Marseille-Provence airport at MarignaneWith runways along a huge lake and dramatic approaches across the coastal hills or the sea, Marseille-Provence airport - also near Aix - is a memorable introduction to the region.

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Located in Marignane, some 25 km / 15 miles north-west of central Marseille and the same distance south-west of Aix-en-Provence, the airport (IATA code MRS) consists of two terminals within easy walking distance of each other.

Click here to view live flight arrivals at, and live flight departures from, Marseille-Provence airport.

Click here for the English-language website for Marseille-Provence airport. Marseille-Provence airport (sometimes shortened to amp) has also launched a free mobile / cell phone app for both iPhones and Androids.

NewsMarseille-Provence has embarked on a massive 500 million €uro renovation programme. One aim is to create a landscaped space in front of the terminals and reduce car and taxi congestion. This architect's impression, pictured, is what it will finally look like.

marseille provence airport renovationAnd the main building is receiving a huge and prestigious makeover designed by the British architect Norman Foster (who also conceived the popular mirrored sun canopy on Marseille's Old Port). This project is still in progress.

In the meantime the terminal names at the airport have changed. Terminal 1 consists of two separate departure areas, Hall A and Hall B, connected by a corridor. It was previously known as Terminals 1 and 3/4.

The second terminal, Terminal 2 was formerly called mp2. It caters exclusively to low-cost flights to and from Europe and North Africa and is located in an adjacent shed, previously used for freight. Click here for maps of the local area and the airport itself.

marseille provence airport renovation2In preparation for all this, the airport launched a public relations campaign and, intriguingly, set up a website where users could post bright ideas to improve the airport and vote on other people's suggestions.

Over a thousand suggestions were put forward. The most popular ones urge the airport environment, currently rather bland and nondescript, to reflect a stronger regional identity.

Among the promised innovations: a vegetable wall in Terminal 1, more greenery in general, a provençal market and a "sensory immersion corridor" involving images, sounds and even smells which will vary according to the season.

Pictured above: Norman Foster's plans include a bar overlooking the runway. We'll be reporting further on all these changes as they happen.

Click here for details of the current low-cost schedules to and from Marseille airport at Terminal 2. British Airways flies from Marseille out of Terminal 1 to London Heathrow (no longer London Gatwick).

 

TERMINAL 2

Many of the national carriers, including British Airways, land at Terminal 1. But most leisure travelers from Europe are likely to arrive at Terminal 2, Europe's first terminal entirely dedicated to low-cost airlines (it opened in 2006). Ryanair is the main presence here, but the terminal also hosts, among others, easyJet and Pegasus.

mp2hallYou'll want to wear your sunglasses when you arrive at Terminal 2 even if it's raining, as the internal areas are decorated in garish shades of puce, orange and lime green.

Compared to Terminal 1, services are basic. You need to carry your own hold baggage to the drop-off point. No trolleys are available, though Terminal 2 does claim to have special facilities for travellers with restricted mobility.

The departure gates area has no air-con or heating, which can get unpleasant in extreme temperatures - though at least it now has toilets. Incoming passengers requiring to go through passport control can sometimes suffer very long waits at busy periods.

But the airport has recently made some big improvements. The security check area is much larger and so is the departure lounge, with a lot more seating, including some seats at the departure gates.

There is a larger and better stocked snack bar airside and bigger duty-free, souvenir and newsagent shops. More renovation is planned as part of the airport's overall facelift mentioned above.

Even so, if you have a very long wait before your flight leaves and haven't gone through security, you might be more comfortable in the nearby Terminal 1. Go out of Terminal 2 and turn right; it's a three minute walk. Screens there display the T2 flights, so you can keep an eye on when your one is called.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 has all the facilities of a conventional airport. Catering throughout Marseille-Provence airport was revamped for 2013, when the entire region was the European Capital of Culture.

Outlets currently include - landside in Terminal 1 - Starbucks and Brioche Dorée as well as other bars and takeaways. In this area of the airport, a small branch of the supermarket chain Casino also sells (pricey) takeaway food.

The flagship dining option at the airport is Chefs en Provence, which aims to be a gastronomic restaurant showcasing the best of regional cuisine and produce. Located on the first floor landside in Terminal 1, it's run by leading guest chefs from the area on a rotating basis.

The chefs - many of them Michelin-starred - aren't dropping their own restaurants in order to toil in the airport kitchens, of course. But they will be devising menus and keeping an eye on quality.

Lionel LevyAmong the guest chefs in the past have been: Guillaume Sourrieu of L'Epuisette, Ludovic Turac of Une Table au Sud, Michel Portos, of Le Polpe and Lionel Lévy, pictured, formerly of Une Table, au Sud and the InterContinental Hôtel Dieu in Marseille.

We quite often eat here and thoroughly recommend it! Read our full review of Chefs en Provence restaurant.

Other Facilities at Marseille-Provence Airport

Cashpoints (ATMs) are situated in Terminal 1 (international departures and domestic arrivals and departures) and Terminal 2 (departures). There is a bureau de change in Terminal 1 (on the ground floor). The business centre is in Terminal 1.

There is unlimited free wi-fi access in all terminals of Marseille airport.

Left luggage facilities are in Terminal 1 (this service is only available to travellers holding a valid air ticket departing from Marseille).

