Minibus Hire Across France

Minibus Hire in Marseille, from the Vieux-Port to Cassis

Marseille is a city of hills, harbours and coves. A minibus with a driver carries your group up to Notre-Dame de la Garde and out to Cassis, saving everyone's legs for the walks that matter: Le Panier and the old port.

Around the old port

Since a municipal order of November 2025, tourist coaches may not use the lanes of Le Panier or the streets ringing the Vieux-Port, including Place de Lenche and the Grand Rue. Official set-down points nearby include avenue Vaudoyer, facing the Regards de Provence museum, and quai du Lazaret beside Les Terrasses du Port.

From there it is a short walk into Le Panier. The MuCEM welcomes groups of 8 or more by booking, about a week ahead for a self-guided visit, and its group entrance is in the J4 building.

Minibus interior with individual seats
Minibus interior with individual seats

Up to Notre-Dame de la Garde

The basilica opens daily from 07:00 to 18:00, with a coach set-down on the Montée de l'Oratoire. Long coaches face length limits on the climb; a minibus, at no more than 8 m, sits well inside them. Go early for clear views across the islands.

Flying in to Marseille

Places your group will love in Marseille

  • La Corniche Kennedy and the Vallon des Auffes — Seafront road and small fishing harbour, 7th arrondissement
  • Parc national des Calanques — Limestone coves between Marseille and Cassis; summer access rules and fire-risk closures apply
  • Château d'If — Island fortress reached by boat from the Vieux-Port; group terms from 20 paying adults
  • Le Panier — Old quarter on the hill north of the Vieux-Port, visited on foot
  • Vieux-Port — The old harbour; most streets of Le Panier above it are closed to tourist coaches
  • MuCEM and Fort Saint-Jean — Groups of 8 or more must book: about 15 days ahead for guided visits and a week ahead for self-guided visits. Group entrance at the J4 building
  • Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde — Hilltop basilica, open daily 07:00-18:00; coach set-down point on the Montée de l'Oratoire, and coach length limits on the access roads

Where groups tend to stay

  • Aéroport Marseille Provence / Vitrolles hotels
  • La Corniche / Les Catalans
  • Castellane / Prado (for Marseille Chanot and the Stade Vélodrome)
  • Gare Saint-Charles
  • La Joliette / Euroméditerranée (for the cruise terminals)
  • Vieux-Port

Arriving by cruise ship

Cassis and the Calanques

Cassis is about 30 minutes away. From 1 May to 15 October, vehicles over 3.5 tonnes may not enter the town centre; coaches use the Gorguettes area, with a little tourist train into town, and the tourist office likes to know your date, time and numbers.

From June to September, entry to the Calanques depends on the fire risk, announced each evening at 17:00 for the following day, and on the worst days nothing is open. Keep a back-up plan, such as Aix-en-Provence, about 35 minutes north.

Air quality rules and arrivals

The central ZFE-m runs around the clock and covers minibuses as well as coaches: Crit'Air 4, 5 or unclassified vehicles cannot enter or park there. Check the sticker before the day, since these rules may still move.

The drive in from Marseille Provence airport is about 26 km, half an hour or so, and TGVs from Paris reach Saint-Charles in about 3 hours.

Your questions, answered

Can we visit the Château d'If as a family group?

Yes, by boat from the Vieux-Port. Group terms start from 20 paying adults, so check which terms suit your party before you go.

Can the minibus drive through the Prado-Carénage tunnel?

The tunnel is tolled and kept for light vehicles. Coaches stay on the surface roads, and your driver chooses the route.

Can we get close to the Sugiton cove?

On the busiest summer days a visit to the Calanque de Sugiton needs a reservation, so book that before anything else.

More days out you can book with us

Other vehicles with a driver