City Pass Marseille: the tourist pass to visit Marseille

In this new article, I present to you something that I appreciate more and more over the course of my visits: a city pass! This one will be dedicated to Marseille. As you will have understood, this article is dedicated to City Pass Marseille. We will discuss various elements such as its validity period, its cost or all the activities included in it. Thanks to this article, you will have all the information you need to choose your Marseille city pass and make the most of your stay in Marseille.

• The Marseille city pass: presentation
• Alternatives to the Marseille city pass
• Summary: Marseille city pass and activities
• My opinion on the Marseille city pass

City-pass Marseille :
Buy your city-pass for Marseille directly and benefit from free admission and discounts on a large number of visits and excursions. Buy your pass

The Marseille city pass: presentation

Let's start this article with a detailed presentation of this Marseille city pass. Indeed, several pieces of information are important to know: its period of validity, its price, how to obtain it and of course, the activities and advantages to which you will be entitled thanks to this Marseille Pass.

First of all, it may be useful to remember what a city pass is. Indeed, we now have the habit of getting it to visit the cities in which we pass and we find this concept very practical and economical. But this term may still be unfamiliar to you.
So to put it simply, a city pass is a card that gives you access to many visits, activities and benefits in certain cities that have implemented them. Each city offers what it wants in its city pass. That of Marseille is quite complete and includes the essentials to see during your stay. Like many cities, Marseille also offers access to public transport, which we detail a little below.
As for how it works, it's quite simple. Depending on the duration you choose, you will be able to enjoy all the advantages during the entire validity of the pass.

• Presentation of the Marseille city pass
• Rates and validity of the Marseille city pass
• Where to get the Marseille Pass?
• Visits included in the Marseille city pass
• Is this Marseille Pass really interesting?

Presentation of the Marseille city pass

Explore the oldest city in France independently and inexpensively with the Marseille City Pass! So that you can make the most of your stay, the card offers you a complete offer on the must-see sites and activities of the Phocaean city, and entitles you to numerous advantages. First of all, a city map and a guide are automatically given to you upon purchase. Then, the all-inclusive package allows you to benefit from a free access to more than ten museums and to borrow the transport freely. In addition to being economical, this tourist and cultural pass allows you to avoid queues!

Some discounts are also offered to you at a multitude of events, exhibitions and purchases in partner shops. Some even offer tastings and small gifts like the Cure Gourmande, where a choupette waits for the children. When you push open the doors of the little Saint Victor soap shop, you leave with a bar of soap. The oldest bakery in Marseille, founded in 1781, Le Four des Shuttles, invites you to savor the famous orange blossom biscuit, and many other surprises at the Maison du Pastis, the Panier des Créateurs, the Maison de la Boule … Football fans can take advantage of a reduced rate to visit the Orange Vélodrome stadium and OM stores.

Rates and validity of the Marseille city pass

You can buy the Marseille City Pass for 24, 48 or 72 consecutive hours. Rates vary by duration. Thus, a one-day pass costs 27 euros, two days 37 euros and three days 43 euros. Children from 7 to 15 years old benefit from a reduced price as part of a family: 17 euros for 24 hours, 22 euros for 48 hours, 26 euros for 72 hours. The digital card is valid for 6 months from the date of purchase and is activated on first use, whether at the entrance to a museum or on public transport. Do not hesitate to buy your ticket in advance!

Here is a summary of the prices offered:

• Pass 24h : €27 per adult; 17€ per child
• Pass 48h : €37 per adult; 22€ per child
• Pass 72h : €43 per adult; 26€ per child

Where to get the Marseille Pass?

The easiest way is to buy your Marseille city pass online. You can thus study the different places you wish to visit and take the validity period accordingly.

Buy your Marseille city pass!

Once your city pass has been purchased, all you have to do is go to the Marseille Metropolitan Tourist and Convention Office to collect your pass and the documents accompanying it. This tourist office is open every day of the year from 10 a.m. to 17 p.m.; except December 25 and January 1, when it is closed.

Visits included in the Marseille city pass

This pass offers you the privilege of discovering Marseille and its surroundings, giving you access to the best visits and activities in the city. We are now going to see everything that is included in this pass, whether it is freebies, reductions and other advantages.

A circuit in a small train

Climb aboard the little tourist train and pass in front of everyone, using the skip-the-line reserved for City Pass Marseille holders! Two routes are presented to you: to criss-cross through the Panier district or that of Notre-Dame de la Garde.

• The Basket District:
  The first circuit takes place in the Old Port and the steep streets of the oldest district of Marseille. Here, the typically Mediterranean friendly atmosphere is omnipresent. How not to fall under the charm of the small café terraces and artisan shops with colorful facades? After climbing the stairs, you will be rewarded with a sublime panorama of the Big Blue. Further down, in front of Avenue de la Canebière, the Old Port is the theater of Marseille life. This is where you come to sit on the terrace for a drink, while watching the fishermen going out to sea and the boats returning. We stroll nonchalantly along the quays, buy freshly caught products from the fish market, marvel at its original buildings...

