Marseille · Backpacking

The national park runs along the coast between Marseille and Cassis and costs nothing to walk into. It is open without restriction from 1 October to 31 May; from June to September access is controlled daily for fire risk, and on red-risk days the massif is shut for the full 24 hours, so check the daily map before you set out rather than after.

The City of Marseille's museums, including the Muséum d'histoire naturelle, give free access to their permanent collections for everyone. Temporary exhibitions are charged at €6, €9 or €12 depending on the show, free for under-18s and for EU students aged 18–26, and free for all on the first Sunday of the month.

A single journey on the metro, tram and bus network is €1.40. The city is too spread out to walk between the Vieux-Port, the Vélodrome and the beaches, so budget a few of these a day rather than assuming you will get around on foot.

Beds within sight of the Vieux-Port carry a large premium for what is a ten-minute metro ride. The streets around Gare Saint-Charles and Belsunce are the cheapest in the city and put you on both metro lines; the trade-off is an area that feels rough at night rather than one that is inconvenient.

Two RTM singles is €2.80, the Ferry Boat across the harbour is €0.50, the Calanques and the permanent museum collections are free, and entry to the Château d'If is €7 before the boat out to it. A day of walking, market food and one paid sight lands around €20–25 before your bed — the number moves when you start taking boats, since each island crossing costs more than everything else you will do that day.