News for Marseille airportDid you make a mistake when packing your hand luggage and include a "banned" item such as a bottle of pastis, a toy weapon, a Swiss army knife or a pétanque set (yes, they're banned too)? Now you don't need to lose it forever at the security check!

Marseille-Provence airport, in collaboration with a start-up called Tripperty, is pioneering a terrific new scheme. Travellers can, for a small charge, retrieve items confiscated at the security check, by picking them up later in person, by nominating a friend to retrieve them or by having them posted on. It's available in both terminals of the airport. More details here.

Aerial view of Marseille-Provence airport, MarignaneInformation desks are located in the international and domestic arrivals lounges of Terminal 1.

French SIM cards for mobile phones / cell phones are sold in Relay newsagent's shops: there are several at the airport. The French word for a SIM card is une carte SIM or, sometimes, une puce.

There are two VIP lounges at Marseille-Provence airport, the Salon Cézanne and the Salon Luberon. Both are in Terminal 1 and offer the usual comforts: newspapers, magazines, snacks, drinks, television and wi-fi.

The airport has a "coupe file" ("queue jumping") service. It's available either for a one-off trip or as an annual subscription and you can buy it here.

Marignane has a number of airport car-parks. Even so they can get very full - and not only in high summer. Motorists are advised to arrive early to be sure of a spot.

Alternatively you can now book airport car parking in advance on the link above. Note that some car parks have recently been renamed as part of the renovation programme.

The cheapest option is the "super eco" scheme (formerly called "chèque parking"), which offers very favourable rates. It's aimed at passengers beginning and ending their journey in Marseille and the super eco car-park is slightly further from the terminals. A petrol / gas station is in the airport precinct.

Good to know: the airport will give you a jump start if your car's battery has gone flat while you were away (it's happened to us!). Go to the car park office on the ground floor of Terminal 1.

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If you're just dropping someone off at the airport, you can use the dépose minute (kiss-and-fly) facility in front of Terminal 1 (up to eight minutes' free parking) or the very short-term parking in front of Terminals 1 and 2 (15 minutes free).

Hotels near Marseille airport include Best Western, Ibis and Golden Tulip. All are in the same general area, a 10-15 walk from the terminals. There are generally free courtesy bus services for these hotels which you can phone for in the arrivals hall of Terminal 1.

More details of other services on the Marseille-Provence airport website.

Getting to and from Marseille-Provence Airport

A motorway joins Marignane with Aix, Avignon and Saint Charles, Marseille's main train and bus station, which has a network of onward bus, coach and metro connections.

Taxis from the airport leave from the rank in front of Terminal 1 and the fare to either central Marseille or Aix en Provence should be 50-60 €uros.

A higher tariff applies between 7pm and 7am and on Sundays and public holidays, and you will be charged extra for large items of luggage. Taxis can be booked in advance online via the link above. You can also pre-book a holiday taxi to or from Marseille airport here.

Recently a new company, Hello Shuttle, has started offering a shared taxi service between the airport and central Marseille.

A number of car hire companies including Hertz, Avis, Budget and Europcar, are clustered together opposite Terminal 1.

Our affiliate partner is a comparison search engine for all grades of hire car from Smarts to 4x4s and limousines. It will instantly compare the current rates on offer from all the suppliers at Marseille airport to ensure you get the best deal.

It's possible to get into Marseille from the airport by train from Vitrolles station, pictured below. The station is not in the airport itself and this service requires you to take a (free) shuttle bus, which has been irregular in the past. The shuttle between the airport and the station takes about five minutes once the bus has arrived.

However, a big improvement is finally on the horizon: plans for a fast link between the station and the airport... by cable car! The finance is in place and it's promised to be ready by 2027. But don't hold your breath.

Trains have now become more frequent and connect the airport with a range of towns and cities in Provence including Montpellier, Nîmes, Arles, Avignon-Centre, Cavaillon, Orange, Montélimar and Valence.

A very sporadic direct train service also serves Toulon via Aubagne, La Ciotat and Sanary sur Mer. The entire journey takes just over an hour and is presumably intended to attract passengers away from Toulon-Hyères airport.

Vitrolles train station and Marseille-Provence airportIf you go for the option of onward travel by rail, you can buy train tickets at the airport bus station as well as at the train station itself, and you can plan your journey to and from the airport online here.

Onward travel by bus, into central Marseille and Aix as well as to many other destinations, became a lot easier after the airport's brand-new bus station opened in 2017. You might see it pretentiously called a "pôle multimodal" - but, despite the jargon, it's still basically a bus station.

It's situated just in front of Terminal 2 (turn left if you're arriving out of Terminal 1) and has seats under a long, shaded canopy, a ticket office and machines and screens with live departures and arrivals.

The best choice of transport if you are going into Marseille itself is the Marseille airport shuttle bus (navette), which leaves from here.

You need to buy a ticket before boarding, either online or at the bus station (the driver will sell you a ticket if the office is closed). This also applies if you are travelling to the airport from Saint Charles station in central Marseille.

The shuttle bus runs every ten minutes at peak times. The journey rarely takes more than half an hour unless the traffic is very bad.

Another regular bus navette plies every half hour between the airport and the Aix-en-Provence TGV and bus stations and the city centre. Details of the shuttle bus services to Aix and other towns from Marseille airport.

In winter navettes blanches (snow buses) to ski resorts in the Southern Alps leave from the airport near Terminal 1 (as well as from Aix TGV station). Tickets for these should be booked in advance online.

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