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Leaving Your Trip in Aix-en-Provence
This page offers help (concrete or informational) on leaving your trip. Topics include...
- Where you leave your trip (see immediately below).
- The closest airports.
- Our “Access Packages,” designed to help you reach them.
- Suggestions on how to time your ongoing travel, whether you are having us arrange it, or doing it yourself.
- Service information regarding train travel from your trip end location.
- Suggested post-trip visits, especially when these are not geographically obvious, but are rendered economical and convenient by direct rail connections.
- Hopefully helpful hints for those setting up their own travel from the trip.
If you wish to arrange some or all of your travel through us, please tell us what by means of this response questionnaire, designed to collect all the information we need to be able to book your travel.
1. WHERE and WHEN Do You Leave Your Trip?
Your trip disbands on Friday, upon arrival in Aix-en-Provence, at the end of a full riding day.
If you wish to arrange your own ongoing travel (in other words, you do not want to set up any ongoing travel arrangements through us), a couple of hints regarding ongoing travel are offered at the bottom of this page. Otherwise...
2. The CLOSEST AIRPORTS
The closest airport is Marseille, which you can get to from downtown Aix in 45 minutes via an every-half-hour shuttle bus. Marseille is well-served by intra-European flights, but has no intercontinental service.
Direct TGV (high-speed train) service runs from Aix to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport in under 3 hours.
Other intercontinental airports in Nice and Geneva can be reached in about the same travel time, though trains do not run direct to the airports.
There is an every-10-minute shuttle train from Geneva’s central station to the airport, making the trip in 10 minutes. A shuttle bus operates to the Nice airport from the station every 20 minutes. See “Service Information,” below, for details of train service to the two cities.
The nearest “low cost” airport is Marseille, but travel to central London or Brussels is as fast or faster (and generally more reliable / comfortable) by train.
3. Our ACCESS PACKAGES
as of January 1, 2011 (2nd edition, Jan. 27)
Our “Access Package” includes a Friday night in Aix (hotel, dinner and breakfast included), and ongoing train tickets on Saturday (a version without the train is on offer).
Base (Starting) Access Package Price: 139€ (97€ without rail tickets).
To see what this means in your currency, look here: http://www.bluemarble.org/CurrencyConv.html
Availability is fairly reliable until 35 days prior to trip start (payment received by us), because we try to hold an allotment of hotel space in Aix until then, and there is always a seat on one or another acceptable train, though prices may be slightly higher for late bookings. Within 35 days, it must be confirmed, and costs are generally higher. All services are subject to availability.
Included:
- A festive Friday dinner in Aix, with your fellow Marbles.
- A Friday hotel night in Aix, based on shared occupancy (private single rooms available at additional cost). Typically, most of your past weeks’ travelling companions will also be staying over.
Share price guaranteed to singles willing to share until 35 days before trip start. After that, you may request a share, but must be prepared to pay for a single room if no one can be found to share with.
- Breakfast, if your ongoing travel plans are compatible with it.
- Saturday train tickets from Aix to Paris, Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, Geneva, or Nice.
Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable once ordered (see below for extra cost first class or flexible tickets).
- Seat reservations on your selected train(s).
- All taxes, baggage charges, and booking fees.
In other words, there are no surprise add-ons.
- Ticket shipping charges.
There aren’t any, since your tickets are delivered to you on the trip.
- A printed schedule / itinerary
Highlights any connections, and includes detailed instructions on getting to the appropriate Aix station (there are 3).
Options Offered at an Extra Cost (subject to availability)
Prices are in addition to the “Base” Access Package Price.
For a general discussion of train upgrades, see here. Topics include the relative comfort of first versus second class, and different types of accommodation available on overnight trains.
- Tickets to London. Via Lille: add 59€ if you also requested tickets from London to your trip, 99€ if not (in 1st class, add 90€ or 135€). Via Paris, all fares are 10€ higher (25€ if an overnight stop-over is desired).
Services via Lille are easier (one connection in the same station) and less expensive. But they are less frequent, and can take up to an hour longer than the fastest services via Paris (despite the Paris station change). See “Service Information,” below, for details.
- Tickets to anywhere else in France: +16€.
You may either request tickets to a specific destination (in which case seat reservation charges are included in the cost). Or you may ask for an open travel voucher, which is good for travel to anywhere you choose to go — you may even decide the question locally. The cost of seat reservations on your chosen trains (typically 5€ / train if you wait on line at the station, 10€ / train if you book through us) is additional if you do not order them at the same time as the travel voucher.
Additional vouchers for further trips within France are available at a cost of 32€ per travel day in 2nd class, 39€ / travel day in 1st class (the vouchers must be in the class of your other travel).
- Flexible (modifiable, refundable) tickets.
To Paris, CdG airport, Geneva or Barcelona: +19€. To Nice, +9€. To all other points within France: +25€ maximum.
These tickets are exchangeable at any station, on a space-available basis, at any time until the train’s departure. The exchange is free if it is made prior to the date of travel, and costs 10€ on the date of travel. Cost of either exchange is 10€ higher if you make it through us (as opposed to going to the ticket counter yourself). Tickets are refundable less 20% before the train’s departure.
- 1st class train tickets (in lieu of 2nd class). To Paris, CdG Airport, or Geneva: +19€ (+25€ on Friday night). To Nice, +14€. To all other points within France: maximum of 29€ additional.
These discount rates are not always available. But the next highest fare code is only 10€ more expensive. For 1st class tickets which are modifiable, and refundable less 20%, add the price for modifiable tickets, above.
- Trains to other points. Prices include reservations where required. Saturday daylight trains to:
- Barcelona, Brussels: +29€ 2nd class, +44€ in 1st class.
- Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, or Milan: +24€ in 2nd class, +39€ in 1st class.
