ΕΝΟΙΚΙΑΣΗ ΑΥΤΟΚΙΝΗΤΩΝ Σιδηροδρομικός Σταθμός Μασσαλία (AF8)

You’ll find our friendly team at Marseille Saint Charles Train Station just outside the rear entrance to the station. The office is located in Narvik Square on Boulevard Voltaire. To collect your car, you’ll be heading to the car park reserved for rental cars following the signs for Avis ‘Parking Voitures’ to be guided to your car.

Marseille Saint Charles Train Station is the main railway station in Marseille serving bus as well as rail passengers. First opened in 1848, around 15 million passengers pass through the station every year.  There are several trains to and from Paris each day - a journey of 3hr20min – plus Eurostar services and international connections to destinations including Geneva and Rome.

Close to the centre and Old Port, the station is on a hill connected to the city by an impressive staircase featuring 104 steps providing a grand entrance and vista over the Marseille skyline.

While the city’s main attractions are close by, if you’re short on time to explore, you’ll find all the services you need within the station concourse from shops and restaurants to information services and left luggage.

If you are driving in Marseille for the first time or have just arrived in France, make sure you familiarise yourself with French driving rules before picking up your car. Some key road rules in France include driving on the right and overtaking on the left. Be aware that low beam headlamps must always remain on. Mobile phones can only be used as a built-in audio device. It is forbidden to use headphones or earbuds. In built up areas be aware that bus lanes are reserved exclusively for buses, bicycles and taxis.

The drive from Marseille Saint Charles Station into the centre of Marseille is 1.2km via Rue Colbert and takes around 5min depending on the time of day.

Authentic is a word often used to describe Marseille – local Marseillais residents rub shoulders with visitors in enjoying all the city has to offer, from the bustling Old Port where you can watch the fishermen bring in their catch, to the vibrant, cobbled Le Panier (basket) whose cool narrow hilly streets beckon on warmer days. The city has a rich history and culture waiting to be discovered in its museums and galleries.

The top recommended places to see in Marseille include the Romanesque Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde Basilica, the Palais Longchamp with its aqueducts and the 20th century architectural masterpiece Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse’ (radiant city), a UNESCO world heritage site.

Perfectly positioned with road trips beckoning in any direction, you could choose to head to the lavender fields and medieval hilltop villages of Provence or join the coast road and drive east towards the glittering Cote D’Azur. Chic destinations like St Tropez and Cannes are around a 2hr drive along the A50 and D98.

For something completely different, head west along the coast road to the city of Martigues, often described as the Venice of Provence for its network of canals and bridges. The city is just a 30min drive from Marseille on the A55 so a perfect place to stop for coffee before you drive on further west into the Carmargues National Park, a nature lovers’ paradise and unique wetland region known for its lakes and beaches, flamingos, bulls and wild horses. Take the N568 across the open bridge into the park and within 50 mins you’ll be in Arles one of the main towns in the Carmargues just in time to enjoy a typically Provençal lunch – perhaps featuring the red rice of the Carmargue - before exploring the city’s Roman past and soaking up the landscape that so inspired the work of Vincent Van Gogh who created around 300 paintings here.

• Browse all Car Hire locations in Marseille    
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