If your cruise is calling in France, a fun, easy and rewarding Marseille shore excursion with kids is Le Petit Train. It may be a bit of a tourist cliche but you can take in some of the city’s best views without wearing out little legs. And what child doesn’t enjoy a train ride?
The Le Petit Train is a road train that runs three routes around the major sights of Marseille. You can choose from the a tours taking you to the highest point in the city, or around the old quarter with its impressive cathedral, or, via ferry, a tour Frioul Island. This is where there is a former prison, of which the most famous inmate was José Custodio Faria. Alexandre Dumas immortalised him in the Count of Monte-Cristo.
Why Le Petit Train is a great Marseille shore excursion with kids
Our Marseille shore day landed on one of the hottest days of our Mediterranean cruise with Carnival Vista. We knew our then three-year-old and one-year-old wouldn’t last long away from the refreshing air-conditioning of our ship. So, Marseille’s Le Petit Train gave us some respite from the sun on a roasting hot day.
We took a shuttle bus from our ship to the Old Port. Here we bought tickets for the train at a kiosk by the harbour.
Here’s a video of our tour from the Old Port up 162m to the city’s highest point at the stunning Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica. The views at the top were breathtaking in all directions. We could see from the port, where our 133,500 ton cruise ship was a tiny dot in the distance, across the city and to the hills of Provence.
Read more about our ride on this charming little tourist train.
Claire has always had a strong connection to the sea and grew up on the south coast of England, within half an hour of the cruise port of Southampton. Her own cruising adventures began when she was 14 with a school trip around the Eastern Mediterranean. Since then she’s played taxi driver to her parents as they’ve embarked on numerous cruises around the world.
Now with two young children of her own she’s reacquainting herself with family cruising and is loving every minute. Her first family cruise was onboard Carnival Vista in 2016. Claire also writes, Tin Box Traveller, sharing holidays ranging from camping trips to spa breaks with kids, as well as outdoor fun, family days out and travel tips.
Claire now lives in Devon with her husband, two children and sea dog.
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