Provence, France -- Roman ruins and medieval popes galore for a 4-day getaway
Just west of the glamorous beach towns of Cannes and Nice along the Côte d’Azur (aka the French Riviera) lies the region of Provence. It boasts some of the best-preserved Roman ruins still in existence – including one of the only Roman theaters with an intact stage wall (Orange’s Roman Theater) and the highest of all elevated Roman aqueducts (Pont du Gard). The area was also the seat for seven successive popes during the Avignon Papacy and the home for Vincent van Gogh (Arles). Nature lovers rejoice at hiking in the Calanques National Park, home to plunging limestone cliffs.
See below for my guide to seeing the area of Provence (and four UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Arles, Avignon, Orange, and Pont du Gard) by public transport!
Suggested Itinerary Overview
Trip length: 4 days/3 nights
Start/end: Marseille Provence Airport. Note that it is perennially cheap (€35 return) to fly into the Marseille Provence Airport from London Stansted Airport via Ryanair. This itinerary is configured for folks taking the early morning Ryanair flight from London to Marseille and the afternoon flight from Marseille back to London.
Total cost: €74-85 for transportation (€32 for roundtrip flight tickets from London via Ryanair + €38 for public transport within Provence + €15 for the ZOU! card spread over up to 4 people) + €20-30 for attraction tickets + food + lodging
Day 1: Arrive in Marseille. Morning in Marseille. Train to/from Cassis to hike the Calanque d’En Vau in the afternoon (sleep in Marseille)
Day 2: Train to Orange to see the Roman Theater and Triumphal Arch, and train back to Avignon (sleep in Avignon)
Day 3: Bus to/from Pont du Gard from Avignon in the morning, and spend the afternoon in Avignon (sleep in Avignon)
Day 4: Train to Arles for the morning, before taking the train to the airport in time for your afternoon flight.
Public Transport: There is direct rail service connecting Marseille, Marseille Provence Airport, Arles, Avignon, and Orange. Buses run between Avignon and Pont du Gard. Another direct rail service connects Marseille and Cassis, which provides easy access to the Calanque d’En Vau in the Calanques National Park. See here for a map of the Provence rail network. See here for train schedules. For tips to travel by train in France, see Seat61’s in-depth guide.
Cost saving tip: Buy a ZOU! 50-75% card, which gives 50% off of rail travel for you and up to 3 companions on TER (aka regional) trains in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France. The card usually costs €15 for those under age 26. Since those under age 26 automatically get 25% off of their rail travel, the ZOU! 50-75% card is cost-saving only if you and your companions are cumulatively planning to spend at least €45 on train tickets. Note that this suggested itinerary has enough train travel for the ZOU! card to be marginally cost-saving even for solo travelers. To buy tickets with this discount, use the blue TER ticket machines (not the white SNCF ones)!
In-depth Itinerary
Day 1: Marseille and Calanque d’En Vau
Spend the morning in Marseille and the afternoon in the Calanques National Park (sleep in Marseille)
To get to Marseille from the airport, take either the bus (€5.80 for students) or the train (€2.60/€3.90 for students with/without the ZOU! card) into Marseille. To get to the Vitrolles Aéroport Marseille train station, take a free shuttle from the Marseille Provence Airport (bus station; platform 5).
After arriving in the main Marseille train station – Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles – walk through the Old Harbor (Vieux Port) en route to the Fort Saint-Jean (free) to get sweeping views over the city. Once you’ve dropped off your luggage at your place of lodging in Marseille, head back to the train station to take a train to Cassis (22 mins).
The train station in Cassis is a 40 minute walk from the rail station. Alternatively, take a 20 minute ride on the M01 bus – see schedule here. For a hiking guide to get sweeping views of the Calanque d’En Vau, see here. After your hike (~3 hrs roundtrip), make your way back to Marseille for the night.
