Before we get serious about cheap flights to Marseille, you need to know this: There is an airport in Marseille. It is the Marseille Airport (catchy, I know). But if you’re taking a cheap flight to Marseille, you’re going to land at its little brother, mp2. mp2 is directly next door to Marseille Airport, and houses all the cheapo airlines like Ryanair and Pegasus and jet4you and other companies that got their names from Google Analytics.
I’m telling you this so you don’t panic if you go into the Marseille Airport and don’t see your flight on the departures board. Just head outside, make a left, and walk down the sidewalk until you reach a building that looks like it’s under construction. That’s mp2.
Marseille is a great place to visit in its own right. Long burdened by a reputation for being a more dangerous version of Elizabeth, NJ, the city has cleaned up its act and now shines as one of the stars of the South of France. It has some of the best examples of Provençal cuisine, as well as foods made popular by its large North African population. Add to that some world-class sightseeing and a court side seat to the Mediterranean, and boom – a vacation is born.
But if you’re coming from other places in Europe and want a taste of the South of France, Marseille is perfect to use as a base for heading over to the Côte d’Azur to see how the other half lives, or up to the little villages of Provence. And coming from London, it’s a great halfway point on your way to Milan or Venice.
You can get cheap flights to Marseille from practically anywhere in Europe – Barcelona, Prague and Munich to name a few – and it’s a cheap, fast way to get from London to the South of France. There are also flights to Marseille from within France as well, namely from Toulouse and Paris.
Ryanair and EasyJet are your best bets for getting to Marseille from within Europe; from within France, the Régional line of Air France has several departures per day from all over. If you’re coming from the other side of the Atlantic, though, your only direct choice is Air Transat from Montréal-Trudeau or Quebec City, and even then only during the summer months.
If you’re including North African destination on your itinerary, Royal Air Maroc flies from Casablanca, Tunisair from Tunis, and Air Algérie from Algiers.
Top Photo: Dominique Pipet
