Car Hire in Marseille

Our Marseille car rental desks are conveniently located at various pick-up points throughout the city, as well as in the arrivals hall of Marseille Provence Airport and in Saint Charles Train Station.

Our car rental agencies in Marseille offers a selection of vehicles suitable for city driving, business trips and longer journeys. You can choose a practical city car perfect for navigating city streets or narrow winding routes through hilltop villages, a comfortable sedan or an SUV offering more space. Additional equipment is also available including GPS, child seats plus additional driver options.

Ahead of your Avis car rental in Marseille, you can enjoy discounts of up to 10% on your booking plus fast-track service and exclusive offers when you join Avis Preferred, our free loyalty scheme.

Can I pick up my rental car in Marseille and return it to another location?
Yes. One-way car rental with Avis makes travel easy. You can collect your rental car in Marseille and return it to another Avis office depending on your travel plans.

What are the age requirements for hiring a car in Marseille?
The minimum age to rent a car in France is 21. A young driver surcharge may apply to drivers under 25, and certain premium vehicle groups may have higher age restrictions.

Is it worth hiring a car in Marseille?
Hiring a rental car in Marseille gives you complete freedom to explore Provence and the whole of the South of France with its stunning coastal cities like Cannes and St Tropez, hilltop villages with easy access to the mountains from the Pyrenees in the west to the Alps in the east without relying on public transport.

What type of vehicle should I choose to get around Marseille? 
A compact car is generally suitable for navigating city streets and winding roads and parking in towns and villages. For greater comfort on longer journeys, a sedan or SUV may be more appropriate.

What is parking like in Marseille? 
Marseille has a good mix of parking from city centre car parks close to main attractions and around the old port area and metered on street parking. On the edge of the city, there are also plenty of park and ride options with direct connections to the city's metro network.

Which side of the road?
In France, please drive on the right side of the road.

Country driving laws

• Mobile phones may only be used with a hands-free device. Do not use headphones or earpieces
• In towns and rural areas, on minor roads and where there is no clear indication of right of way, it may be prudent to give way to traffic coming from the right (“priorité a droite”)
• Bus lanes are reserved exclusively for buses, taxis and bicycles
• It is recommended that drivers use dipped headlights at all times

Speed limits
All speed signs will be in km/h.

For a standard Avis rental vehicle with no trailer:

• Urban areas: 50 km/h (31 mph)
• Rural areas: 90 km/h (55 mph)
• 4-lane expressways (rural areas): 110 km/h (68 mph)
• Motorways: 130 km/h (80 mph)

Unless indicated by road signs.

Be aware of changes to speed limits displayed on road signs due to adverse weather conditions

Child safety / Seatbelt laws

• It is compulsory for the driver and all passengers to wear a seatbelt
• Children aged under 10 and weighing less than 36kg must be seated in appropriate child restraint
• Children weighing up to 9 kg must travel in a rear-facing car seat, in the back of the car only

Please note - It is the child’s parent / guardian or vehicle renter’s responsibility to fit the child seat.

This road rules information is for provided for general guidance only. We endeavour to keep the information up to date and accurate, but any reliance you place on this information is at your own risk.

You’ll discover layers of history in this busy port city. It’s now a dynamic hive of buzzing restaurants, bars and artisan boutiques, but old neighbourhoods such as Le Panier (the basket) hark back to its early life as an ancient Greek settlement. Marseille joined the picturesque Provence region during the 10th century and was pivotal in the French Revolution, with the country’s national anthem, Le Marseillaise, being born here.

Locals sip creamy Pastis in Marseille’s many outdoor cafés and bars during the balmy summer months—an excellent time to visit—and when the temperatures cool, enjoy a hearty bowl of bouillabaisse (a rich fish soup) or head to the nearby village of Carpentras to source black truffles at its weekly market.

The bustling Vieux Port at the end of La Canebière, Marseille’s main drag, is the busiest in France due to its position facing the Mediterranean. Relax with a café au lait and watch fishermen heading out to sea at sunrise and boats from the Frioul archipelago mooring throughout the day.

A typical to-do list includes the city’s archaeological museums, the imposing Basilique Notre Dame de la Gard and gracious Palais Longchamp, and of course, endless stretches of azure-fringed beach.
 

The south of France is all about indulging in fabulous food, perusing the organic produce at farmers’ markets, summery saunters along country lanes and exploring mountain-top hamlets and bijou boutiques. The birthplace of Cézanne and exquisite wine—most particularly rosé—many journey to Marseille simply to access the crumbling castles and blossoming lavender fields of Provence.

The glamour of the Côte d’Azur is a two-hour drive west of the city, but if you choose to head east instead, you will arrive to the spectacular Camargue nature park. At 900km2, it’s Western Europe’s largest river delta, fed by two arms of the Rhône, and is home to red salt lagoons, rice paddies, flamingos and wild horses.

Nearby Arles is also easily accessible in your hire car from Marseille. Its tall houses are chequered with the chaste wooden shutters often associated with towns in the south of France, and don’t leave without exploring the grand oval amphitheatre built in AD 90.

Journeying further takes you along the Rhône wine trail to popular towns such as medieval Avignon and historic Nîmes, while the bohemian streets of Montpellier are only two hours’ drive in your hire car from Marseille.