Day 2: Orange
Spend half a day seeing UNESCO-listed Orange (sleep in Avignon)
To get to Orange from Marseille, take the train (1hr 30mins). In Orange, see the Roman Theater (€9.50/€7.50 for adults/students) and the Roman Triumphal Arch (free). After seeing Orange, take the train back to Avignon (14 mins). Spend the night in Avignon.
Cost saving tip: Since the Orange Roman Theater is built against a hill, on which sits a public park, it is possible to see most of the Roman Theater for free from the Parc de la Colline Saint-Eutrope.
Day 3: Pont du Gard and Avignon
Spend the morning seeing the UNESCO-listed Pont du Gard and the afternoon seeing UNESCO-listed Avignon (sleep in Avignon)
To get to the Pont du Gard from Avignon, take the A15 bus (€3.10 return; 50 minutes) in the direction of Ales (not Arles!). Get on the bus at Avignon PEM and get off at Rond Point Pont du Gard. Buses leave very infrequently, so check the schedule here. I suggest taking the 8:45am bus from Avignon PEM and the 1:20pm bus back from Rond Point Pont du Gard. The bus stop is 20 minutes away from the visitors entrance of Pont du Gard (€8.50/€6.00 for adults/students).
Cost saving tip: You can enter the Pont du Gard for free – national hiking trails GR6 and GR63 run through the site. To reach the trailhead, walk 600m west along D981 after getting off at the bus stop and turn left when reaching the next roundabout with D227. Alternatively, see this map.
After arriving back in Avignon from the Pont du Gard via bus, visit the Palais des Papes (Papal Palace) and the Pont d’Avignon (Pont Saint-Bénézet) on a combined ticket (€14.50/11.50 for adults/students). Spend the night in Avignon.
Day 4: Arles
Spend the morning in UNESCO-listed Arles before returning to the airport for an afternoon flight
To get to Arles from Avignon, take the train (18 mins) from Gare d’Avignon Centre (not Gare d’Avignon TGV, which is a 20 minute walk away from the old town center). In Arles, see the Roman Arena and the Roman Theater (€9.00/€7.00 combined ticket for adults/students), and the Romanesque Church of St. Trophime (free).
To get to the Marseille Provence Airport from Arles, take the train to the Vitrolles Aéroport Marseille train station. Then, take a free shuttle (5 mins) to the Marseille Provence Airport.
Costs
Flights: Ryanair routinely runs flights starting at €32 roundtrip from London Stansted to Marseille. Book a few weeks in advance.
Food: Plan to budget €25-40 for food per person per day. Breakfast and lunch at grocery stores/kebab joints will cost €5-10, and a prix fixe lunch/dinner at a bistro/brasserie will cost €20-30.
Lodging: Plan to budget €20-25 per person for lodging each night if you’re going with a group of friends. Airbnbs are usually the way to go if you have 3+ people in your party.
Transport within Provence: See below for ticket prices for the buses/trains on the suggested itinerary. Note that adults aged 26+ pay the 100% fare, youths aged 12-25 pay the 75% fare, and those holding the ZOU! 50-75% card (€15) pay the 50% fare (see the first cost-saving tip for more information on the ZOU! card). Therefore, total transport cost for the suggested itinerary is €72.90/€55.40/€38.00 per person for adults aged 26+/youths aged 12-25/ZOU! card holders.
| Route | 100% fare | 75% fare | 50% fare |
| Marseille Airport - Marseille | €5.20 | €3.90 | €2.60 |
| Marseille - Cassis (roundtrip) | €11.00 | €8.20 | €5.50 |
| Marseille - Orange | €26.20 | €19.70 | €13.10 |
| Orange - Avignon | €6.60 | €4.90 | €3.30 |
| Avignon - Pont du Gard (bus; roundtrip) | €3.10 | n/a | n/a |
| Avignon - Arles | €8.00 | €6.00 | €4.00 |
| Arles - Marseille Airport | €12.80 | €9.60 | €6.40 |