Green Traveller's Guide to taking the direct train from London St Pancras International Railway Station to Marseille, France. For more information about where to stay in Marseille, as well as tips on local restaurants, markets, museums and how to get around the city by bike and public transport, see our Green Traveller's Guide to Marseille.
Editor's Note: This service is currently on hold due to the pandemic. For year-round services to Marseille via Lille, see our guide to how to take the train from London to Marseille.
Please note this direct train is a Summer Service only (22 May-7 September 2020)
Journey Time: 6 hours 26 minutes
Sample timetable: Only departure is from London at 7.19am, arriving Marseille at 2.45pm
Changes: None, it is a direct train
Frequency of Departures: 3-4 times per week
Carbon emissions: 15kg (flight would be 311.1kg)*
Car hire at Marseille St Charles station: Yes
What's the journey like?
It's a direct train from London St Pancras International Railway Station to Marseille St Charles station in the heart of the city. On board Eurostar, there’s a bar-buffet carriage that sells a range of hot and cold, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including champagne, as well as snacks and wholesome, hearty dishes. For those with standard premier tickets, light refreshments are served at your table, including a fresh, light, healthy meal, tea, coffee and soft drinks, and a glass of wine or beer. It’s about 30 mins from London to the Channel Tunnel, then, after about 20 minutes, you emerge for the onward journey whizzing down through the beautiful countryside of France, passing picturesque French villages and along the Rhône Valley to Marseille (it stops briefly at Avignon to let passengers off). This direct service is a fast and efficient way to travel from London to Marseille in the summer.
On arrival at Marseille St Charles station
Bienvenue à Marseille! A city without too many airs, Marseille has a life and energy that more manicured destinations lack. The spectacular old port at its centre is surrounded by pavement cafes, restaurants and bars, and overlooked by an iconic hilltop church. Detour into the old quarter of Le Panier or the hippyish Cours Julien and you’ll find atmospheric architecture, bustling markets and some of the country’s most down-to-earth inhabitants. There are lots of hotels near to the station, see: Hotels near Marseille St Charles train station.
Various eco-districts are also in development across the city, with renewable energy, greywater recycling schemes, tree planting projects and bike paths part of the plans. The most high profile of these lies within the Euroméditerranée district; a 480-hectare urban renewal project between the commercial harbour, the Vieux Port (Old Port) and the TGV station.
The city is gradually moving towards a more sustainable future. With an average of 300 days of sunshine a year, many public buildings in the city are being equipped with solar panels; it's said there are more roofs here than in any other city in France.
Getting around Marseille
Marseille has an excellent public transport network. From Marseille Saint Charles train station there are trams, metro and buses that take you around the city centre and to the main harbour and port, see: Marseille public transport timetables and routes (French only). Marseille’s handy City Pass is an allin package including free entry to many of the city's museums, a boat trip to the Château d'If, a trip on the Petit Train, reductions on certain other excursions, and unlimited travel on the buses, metro and trams. It is valid for one (€22) or two (€29) days. See Marseille Tourism for more information. From outside the station, you can pick up a bike from the city’s bike hire scheme Le Vélo.
(tickets provided by Eurostar - bookings available 280 days before date of travel)
Bon Voyage!