Stopover in Marseille

[jimali]

Hi

We are currently coming down the Rhone and will be putting our mast up at Port Napoleon. We have to return to the UK for a week in September and have booked Ryan Air from Marseille. We wondered where was the best to leave the boat for the week - Port Napoleon or in Marseille town itself especially considering security and getting to and from the airport. Any recomendations gratefully received.

Jim

 

[chasroberts]

There has been a lot of discussion on a similar theme about three threads down on this forum. I suggest there might be a good place to start. Lots of discussion on pros and cons of Port Napoleon et al.

Chas

 

[samwise]

Hi

We are currently coming down the Rhone and will be putting our mast up at Port Napoleon. We have to return to the UK for a week in September and have booked Ryan Air from Marseille. We wondered where was the best to leave the boat for the week - Port Napoleon or in Marseille town itself especially considering security and getting to and from the airport. Any recomendations gratefully received.

Jim

As I recall, Ryanair don't fly to Marignane but to another airport which is probably more convenient from Port Napoleon. Also I think yacht space in that area is hard to find. No doubt the old hands on the forum will provide some up to date infor. Meanwhile I'll check out Ryanair destinations.

 

[samwise]

Sorry

Apologies, knickers twisted. Ryanair do fly from MP2.

Getting to and from Marseille from Port Napoleon can be a bit time consuming, but you can get a bus from Port St Louis to Arles and then a train into Marseilles St Charles. You may be able to cadge a lift from a PN liveaboard to Arles.

There is a German chap at Navy Service down the road who runs an unofficial taxi service who would undertake an airport run at competitive prices

 

[charles_reed]

Both Ryanair and Easyjet fly from Marignan (Marseille).

Getting to and from the airport by anything but private vehicle, from Port St Louis, is challenging - I've managed the trip from the airport once and you're faced with a 5km walk to Navy Service and 7km walk to Napoleon.

Helmut, who lives in the gnome-bedeckt caravan, at the entrance to Navy Service "does" the run to the airport for €50 (well if you speak French or Nordeutsch he does, other nationalities are more expensive).

I'd always try to travel by anyone but Ryanair - I have a big antipathy to Michael O'Really.

If you want to leave the boat in Marseille, either of the two yacht clubs are OK (I prefer SNM) both have a degree of security - other berths are highly insecure round Vieille Port. They both dislike you leaving your boat and the country - OK if you're in France and have a French mobile#.
Getting to the airport is an easy metro/bus trip, taking 35'.

Either Vielle Port or Frioul are preferable to Port St Louis!!

 

[jimali]

Charles

Thanks for that - looks like one of the Marseille clubs is the best option - otherwise the taxi could end up costing more than the flights!!!

Regards

Jim

 

[SpiceIslander1]

I have just left my boat ashore at Port Napoleon and from what I have seen it looks like a good place to leave the boat. This is based on speaking to numerous people I have spoken to en route to Port Napoleon in the Med and also people who are staying there.

I returned home using a hire car to get me to Avignon to catch the TGV, but I was told by the office staff at PN that the cost of a taxi to Marseille is approx 100 euros!
An alternative which I think is feasible is to catch a taxi to Port St Louis (7 euros) and then there are 2 buses a day that go to Marseille from where you will have to get the shuttle to the airport.
You can certainly take the alternative route of catching a bus out of Port St Louis to Arles (which we did once at a very reasonable cost) and then I think you can catch a train to Marseille. However I am uncertain of the distances to get from the station at Marseilles to the airport.

If you find out any other detailed info on this matter about transport please let me know as we will be doing the return trip next Spring.

Also as we are intending returning home via the Rhone etc, I would be interested in knowing which route you have just come through France in your boat and the draft of the boat.

 

[jimali]

Hi

It looks like the simplest will be to moor in Marseille town itself and use the shuttle bus.

We came down from Le Harve via the Seine,Marne, Canal Marne Soane, Soane, Rhone. We draw 1.6m and had a minimum depth of 2.3m all the way, the mast went by road. We met a boat drawing 1.9m going the other way, single handed, that had no problems - except getting close to the banks sometimes. Our mast went by road. We followed the same route as a sister boat did a few years ago. His website is http://permanentgrin.hornetsailingclub.org.uk/ and has lots of useful info.

Please let me know if you need any more info

Regards

Jim

 

[SpiceIslander1]

Jim,
Thanks for the info about your canal trip. I have the same draft as you so hopefully no problems going north, although I haven't decided on an exact route yet. What was the cost of the mast transportation from Le Havre to Port Napoleon and who did you get to transport it? I assume that you have enjoyed the trip through the canals/rivers so far?

 

[BobnLesley]

Thıs advıce ıs somewhat dated - It was 2005 when we were there - but we left our yacht for a week ın mıd summer and at a very reasonable cost ın Sausset-Le-Pıns just west of Marseılle. As I saıd ıt's a whıle agoş but as I remember ıt was 1/2 the prıce of the Marseılle Marınas and the marına staff were very helpful/frıendly. Gettıng from there to the aırport, there were regular buses to ın to Marseılle bus statıon from where they were even more frequent to the aırport ıtself.