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France > Côte d'Azur > Marseille > Information

Vieux-Port

The city's airport, the Aéroport de Marseille-Provence (tel 04.42.14.14.14, www.mrsairport.com), is 20km northwest of the city centre, and linked to the gare SNCF by a shuttle bus service (every 20min 6.10am–9.50pm; €8). The gare SNCF St-Charles is on the northern edge of the 1er arrondissement on esplanade St-Charles (tel 04.91.08.50.50), just round the corner from the gare routière, on place Victor-Hugo (tel 04.91.08.16.40). From the gare SNCF, a monumental Art Deco staircase leads down to boulevard d'Athènes and thence to La Canebière, Marseille's main street. The main tourist office is at 4 La Canebière (Jan–June & Sept–Dec Mon–Sat 9am–7pm, Sun 10am–5pm; July & Aug Mon–Sat 7am–7.30pm, Sun 10am–6pm; tel 04.91.13.89.00, www.marseille-tourisme.com), down by the Vieux Port.

Marseille has an extensive bus network and two métro lines. The métro runs from 5am to 9pm, night buses from 9.25pm to around 12.30am (detailed in the Fluobus leaflet available from L'Espace Infos, 6 rue des Fabres, 1er; or métro sales points). Single tickets, known as cartes solo (€1.40), are valid for any journeys made within an hour; a day pass (carte journée) costs €3.80; cartes liberté, for either €6.50 or €13, give you six or thirteen hours' worth of journeys and can be shared among up to four people. Better value is the Maestro option on a carte mistral (€7.90), which offers seven days' travel up to a maximum of 52 hours' worth of journeys, for which you'll need a passport photo. Métro stations, L'Espace Infos and many tabacs and bookshops sell tickets; cartes solo can also be bought on buses. All tickets must be punched in the machines at the start of your journey.

Since Marseille is not a great tourist city, finding a room in July or August is no more difficult than during the rest of the year. Hotels are plentiful, though if you get stuck the tourist office offers a free accommodation service. The most inexpensive options are the city's hostels, both quite a way from the centre. Finally, if you're coming to town on a Friday, look out for the "Bonne Weekend en Ville" scheme, a two-nights-for-the-price-of-one package offered by many hotels in Marseille (check with the tourist office).