Les Petits Trains de Marseille — Attraction in Marseille

A must-do activity in Marseille!

We avoided this attraction initially for most of our holiday, but with little left to do on our last day we gave it a go to use up some time and I've got to say we were wrong to not do this sooner!

We were waiting for around 15 minutes for our ticket and another 10 maybe for a train to arrive which was fine - the staff were moving at a good pace there was just a lot of people here. The track-less train buggy took us on a very long route (route option 1) through Marseille from the Old Port up to the Cathedral. There's a voice over throughout in French, English, Spanish, German, and Italian throwing out some facts about the places you are passing which was a nice feature. Tickets are €9 per adult and €5 per child - well worth it! Tickets did not need to be bought in advance - we just got ours on the spot with no prior planning. It looks like if you get tickets in adavnce you will need to wait through the same queue anyway!

The trip up is long for the cost and the tickets include a return back down to the old port after a stop in the church. You can stay as long as you like before returning as there is another train around every 10 minutes (or sometimes none for 20 minutes and 2 show at once).

Our drivers were both friendly and happy to answer questions before moving off. There was some people getting irate waiting for the return trains as some skipped the queue/ pushing others out of the way, others just arrived and wanted to get on the train before those who had been waiting. We just calmly waited our turn in the queue, which was good as the first driver stayed a little while longer and stood in to ensure we, and others waiting patiently, were first to board the next train.

As mentioned previously, we had time to use up, so when reaching the town we were caught in some traffic. This ended up being a blessing as all others in our carriage left early while waiting and we had the last 10 minutes of the trip with the whole carriage to ourselves! The driver even put on some music to keep the school kids in the front carriage entertained. A fun experience!

Overall a great little activity to do...

Let me preface this by mentioning that we took the petits trains at the end of October, so not even during the main season. At first, we waited a significant amount of time to get on the train. While the first part of the ride and the visit of the cathedrale were pleasant, the ride back was not. It was a total mess. More than 200 people were waiting to get back on one of the trains down to the city. There were no guides, no order of any sort. Survival of the fittest at its finest. Apparently the plan was that people on the trains up would depart the train on one side of the parking lot and the people going down would get on the train on the other side. There were so many people that, while some were getting off, others were already jumping into the train, to the dismay of the people waiting in line on the other side. At some point, a driver started shouting at these people to get out, and people waiting in line actually got onto the train. However, at that point, there were still so many people waiting that a crowd immediately rushed toward the trains once they made it to the line. There was no way to safely get on there. Then, the police and some people from the train company showed up and, although the police left without really doing anything, the people from the company at least tried to re-establish some order. "Tried" is the operative word. Thus, I am currently writing this review from a hopelessly overcrowded BUS, because at some point we decided to forgo our train ride back in favor of getting back at all. Let's just say there are a lot of people on this bus, who are in the same boat as us (figuratively). We waited for more than an hour at the foot of the cathedrals, with trains coming every 10 minutes, before we gave up. It was just chaos. In conclusion, unless there is a short line right at the booth where one buys the tickets (indicating a slow day for the trains), I definitely do not recommend it. Especially if you are vacationing here with children or people who cannot...

Great way to explore the city of marseille





Tourist train and Hop-on Hop-off bus Marseille

Ideal for a family trip to Marseille, the tours of Marseille by small train or tourist bus are great for young and old alike! Another way of discovering the city and its history from the comfort of your seat! Book your visit by little train or tourist bus in Marseille!

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Little trains in Marseille

There are 3 little  train tours  in Marseille,  departing on the Canebière and on Frioul islands (sea shuttle not  included).  The timetable of the little trains in Marseille varies according to  the  period  of the  year:  every  20 minutes in high season, every  40 minutes in low season. Tickets can be booked directly on the little train office.

Little  train ‘Panier’ tour (old town)

Discover the  secrets of the  oldest  district of  Marseille thanks to the  little  train!  Colours  are everywhere : flowered  balconies, narrow streets and  street  art walls. This  tour is perfect to ( re) discover the mythical of the Phocean  city.

Notre-Dame de la Garde by train

Take advantage of the  little  train to  climb the  hill of ‘La Garde’ and save your energy!  The  best  way to discover ‘la Bonne mère’ with your  family, the iconic basilica so dear to the people of Marseille.

Little train on Frioul island (from June to August)

Have you  ever visited an  island with the  little  train?  Experience an unforgettable moment on board the little  train go on a discovery  tour of the  “Hôpital Caroline’, ‘Saint Esteve beach’. You  will also see  a breathtaking view on If Castle and Marseille bay.

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