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Car hire in Marseille – Gateway to Provence
Capital of Provence and the second-largest city in France after Paris, Marseille is a dazzling Mediterranean metropolis situated right in the heart of the sun-soaked south of France. Liberally sprinkled with ancient sites, many of which date right back to the time of the ancient Greeks, the city today is a magical mélange of inspirational art, modern culture, fine cuisine and striking architectural landmarks.
Laced with a crackling urban energy lacking in many other key European destinations, Marseille is a truly unique seaside city with a rich multi-ethnic heritage overflowing with museums, galleries and trendy restaurants. Blessed with more than 300 sunny days all the year round, it is also a thriving international port with around 3,000 years of trading history. Its large natural harbour, the Vieux Port (Old Port), has emerged in recent years as a major focal point for visitors since an extended period of large-scale restoration.
Top of the must-see list for most tourists is the hilltop Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde, a magnificent church built in the Neo-Byzantine style. After that, it's usually time for a leisurely stroll through the atmospheric streets and narrow alleyways of the city's most historic quarter - Le Panier - very much the beating heart of old Marseille. And if you only have time for one of the city's many museum, make sue it's MuCEM (Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée) where visitors can soak up several centuries of fascinating Mediterranean history and culture.
Whenever you book a car hire in Marseille with Auto Europe you will benefit from an exhaustive choice of vehicles at the cheapest rates of any other car rental company on the Internet. We currently have over 28,000 pick-up and drop-off locations in more than 190 different destinations worldwide, including the nearby cities of Montpellier and Nice, which means that we are able to find you the right car in the right place, and always at the right price!
Please also note that we work with all the world’s leading car rental suppliers, including Europcar, Sixt, National, Dollar, Budget, Avis and Alamo, so can always find you the very best deal on the market, whether it's a for a couple of days' city sightseeing in central Marseille or for an exhilarating road-trip along the world-famous French Riviera.
For help planning your trip or making a booking, please feel free to contact our rental specialists for assistance; they are always on hand to help with your low-cost car hire in Marseille and answer any questions you might have. Furthermore, you might also like to visit our Marseille car hire reviews page to see the ratings and comments posted by previous Auto Europe customers in the city.
For more information on renting a vehicle in Marseille, click on the car hire related topics listed below:
| Suppliers | Car Hire FAQs | Travel Guide |
Where to pick up a car hire in Marseille
For people who choose to rent a car in Marseille, Auto Europe can offer a variety of good locations in and around the city cenrte, enabling you to pick up your vehicle quickly and be on your way in just a few minutes. Besides the many car hire companies operating at Marseille Airport, there are several conveniently-located collection points in other parts of the city, such as Saint Charles Train Station.
To help you make the right choice, our state-of-the-art booking engine allows you to do an extensive search to find the best vehicle and the most suitable pick-up and drop-off points for your trip. Once you've keyed in your dates, an interactive map will come up with all the available car hire locations in and around Marseille.
Marseille Airport
Marseille Provence Airport is a large international airport located in Marignane just 17 miles north-west of the city centre. Built to serve large parts of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it is managed by the Marseille-Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is the fifth-busiest airport in France in terms of passenger numbers and the third-largest with regards to cargo. Marseille Airport's dedicated terminal for low-cost airlines first opened for business in 2006 and was further expanded seven years later with several new shops, restaurants, cafés and bars being added in the process.
As you'd expect from one of Europe's biggest and best-organised airports, picking up your car rental at Marseille Airport is a quick and stress-free process as all the world's leading car hire suppliers are represented with their check-in desks and collection points located very near the car parks right in front of Terminal 1. Before collecting your vehicle, it's always best to make sure you have all your documents, car hire voucher, coverage details and passport ready when you arrive at the car hire desk to pick up your Auto Europe car hire in Marseille.
Marseille Airport (MRS)
Website: marseille-airport.com
Address: 13727 Marignane, France
Telephone: +33 820 81 14 14
Marseille Train Station
Inaugurated in January 1848, Marseille's Saint Charles Train Station serves many routes to towns and cities across France and beyond. Catering for over 15 million passengers each year, it is the 11th-busiest in the country and has 14 platforms and 4 tracks running key domestic and international destinations, such as the Italian capital, Rome. Picking up a car hire at Marseille Saint Charles Train Station is easy as most of top companies are represented at the station, close to platform A.
Marseille Train Station
Website: garesetconnexions.sncf
Address: Square Narvik, 13232 Marseille Cedex 1 France
Telephone: +33 800 11 40 23
Book with the best car hire suppliers in Marseille
Auto Europe is a leading international car hire company currently offering a vast selection of convenient pick-up and drop-off locations in 190 different destinations around the world. Thanks to our many years' experience collaborating with all the global and local car rental companies, we can offer you the best standard of service and cheapest prices on the market, with a large number of top suppliers operating both in the city and at Marseille Provence Airport.
