dac

We will have 5 full days based in st remy. On day 5 we will want to get to Marseille airport before dark to return car and stay at airport hotel for the night?
Would Aix be a good place to spend most of the day or the coast and town of Cassis for different scenery?
Any suggestions?
Thank you
Dac

Underhill

It just depends on whether you want to be by the sea or in a bustling city. A whole day in Cassis could be a bit much, as there's not a whole lot to do.

KayF

Aix is much bigger than Cassis. It's also grander with more to do. Cassis is a nice seaside town. It depends on what you think you'd like, a day by the sea or a day in an attractive French city. One thing I will warn you of, driving in Aix can be a nightmare. One of the worst places we have ever had to drive and we've driven all over the world. You need nerves of steel.

Kay

Sassafrass

Why not see if you can drop your bags early at your airport hotel, drop the car and take the shuttle into Aix from the airport. Then you can stay as late as you wish in Aix, have a leisurely dinner and evening walk, and take the shuttle back to your airport hotel with no rush, no luggage and no car to worry about. It will cost a few extra dollars for the shuttle, but give you a carefree afternoon and evening. Aix is a lovely, easy to walk in city.

kappa1

> A whole day in Cassis could be a bit much, as there's not a whole lot to do.

That's if you don't do walks on beautiful calanque that could take from 2 to 5 hrs or longer if you wish( also visit them by boat that's quicker ). For me the most "attraction" of Cassis is the calanques.

But I agree, it's up to OP, prefer a city or a sea side "village". Also OP does not say when going but in summer of course you can spend time bathing on the beach of Cassis.

Between Cassis and Marseille, if you take the Ginest route, the view is VERY scenic.

Aix-en-Provence, I have not vitited the city yet. It looks nice but if it somewhat resembles other provence cities like St.Rémy, Arles, etc that OP will visit, then maybe Cassis ( or even Marseille - the Eruopean city of culture 2013 ) might be more interesting to spend a day.

Ackislander

I love Aix but kappa1's suggestion to spend a day in Marseille has a lot of merit.

My daughter and son have both spent time there( separately and a few years part) and both loved it.

Losing the car and taking public transportation to Aix or Marseilles is a good idea as well.

StuDudley

>>Aix-en-Provence, I have not vitited the city yet. It looks nice but if it somewhat resembles other provence cities like St.Rémy<<

Aix and St Remy are totally different, IMO.

If you don't want to sun bathe or take walks and/or boat along the Calanques - then Cassis is a 1-2 hr visit if you do not have lunch or dinner there. I could not think of any better "last experience" in Provence than having dinner or lunch on the Cours Maribeau in Aix.

Stu Dudley

zoecat

I agree with Sassafrass- drop the car early, leave your bags at the hotel and then enjoy Aix. There is an inexpensive airport bus that will take you to Aix. It runs every 30 minutes and the ride is about 30 minutes. Couldn't be easier.

At the airport, I always stay at the Ibis, which has good rates, nice (not fancy) rooms and a good restaurant-

http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-1093-ib...rt/index.shtml

Christina

I wouldn't want to spend all day in Cassis, sounds boring. If you want to go hiking for hours, as suggested, sure, but I kind of doubt that's on most people's itineraries for the day they leave. I'd go to Aix.

St Remy and Aix aren't very similar, St Remy is a small town and Aix a larger city, for one thing. The architecture and attrctions in Aix are very different, also.

artfan

Just my two cents, but we loved Cassis, and thought the coast and scenery very beautiful. We also enjoyed the beach and relaxing on it, but of course that's not everyone's cup of tea!

Christina

I liked Cassis, just wouldn't want to spend a whole day there. I don't enjoy just sitting around "relaxing" doing nothing for hours on end. I know some people do, though.

JulieVikmanis

We love Cassis, but it depends upon what time of year and time of week you intend to be there. Parking can be impossible in summer on weekends. We can just walk about and enjoy the seaside/harbor and streets--provided they are not overrun with other tourists.

We recently discovered Marseille and enjoyed it completely. Not too gritty or down at the heels as is so often said. Very nice city with fantastic harbor. I'd vote for it as a combination of the seaside and the city that Cassis and Aix would otherwise pose as a choice.

Sassafrass

Brief visits to both, my thought:

Marseille is a busy city with great cultural variety and a lovely harbor - I might spend another day there, but not if I could go to Aix.

Aix is beautiful with a lovely main walking area lined with trees and cafes, where you can visualize artists like Cezanne working at their paintings and sitting at the cafes. I am going back for three nights in September.