  

• Our Lady of the Guard:
  The second circuit takes you to the symbol of the Marseille city. Nicknamed the Good Mother, the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde is perched on its hill at an altitude of 149 meters, dominating the city and the Mediterranean to watch over the sailors. You will be instantly seduced by its neo-Byzantine style and its marble and porphyry architecture. At the top stands a tower with a gilded copper statue of the Virgin and Child.

The Chateau d'If

Founded in 1527 by François 1er on the island of If, the main mission of the fortress was to protect the coast from invasion. Because of its isolation, it also served as a state prison, where opponents of power were imprisoned until 1871. There was also Father José Custódio de Faria, a revolutionary made famous by Alexandre Dumas. , author of The Count of Monte Cristo published in 1844. You will be surprised to find that its architecture has remained intact, as has its natural environment. You can admire endemic flora, due to the region's arid climate.

Book your entry to the Château d'If directly

Frioul Islands

Located in a Natura 2000 area 2,5 kilometers opposite Marseille, the Frioul archipelago is made up of four islands whose flora and fauna are extraordinarily rich. You will meet a hundred species of seabirds, such as the yellow-legged gull or the gabian for the Provençals, and more than 300 protected plant species. A true haven of peace, these islands contain sandy beaches bordered by translucent water and hide many small coves of rare beauty. After a swim, stroll through the picturesque village of Port-Frioul and sit down in one of the traditional restaurants to sample sea bass or gilthead sea bream reared in the fish farm established on Pomègues Island.

A bus tour

If you don't want to take a free return ticket to go to the Ile d'If or the Frioul archipelago, the Marseille City Pass offers you an alternative: a Colorbüs tour. This open-top imperial bus takes you to the must-see places, including the Corniche, the Old Port, Notre-Dame de la Garde, the Vélodrome and the small fishing port of the Vallon des Auffes. Just get off the bus to visit the places that interest you, then get back on board when you're done to discover another unmissable site in the city! While driving, an audioguide tells the history of Marseille and anecdotes about its inhabitants.

Book your bus tour directly

Visiting museums

The City Pass gives access to the most beautiful museums in the city, including the famous MuCEM which allows you to learn more about the civilizations that have lived around the Mediterranean since prehistoric times. Created by Rudy Ricciotti, this architectural work is made up of a monumental mineral block surrounded by a concrete mesh, which gives it a unique style. Go for a walk on its terrace to enjoy a spectacular view of the entrance to the Old Port!

Book your entry to the MuCEM live

You will also have the opportunity to explore the Cantini museum, which houses collections of modern and contemporary art in a sumptuous mansion dating from the 17th century. The natural history museum, the fine arts museum, the decorative arts, earthenware and fashion museum, the Roman docks museum, the Regards de Provence museum, etc. : in all, there are 15 must-do visits!

What transport can I take with the pass?

Thanks to the Marseille City Pass, you are free to take unlimited public transport throughout the RTM network! Thus, you can travel by metro as well as by tram, bus and ferry-boat throughout the period of validity of your pass. The more athletic can also use their card to cycle, since the first hour of each trip is free.

Is this Marseille Pass really interesting?

To answer this question, it's simple. Just compare what each of the visits taken independently would cost you with the price of the Marseille city pass.
To put it simply, I suggest you take only the main activities included in the pass. We will see later if it is interesting or not. Here are the main unmissable visits that you will probably make in Marseille:

• Visit of the Chateau d'If: €6
• A/R to the Frioul Islands: 11€
• Small tourist train: 8€
• Visit of the Mucem: 11€
• Cantini Museum: 12€
• Unlimited pass for public transport: 5€ for 24 hours or 10€ for 72h

Only for these visits, we already reach a sum of 53€ which is much higher than the Marseille city pass whatever the duration you choose. Not to mention that many other visits are included in addition to those mentioned just here.
We can therefore see that the Marseille city pass is interesting if you plan to do a minimum of visits and take public transport. In addition, it allows you to enjoy skip-the-line access to many activities, an interesting advantage in high tourist season.

Alternatives to the Marseille city pass

It may be, for various reasons, that you want to go to Marseille for a few days, but that you are not convinced by this pass, or that you do not want to take full advantage of its advantages.
You therefore have the possibility of reserving these activities independently and paying for public transport by ticket or thanks to the unlimited pass, for example. I just recommend that you do your calculations beforehand to be sure that the city pass is less interesting. In the following section, I offer you a summary of the city pass and the different activities that you can book individually if necessary.

Summary: Marseille city pass and activities

To end this article, here is a summary of the visits and activities mentioned throughout this article, included in the Marseille city pass. You will find a booking link to buy the city pass, as well as other links if you wish to book directly, that is to say, without the city pass. But be careful to check that it is interesting for you.

My opinion on the Marseille city pass

I think you guessed it, for me, this Marseille city pass is really interesting. It includes the main must-see places in the city as well as a large number of museums and great discounts. Even if you only use it very little, given its price, I think you will be a winner in any case. On the other hand, if you only want to visit the Mucem, then yes, the city pass will be less interesting. But if you come to stay a few days in Marseille, just for public transport, this city pass is worth it!