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Should you require additional information about the many prestigious car hire companies we work with or their operational policies such as their out-of-office pick-up/drop-off procedures or any questions regarding age restrictions etc, then our car rental specialists are just a phone call or e-mail away and are always very happy to assist you.
Frequently asked questions about renting a car in Marseille
This section features the most frequent questions asked by people booking a car hire in Marseille. Scroll down for important tips relating to a wide range of essential car hire topics, such as credit cards, coverage, tolls, traffic and much more. If you need any more information, please contact our reservations team for assistanceand they will be happy to help you with your booking and assist you with your travel itinerary.
Do I need a credit card to rent a car in Marseille?
Yes, you will always need a credit card in the driver's name to pick up a car rental in Marseille. As in other destinations, local car hire providers such as Avis, Europcar, Sixt, etc. are obliged to hold an amount on your card known as an excess representing the value of the cover. This deductible amount is refunded to the customer on the safe return of the vehicle. Some drivers express surprise when they try to collect their vehicle with a debit card instead of a credit card and it is rejected, so it's important to have a major credit card such as Visa, Mastercard, Diners or American Express with you in the driver’s name with enough credit to cover the excess in order to avoid disappointment. When hiring luxury or performance cars, the supplier may ask for a second credit card in the driver's name as a measure of additional security.
All the information you need regarding credit cards and which ones are valid for renting a car in Marseille can be accessed through the Auto Europe booking engine. Once you have made your search, just click on the blue and white info icon (i) where you'll find all the relevant details regarding coverage for your trip. For more information, please read our blog post about the six most important things to know about credit cards and deposits before making your reservation.
What insurance do I need for my car rental in Marseille?
Our rates always include Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), Theft Protection (TP) and Third Party Liability as standard. For more protection, we recommend our Full Damage & Theft Protection policy which involves a small additional cost but covers eventualities like damage to glass, wheels, roof, undercarriage, towing costs, loss of keys, miss-fuelling and any admin fees. Please visit our special car hire coverage page to find out about some of the key points to remember about car hire coverage in Marseille and elsewhere in France.
If you need to make a claim, please note that you must pay the car rental supplier first then claim the amount back from Auto Europe. When making a claim, it's essential that you provide all the required documents in order to receive your refund as quickly as possible.
Once again, you'll find all the relevant information about car hire coverage on the Auto Europe website. Once you have selected your car category and preferred supplier, just click on the blue and white info icon (i) where full details about what's included in the price etc. can be found.
As often happens, when you arrive to pick up your vehicle a staff member of the local car hire company will often try to sell you their own coverage, which in most cases you won't need, especially if you have purchased Auto Europe's excellent Full Damage & Theft Protection product beforehand. Please note that you are not obliged to make such a purchase and will not be able to claim the money back from Auto Europe if you do.
For more information about Auto Europe’s coverage policies, please get in touch with our rental specialists for assistance and they will be happy to provide you with all the information you need. Please also read our blog post on the subject, which provides a general overview of the types of car hire coverage available.
How is the traffic in Marseille?
The centre of Marseille is full of narrow one-way streets and lots of lane changes which can prove challenging for visitors. Local drivers do not always follow the traffic regulations and you will hear car horns regularly being sounded throughout the day. Marseille is well connected to the rest of France by numerous motorways which often have tolls, but they are fast and practical so if you want to get somewhere without driving through all the small villages, have some money ready to pay the tolls. You can drive your car rental to Paris from Marseille in 8 hours or Nice in a couple of hours. For more information on driving in Marseille and elsewhere in the country, please have a look at our France driving information page.
Where can I park my car hire in Marseille?
As in any old city, parking in Marseille can be quite challenging as many of the streets are narrow and were not originally built for cars. Free parking spaces in the centre of Marseille are becoming increasingly scarce, so it's best to stick to paid on-street parking spaces and the large municipal car parks. The city has more than 15,000 metered spaces available with different rates applying depending on the local colour code (yellow, orange or red). Car parks in and around the centre of Marseille are still an affordable option and one of the best ones to use is well situated close to the Vieux Port (Old Port), with another one located on the other side of the port (the Estienne d’Orves car park) offering reasonable daily rates. There are plenty of good options on the periphery of the inner city, so try leaving your car on the edge of town and travelling in by bus or taxi.
Do I need to pay tolls when driving my car hire in Marseille?
Yes. The motorway system surrounding the city comprises three of the South of France's main highways - one to the north, one to the east and another along the coast that connects Italy, Spain and Northern Europe, all of which come together just outside Marseille. The city is less than an hour's drive from Camargue in the heart of Provence and just two hours from the French Riviera. Tolls are payable on all these motorways, most notably on the popular tourist route between Nice and Marseille (along the A7 and A8. Criss-crossing the city, there are also two busy tunnels that are tolled, namely the Prado-Carénage and Prado Sud tunnels.
Do I need an emission sticker for my car hire in Marseille?