- Holland, Germany: +69€ 2nd class, +89€ 1st class.
Saturday overnight trains to Alsace (connections to Germany) or to Luxembourg (connections to Belgium or Holland), including a couchette on board. +39€ to anywhere in France or Luxembourg, +40€ to any of the listed international destinations.
- Single room in Aix: +25€.
- Additional nights in Aix: +49€ shared occupancy, +82€ single, breakfast not included.
Shared occupancy rate guaranteed to singles on the post-trip Friday night only. Breakfast is available at additional cost: +7€, payable directly to the hotel upon check-out.
- Paris airport train tickets, to Charles de Gaulle or Orly from anywhere in Paris.
Not necessary if you are travelling directly from Aix to the airport.
Alternate Arrangements, in lieu of our usual packages (subject to availability)
Prices are complete (in other words, they are not in addition to the “Base” Access Package Price)
- Friday evening train to Paris, 89€; or Nice, 45€.
If you do this, we suggest booking the last train, circa 8p, to avoid putting pressure on a beautiful biking day. These tickets are modifiable (change fee, paid directly to the railroad, is 10€). So, if you get in early, and an earlier train has space, you can take it.
The latest train to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport is at 6p, too early to make the cycling day a comfortable one.
- Friday overnight trains to Alsace (connections to Germany) or Luxembourg (connections to Belgium or Holland), including a couchette on board. 99€, 139€ including any of the listed international connections.
You do not have time for dinner with the group if you opt for one of these, and so the evening meal is not included in these prices. You will have time to have supper in Aix before your train's departure, or you may dine on the old port in Marseille (where you board the night train after a 30-minute ride from Aix).
4. TIMING Your Trip
If we may influence your thinking on the topic of timing... Aix is lovely. And you will not have time to see it on Friday (when the trip reaches town at the end of a full day). Try not to plan a Friday departure from Aix.
Remember: a 6p flight means targeting an airport arrival at 4:30p, which means catching the shuttle at 3p, which means that you have to drop the bike and get your luggage by 2p.... You might as well leave now! HURRY!!!!
Instead, plan a Saturday flight from Marseille, a Saturday afternoon flight from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle (you reach Paris via an early-morning train from Aix), or, best of all, a Sunday flight (this means scheduling Saturday night somewhere within striking distance of an airport). Depending on your choice, you get to spend at least Friday evening, and hopefully Saturday morning, exploring Aix.
5. Service Information
Schedules are approximate – exact timetables can be consulted at
http://www.raileurope.com/index.html.
Best trains are mentioned. Others are slower or have multiple connections.
Most northbound trains depart from an airport-like suburban station, though at certain times of day it can be faster or easier to travel via Marseille instead. Schedules shown below include the time required by the shuttle bus from downtown Aix to the suburban Aix TGV station (cost circa 5€), or by the shuttle train into Marseille (included in the ticket price). Taxi service to the Aix TGV station is also available (circa 40€). When a connection is mentioned, it is in additional to the inevitable one at the Aix TGV station or in Marseille.
The shuttle bus to the Aix TGV station is quite reliable, but allowing an additional 15 minutes (in other words, taking the shuttle bus 15 minutes before the one you theoretically need to catch) is a prudent precaution if missing your train would have catastrophic results. Buses are subject to traffic delays.
- To Paris. Trip time is 3'30", Saturday direct service starts at 7:15a.
There is an earlier train with a connection, departing at 5a and taking an hour longer to make the trip.
The last Friday evening train is circa 8p (arrive Paris circa 11:30p).
- To Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport. Trip time is 4 hours, service starts at 5:15a.
Thus even the (uncomfortably-early) first train only connects to Saturdayintercontinental flights departing after 11a.
- To Geneva. Trip time is 4 - 5 hours, service every couple of hours throughout the day with one connection. Direct trains (no connections) run at 1p and at 7p.
- To Nice. Trip time is 3.5 hours. Service is irregular, but the longest gap between trains is 90 minutes.
- To Barcelona. Fastest daily services depart Aix at 7a and 3p: 8-hour trip with 3 connections.
- To London. Trip time is 7.5 - 8.5 hours (a one-hour time change means that the clock-face timing is one hour less). Via Paris (with a station change in Paris) at 7a, 9a, then hourly. Via Lille at 5:30a, 8a, noon, and 1p.
6. Suggested POST-TRIP VISITS
The French or Italian Rivieras, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, the French Alps....
7. Hints on TRAVELLING INDEPENDENTLY After the Trip
Guests subscribing to an “Access Package” need not read this section.
See also “Timing Your Trip” and “Service Information,” above, as either of these may additionally help.
We gladly provide travel consulting (schedule or routing information) concerning post-trip individual travel. In particular, we have invested a great deal to become railway experts. Our service fees are reasonable: a 20€ charge for all but the most complex projects – or the most simple (for instance, only a 10€ charge applies if the service is limited to the preparation of a routine rail ticket). You will generally find them well-justified by the time they will save you in research, standing on line, overpaying for your tickets, or all three.
But, for some, this type of research is fun. So, here are some hints, intended to start off hardened “do-it-yourselfers.”
Trains. Schedules for all routes can be consulted on this web site:
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm
Aix is served by TGV (high-speed train) to northern France, including direct service to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport. Main line trains also run to elsewhere in France, Switzerland, northeastern Spain, and northern Italy. Overnight sleeper trains go to France’s west coast, western Germany, and Paris. Few people travel by overnight train from Aix to Paris, as it involves an evening connection, and the TGV takes only three hours for this trip. But it can be useful if you spend a couple of days on the Côte d’Azur before your trip home.
If you wish to arrange some or all of your travel through us, please tell us what by means of this response questionnaire, designed to collect all the information we need to be able to book your travel.
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