Will be docking in Marseille this August and plan to visit Aix with my family of four. Found our that the day we will be there is a bank holiday and the shops are closed. However, the markets will be open in the morning. Looking to walk around the city and have a leisurely lunch before returning to our ship.
Contacted a guide who will charge 60 Euros. pp to drive us, show us Aix, and return to our ship in 4 hours.
Not interested in either trains nor buses, rather wondering the cost of hiring a cab at the dock to drive us, wait, then bring us back.

A lot. I paid close to 40 euros for a cab from the Old Port to the Marseille airport.

Why Aix? Who is included in the family of four? Children? How old? What are their interests?

My guess is that a cab would cost almost as much as the guide, if not more if you expect a round trip and a wait. Why not a cab to Aix and a different one back from Aix to eliminate paying for the wait? Maybe you could contact the tourist office in Marseille to get a better idea of costs.

I spent six days in Aix, thought it was a pretty town, but found Arles and Marseille more interesting (because of the Roman ruins in Arles and the miles of waterfront in Marseille).

One option would be a cab to Cassis, a waterfront village not far from Marseille.

I highly recommend Cassis -- it would be a wonderful day's excursion especially if you take one of the small tour boats to visit the Calanques -- they are simply beautiful. Have lunch at one of the places looking out across the small but extremely picturesque harbor. Stop in one of the sweets shops to pick up snacks for the rest of your trip
Here's a pic:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...20pics/020.jpg

(hope it works)

My children are in there late 20's and we are really interested in seeing and experiencing the beauty of this area, no museums for now. Those who have been to Aix recommend it.
Lady OLeisure, thanks for the picture; not the first to suggest Cassis.
Checked about renting a car for the day and doing both, price is only about 65 Euros. No pickup at pier, rather at train station or National Blvd. Which is closer? Thanks

I spent six months as a student in Aix many years ago. It is beautiful, but except for the Cours Mirabeau, I didn't think there was much to see. The market is just like any other European outdoors market. Mont Ste. Victiore (the one van Gogh painted) is nearby and you can drive almost to the top and walk the rest of the way without diffculty. (I walked all the way up, only to find the parking lot at the top to my chagrin.) Perhaps a drive to Ste. Victoire to experience the panoramic vista of the Provencal countryside, and a leisurely lunch at a cafe on the tree-lined Cours Mirabeau? Just a thought.

"Those who have been to Aix recommend it."

Do they recommend it as a destination, or as a base to visit towns and villages in the Vaucluse and Luberon? It does make a good base for day trips to villages like Gordes, Roussillon and the lavender fields around the Abbaye de Senanque.

My best memory of Aix was visiting Cezanne's atelier, which may not be open and you may not be interested in it anyway. We made day trips most of the time.

Maybe you could get an Eyewitness Travel Guide to Provence (or look at one in a book store) to get some ideas of what you could do in the time you'll have. Is the ship offering any excursions?