Best Bike Tours in Marseille

Marseille is one of the most complete cities in France, but because of the enormous amount of attractions it offers and the great distances of the city, which is unreachable on foot, one of the best options is to tour it on a bike tour or on your own in a free tour without a guide.

Among the best things to see and do in Marseille by bike you can visit the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, take a tour from the old town to the Massif des Calanques, ride along the demanding slope of Notre-Dame de la Garde and take a ride through the Parc Borély, which is one of the most beautiful in the city and is often included in the best tours of Marseille.

On this tour, which is the most popular of the bike tours in Marseille, you can tour the main points of the city on a half-day excursion that takes you through the picturesque neighborhood of Le Panier, the Cathedral of St. Mary Major, Palais du Pharo and the Old Port.

On these tours, you will usually also be able to cycle along the Corniche Kennedy, which is one of the city's most beautiful neighborhoods and has a bike path that runs parallel to the coast, so you can enjoy the Mediterranean Sea during your tour and the open views, especially if you plan to visit Marseille in June or during the summer months.

During the tour, with the assistance of an expert local guide, you will also learn about the history of the city, the richness of Marseille's commercial ports and also about the city's urban legends, which are closely related to the story of the Marquis de Sade and the Man in the Iron Mask.

These excursions can also be useful if you are planning a short stay in the city, since in a half-day tour you will be able to visit, in a comfortable and fun way, most of the main sites. If that is your case, here is a list of things to see and do to discover Marseille in 2 days.

Details of interest

• Price: the tour has an initial cost of approximately 74 euros per person, including safety elements and also the assistance of an expert local guide.
• Duration: approximately 4 hours.
• Advantages of these tours: you will be able to see the main points of the city in a half day tour.
• Disadvantages of these excursions: as it is a tour of several sites, you may not have enough time to take pictures and get to know some attractions in depth.

If you are one of those who prefer to rent the bike and tour the sites on your own, then this option will be ideal for you, as you will not have the assistance of a guide to show you the way but you will be able to choose the destinations of your visit. You can rent the bike in shifts starting from 2 hours and do a free self-guided tour.

These excursions may interest you if you plan to visit Marseille with children or family, as you can manage the time of your tour and also do a group activity. You will also be able to focus on some areas of the city that are not usually included in the bike tours.

Also keep in mind that, in order for your self-guided bike tour to be more effective, it is best to organize an itinerary for your visit and divide the attractions you want to visit by neighborhood, so that it is more effective.

You can also use the self-guided tour and not respect all the stops or consult with the service provider if the itineraries cannot be improved or modified before taking the bike. In any case, the better you plan your tour, the better you will be able to get the most out of your bike rental time and not miss the main attractions.

Details of interest

• Price: the approximate initial cost is 22 euros for 2 hours of free bike rental.
• Duration: from 2 hours.
• Advantages of these excursions: you will be free to choose the sites of your visit and you will not depend on a pre-organized circuit.
• Disadvantages of these excursions: you must organize an itinerary because otherwise you will not get to know so many sites.

This tour will suit you if you are looking for an alternative that combines a city tour with an adventure activity, as these tours start from the city center and go through some of the most visited sites and then continue to the Calanques National Park, which has some of the best scenery in Provence and the most beautiful coves in France.

In the Calanques, in addition, these excursions usually reserve a rest time where you can take a swim in the crystal clear waters and consume, at extra cost, drinks and meals during the stop. Throughout the tour you will be accompanied by an expert local guide and a small group, as these excursions are for up to 8 people.

These excursions have an approximate duration of 7 hours and a total distance of about 30 kilometers, although the electric bikes will prevent you from feeling tired, especially if you plan to visit Marseille in summer, when temperatures in the city can reach 30 °C maximum, although the wind, which is recurrent, will collaborate to make the experience more enjoyable.

Details of interest

• Price: the approximate initial cost is 79 euros per person, including safety elements and the assistance of the local expert guide.
• Duration: approximately 7 hours.
• Advantages of these tours: it is the best alternative for an adventure bike tour in Marseille.
• Disadvantages of these excursions: beyond the fact that they are electric bikes, they can be tiring in summer and not suitable for children and the elderly.

The Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde stands out because it is located on a peak 150 meters above sea level, which will allow you to contemplate from the top of the religious building one of the cleanest open views of the city. But the challenge of a bike tour to Notre-Dame is overcoming the complexity of the climb, which can be exhausting.

At Notre-Dame, which is located just outside the city center, you can see the bell tower crowned by the golden figure of the Virgin Mary, which is one of the typical postcards of Marseille, and also the construction of the basilica with its crypt carved into the rock and its Romanesque style with mosaics.

