we cannot make the ship wait. What we can do is plan the whole day around your departure time, keep the itinerary flexible, and shorten it if anything runs late. In practice that is what protects your return — and it is why we ask for your all-aboard time before anything else.
Wine tours from the cruise terminal
If wine is part of why you're here, we run it as a wine tour shore excursion — straight from the Marseille cruise terminal to real vineyards, with a private driver-guide and time to taste at your own pace, not on a coach schedule.
See our wine toursEnglish-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
Aix-en-Provence from the cruise port
About 30 kilometers from the terminal, roughly 30 to 45 minutes. Aix is the easiest real taste of inland Provence on a day ashore — a guided walk through the old town, then the villages or the vineyards.
Marseille cruise stop: the questions we actually get asked
Yes. Marseille carries a reputation that does not match a guided day out: the places you actually visit — the Old Port, Notre-Dame de la Garde, Aix-en-Provence, Cassis, the Luberon villages — are ordinary tourist areas. The real difficulty at this port is not safety, it is logistics. The terminal is a working commercial dock several kilometers from the city, served mainly by shuttle buses to Place de la Joliette, so what puts a day at risk is arriving with no transport arranged.
One honest trade-off first: if you book through your cruise line, the ship waits for you. We are an independent operator and cannot make that promise. What you get in exchange is a vehicle for your group alone, a flexible itinerary you can change during the day, an English-speaking driver-guide rather than a coach with forty people, and places a large group simply cannot reach. Many of our routes are not sold as ship excursions at all for that reason.
That is the question we build the whole day around. We ask for your all-aboard time before anything else, plan the itinerary backwards from it, keep a margin, and cut a stop without hesitation if the day runs late. What we will not do is promise you something we do not control: we are not your cruise line and we cannot hold the ship. Anyone who guarantees otherwise is telling you what you want to hear.
Two or three places, properly — not five in a hurry. On a full-day call the combination that works best is Aix-en-Provence, a viewpoint over Marseille, and Cassis on the coast: a city, a panorama and a harbor, each genuinely different. On a short call, stay in Marseille. Trying to add the lavender fields or Avignon to a six-hour window means spending most of it in the vehicle.
The Aix-en-Provence, Marseille and Cassis day. It is the one we recommend to first-time visitors because it answers the question most people actually have — what is Provence like — instead of showing one corner of it in detail. If you have been before, the Luberon villages or a vineyard day make a better second visit.
Yes, and a private tour suits families better than a coach does. The premium minivan takes up to eight, so a family group travels together in one air-conditioned vehicle, and the pace is yours: you can stop when a child needs to, shorten a walk, or swap a museum for a beach. Tell us the ages when you book and we will adapt the stops rather than hand you a fixed program.
Tell us your ship and your times
We will tell you honestly what fits in your window and what does not, then build a tailor-made Provence tour around it.
Want a day that follows your own plan rather than one of ours? Tell us the fixed points — a ship, a flight, a lunch that matters — and we build the itinerary around them.
Build a tailor-made dayWhat 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"