MSC SplendidaMarseille is a superb starting point for a cruise holiday. It’s easily reached by air, road or high-speed rail. It's a fast springboard to some of Provence's loveliest spots. And there are many terrific attractions in Marseille itself.

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If you are interested in river cruising, click here for our guide to tourism along the mighty Rhône.

Marseille has been one of the top 20 cruise ports in the world and one of the five busiest cruise ports on the Mediterranean.

The flurry of activity in the region during 2013 as part of the Marseille-Provence European Capital of Culture programme massively boosted the image of Marseille as a tourist destination

An estimated 1.85 million passengers passed though the city in 2019. But since then, of course, cruise tourism worldwide has collapsed for reasons we all know only too well.

After a long pause in activities, Costa and MSC relaunched operations in the Mediterranean in June 2021 with a small handful of experimental cruises under very strict health protocols. Just 250,000 passengers came to Marseille that year.

More cruise stops are now scheduled. However it is inevitable that mass cruise tourism will have to change dramatically in the future.

As in other ports with huge cruise traffic, such as Venice and Barcelona, there have been increasing concerns in Marseille about pollution and the overall quality of the cruise experience.

Marseille's Town Hall has made it very clear that a major clean-up is required. In fact, in 2021 the city axed its financial subsidy for the cruise port to increase the pressure.

Now cruise operators are taking steps to improve things. This means using more environmentally friendly fuels such as LNG (liquified natural gas) and introducing electrification at cruise terminals in order to reduce pollution from ships docked there.

Costa DiademaFrom the passengers' point of view, it also means cruise companies are being pushed to offer a more targeted range of sustainable tourism.

For example, they are urged to offer shore excursions all across Provence, including to lesser-known sights, and to avoid funneling huge crowds of visitors to the most popular spots.

If you want to tour the wider region independently, we can organise private day tours by limousine or mini-van to some of the most beautiful destinations.

These include Aix en Provence, Cassis, Saint Rémy de Provence, L'Isle sur La Sorge, Avignon and Les Baux de Provence. (You won't be able to visit them all in one day, of course!)

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details of our tariffs.

And, if you are planning to rent a car yourself in Marseille, please consider our comparison search engine for all grades of hire car from Smarts to 4x4s and limousines.

Powered by our affiliate partner, it will instantly compare the current rates on offer from all major suppliers at your chosen location to ensure you get the best deal.

You might also consider nearby Toulon as an alternative port of call. As an important naval base which must always remain open for military reasons, it is less vulnerable to strike action than Marseille (on occasion visiting cruise ships have been re-routed there).

Moreover its two cruise ports have the additional advantage of being out of the main path of the Mistral, the fierce north-west wind that can cause havoc with sailing conditions.

On the other hand, Toulon a city has fewer major tourist attractions of its own and is a less convenient base from which to explore the main destinations of Provence.

Also, Marseille has tackled the Mistral problem by extending the breakwater at the entrance to the cruise terminals, so that ships are now protected from even fairly high winds. The very large Forme 10 maintenance facility (the largest dry dock in Europe) has been an added attraction for cruise operators.

Click here to read our guide to travelling though Marseille's cruise ship terminals.

 

CRUISES STARTING IN MARSEILLE

Cruises starting from Marseille are described as being "en tête de ligne", or "turnaround" in industry jargon. Note that some companies flag up this port as "Provence" rather than "Marseille", presumably on the assumption that it still sounds more alluring!

marseille port vintage posterInstead of just being focussed on midsummer, many cruises now run from mid-March to the end of November, as ships head down here from Northern Europe in search of milder spring or autumn weather.

In fact April, May, September, October and even November have become the most important cruising months - more so than the high summer.

Another growing trend in cruise tourism is for holidays of varying lengths and in the shoulder season (spring and autumn / fall) a more flexible range of shorter and longer routes is available.

Two cruise companies, MSC and Costa, even continue to offer Marseille departures throughout the winter - and this can also be a very attractive time to visit Provence

The MSC fleet has a number of cruise ships and prices are amazingly competitive, especially for early and late season departures. Website for MSC Cruises.

The other biggie in Marseille, Costa Cruises, is the port's most loyal customer: this company has been offering cruises starting or calling here for over 20 years. Website for Costa Cruises.

A number of other operators have at various times offered itineraries with Marseille as a port of call. Among them are Royal Caribbean. Norwegian Cruise Line. Disney Cruise Line and Carnival.

Finally, if the budget permits, several companies at the luxury end of cruise tourism, including Ponant. and Silversea, are worth a look.

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