Bike tours to Notre-Dame, which also usually start from the old town and go through a part of the city, last about 3 hours and are usually done in the morning, so you can combine this activity with others in the same day, such as taking one of the best gastronomic tours of Marseille or visiting one of the museums of the city.

Interesting details

• Price: these excursions have an approximate initial cost of 35 euros per person, including safety elements and the assistance of a local guide.
• Duration: approximately 3 hours.
• Advantages of these excursions: you will be able to make a tour that breaks with the traditional tours of Marseille.
• Disadvantages of these excursions: during the tour you will only be able to see the Notre-Dame basilica, while the other options are more varied.

If you want an adventure tour that combines some of the best natural areas without having to travel to the outskirts of the city, then you can opt for this tour, which will start in the old town and take you through the Borély Park, which is the largest green lung of the city.

Borély Park is notable for the Botanical Garden, the endless paths, the ponds and the miniature replica of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Garde. As soon as you arrive by bike, you will have some free time and also a rest period to enjoy the park, especially if you plan to visit Marseille in April or during the spring months, when the park's flower beds bloom and the site is at its best.

After finishing the tour of the Borély Park, you should return with the group to the starting point, which is usually in the historic center or in an area near the tourist service provider's office.

Some tour companies also rent bicycles at the park entrances, but this does not apply to Borély, as it is an interurban park and does not encourage mass tourism.

Details of interest

• Price: entrance to the park is free.
• Duration: approximately 3 hours.
• Advantages of these excursions: you will be able to combine an adventure tour with a relaxing tour in an area relatively close to the city.
• Disadvantages of these excursions: the time to rest in Borély can be very short.

You can book the tours in advance online by contacting the tour provider, or you can book the tour in the city once you are there.

If you plan to visit Marseille in August or during the summer months, remember that these dates coincide with the city's high season, so if you don't book in advance you may run out of places or you may suffer last minute price increases.

The answer will depend on the tour you choose, but on average the tours last between 3 and 7 hours, although most of them are midday tours, so they are compatible with other activities such as taking a boat ride or visiting some of the best museums in Marseille.

Also note that if you want an approximate duration, you can opt for the free bike tours, which you can hire them for as long as you want, but with a minimum of 2 hours.

On these tours you will see the main sites of the city such as the Cathedral, the neighborhoods of Le Panier and St. Victor, Port Antique, the Marseille Opera House, Notre-Dame de la Garde, La Plaine Market, the Old Port and the Borély Park.

You can also visit the Calanques Massif and the coast of Marseille, which offers one of the best European viewpoints overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Note also that in the Calanques National Park you can also visit some of the best coves in France with crystal clear waters and beautiful landscapes.

By bike you can also enjoy the city's climate, especially if you plan to visit Marseille during the summer months, when temperatures are pleasant, even on the hottest days, as the average temperature rarely exceeds 29 °C (79 °F).

If you plan to travel in winter it will also be a good option to take a cycling tour, as the average temperature does not usually drop below 14 °C in the city. Just keep in mind that some days can be rainy, so I recommend that you take a raincoat with you.

If you are planning to visit Marseille in the summer I advise you to book in advance, especially to avoid last minute price increases or sell out on the specific date you are planning to do the tour if you are going for only a few days. If that is your case, here is a list of activities you can do to get to know Marseille in 3 days.

Also, if you plan to do the free bike tour, I advise you to organize a proper itinerary in advance of your visit with all the places you are going to visit to avoid that when you hire the tour the route is not the most optimal and you end up wasting your time.

Marseille is a very big city with many attractions to discover, so if you go around it exclusively on foot, you will get tired of more and that will be detrimental to the following days of your trip. Thus, a bike tour could be a comfortable and effective option, especially for the sites in the historic center.

Doing a bike tour will also help you to optimize time and to get the most out of your visit to the city without the need to use the hop on-hop off tourist buses of the city.

First of all, if you take a guided tour you will be able to discover sites you had not originally planned to visit and also learn more about the most important places in the city, even the ones you visited during the trip or plan to visit, such as the Cathedral, the Oratory and the Museo dell'Opera Metropolitano, because those who share the tours with the visitors are also expert local guides.

Also keep in mind that if you opt for the adventure tours, such as the one that goes to the Calanques Massif, the local guide will be of vital importance to recommend you the best coves and the most interesting places to jump into the water and take a swim. In addition, he will also guide you to some of the best views of the city so that you can get to know a different profile of Marseille.