Yes. Marseille is one of several French cities that has an environmental zone known as a ZPA. This means that any car without an appropriate emissions zone sticker will be prohibited from entering the area and fined anything up to 500 euros. The zone is located in the centre of Marseille, bordered to the west by the sea, to the north by the A557 motorway, Boulevard de Plombières and Avenue Alexandre Fleming, to the east by Boulevard du Maréchal Juin, Boulevard Françoise Duparc, Boulevard Sakakini, Boulevard Jean Moulin and Boulevard Rabatau Daniel Matalon and to the south by Avenue du Prado.
Marseille Travel Guide
Marseille offers its visitors a heady mix of culture, history and gastronomy with many first-rate museums and some of the best restaurants in the whole of France. It's also surrounded by some magnificent beaches, so once all the city sightseeing is over you'll have plenty of options available for relaxing and swimming in the crystalline waters of the warm Mediterranean Sea.
Best day trips with my car rental in Marseille
Less than a half-hour drive from the heart of the city centre takes you to the stunning landscapes and glamorous jet-set atmosphere of Provence and the French Riviera. With a car rental in Marseille you'll have good access to many of the region's most popular towns and cities, including Avignon and Aix-En-Provence.
For customers wishing to go beyond the city of Marseille, it is also possible to plan a fun-filled road-trip with an Auto Europe car hire and drop the vehicle off in another city such as Nice or Toulouse by means of a one-way car hire, allowing for greater flexibility and freedom on your trip. Why not share the driving with a friend of family member and save money at the same time through our regular Free Additional Driver promotions.
Aix-en-Provence
About a half-hour drive north of Marseille city centre brings you to Aix-en-Provence (or simply Aix), a relaxed and very refined city with its own kind of traditional French atmosphere and character. Capital of Provence until the French Revolution in the late-18th century, Aix is full of interesting museums with an abundance of long tree-lined boulevards, lovely town squares and lots of beautiful fountains around the city centre.
Nîmes
Reachable in about 90 minutes from Mareille, Nimes is a magnificent city in the heart of the charming Languedoc region bordering Provence. The city is bulging with well-preserved Roman monuments, most notably the Arènes amphitheatre (the most important monument from the Roman era) and the remarkable Maison Carrée, one of Europe's rarest examples of a complete and very classical Roman temple.
Gordes
Approximately an hour's drive from Marseille, Gordes is delightful village perched high on a hilltop in the heart of the mountainous Luberon region of Provence. Considered one of the most picturesque places in France, it is most famous for its splendid castle built in 1031 and the many ancient stone dwellings known as Bories that offer visitors a chance to see the Luberon's original architecture.
Avignon
To visit the Marseille area without seeing Avignon would be like visiting Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower! This ancient and very special city is filled with medieval monuments, particularly in and around its historic centre where you'll find the Palais des Papes, the cathedral and the world-famous Pont d'Avignon, which features in the popular French song Sur le pont d'Avignon.
What to do in Marseille
In Marseille you get the best of both worlds - a taste of the real France plus all the glamour of being in a major Mediterranean metropolis. The city is very well located for visitors planning a leisurely road-trip along the glorious French Riviera, one of the world's classiest coastlines, as well as those looking to venture into the interior to experience the wonderful Provencal landscapes whilst visiting the many wine estates of the Marseille region.
- MuCEM: Dedicated to Mediterranean culture, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MuCEM) is a world-class tourist attraction perfectly located right next to the sea on the north side of the Old Port (Vieux Port). With a wide variety of unique exhibits ranging from paintings and photos to video installations and urban graffiti, this is one of the great must-see attractions in the south of France.
- Quartier du Panier: One of the best ways to soak up the atmosphere of th city cetre is by wandering around the streets of Le Panier, the oldest part of Marseille and its most historic quarter. Once the original site of the ancient Greek marketplace, here you'll find old narrow lanes, the enchanting Accoules church (originally built in the 6th century), cafés, bars, boutiques, artists' studios and many family-run eateries.
- Notre Dame de la Garde: Marseille's most eye-catching landmark is the striking Byzantine-style Notre Dame de la Garde basilica, upon which a bright golden statue of Madonna and Child comfortably sits looking out to sea. Built between 1853 and 1864, the church dominates the city's skyline at 149 metres (489 feet) tall and is the highest point in the city.
- Vieux Port: No trip to Marseille is complete without a visit to the Vieux Port (Old Port) where you can jump on a ferry and head out into the open water for a panoramic view of the city in its entirety. A highlight for many visitors is a stroll under the Ombrière, a huge mirrored structure created by Norman Foster in 2013. Don't miss the port's famous morning fish market (Marché aux Poissons) where the local fishermen sell their catch straight off the boat.
- Château d'If: Immortalised in Alexandre Dumas' 1840s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, the isolated 16th-century fortress of Château d'If sits on its very own island just off the Marseille coast. Once a notorious prison similar in many ways to San Francisco's Alcatraz, today it is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions offering magnificent views with regular crossings by local ferry from the port of Marseille.
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