Marseille’s public transportation runs on one network for most trips: RTM operates the metro, tramway, and buses across the city and much of the metro area, and a single tap of a bank card or RTM’s own rechargeable card covers nearly everything. The airport sits a little apart, served by its own shuttle line and a regional train connection.
The basics
RTM’s network includes:
- Metro — 2 lines, M1 and M2, the fast way across the city center.
- Tramway — 3 lines, T1, T2, and T3.
- Bus — an extensive network across Marseille and into neighboring towns, plus evening and night lines.
- Ferry — a year-round line out to the Frioul and If islands, and a seasonal boat shuttle, lanavette, running in the warmer months between the Vieux-Port and L’Estaque, Pointe Rouge, and Les Goudes.
Beyond RTM’s own network, regional TER trains connect Marseille to the wider Provence region, and a separate coach network, branded lecar, runs the airport shuttle and routes out to Aix-en-Provence and beyond.
How to pay
You’ve got three ways to pay on the core network (metro, tram, bus):
- Tap a contactless bank card, phone, or smartwatch directly on the reader — on buses and trams at the door, on the metro at the dedicated gates. It costs €2 a ride, covers up to 5 travelers tapping the same card as they board, and you’re simply billed the next day. No ticket to buy first.
- Get “lacarte,” RTM’s rechargeable card, and load it with pay-as-you-go credit or a pass. A loaded ride costs €1.60 — cheaper than a one-off ticket — and it’s the way to load multi-trip and day passes.
- Buy a one-off “Solo” ticket (paper or on your phone) at a station machine or shop for €2, or from the driver on board a bus for €2.50 (exact change helps).
Unlike some cities, Marseille’s metro has real gates — tap your card or validate your ticket to get through them. Buses and trams don’t have gates, so validate at the door or platform reader as you board, every time, even on a transfer.
Fares
A single ride on bus, tram, or metro costs €2 (€1.60 with a loaded lacarte, €2.50 bought from a bus driver). One validation is good for 1 hour, with as many transfers as you need across bus, tram, and metro — though a single “Solo” ticket only lets you enter the metro once, so leaving the paid area means buying a new one.
For a heavier day of riding, a Pass 24h costs €6.70, and a 10-ride carnet loaded onto lacarte is €16. Kids under 11 ride free with a (free) carte de mobilité, and younger and older riders on low incomes can qualify for an unlimited annual pass for €20 — ask at a point of sale if you think you might.
RTM overhauled its entire fare structure on November 1, 2026, replacing flat discounts with income- and age-based tiers. The numbers above are the new ones — anything you find elsewhere dated earlier may be out of date.
Getting from the airport
Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) is in Marignane, northwest of downtown. There are two public-transportation ways in:
Ligne A1 bus — a direct shuttle to Gare Saint-Charles, Marseille’s main train station.
- Time: about 30 minutes (up to 50 in heavy traffic).
- Cost: €15 if you tap a contactless bank card, phone, or watch on the validator.
- How often: every 10 minutes through the day, stretching to every 20 minutes early and late.
Train via Vitrolles-Aéroport — a free shuttle bus, LeBus13, links the terminals to the Vitrolles-Aéroport Marseille Provence TER station in about 5 minutes, running every day of the year. From there, up to 73 TER trains a day run into Gare Saint-Charles. LeBus13 itself costs €1.20 paid on board (free if you hold a TER + Les Bus de l’Étang pass, or a Pass Intégral).
Apps to download
- RTM — the official app for real-time bus, tram, and metro arrivals, live vehicle tracking, and service alerts.
- La Métropole Mobilité — the metro-area-wide app for trip planning and buying digital “leticket” tickets.
- Google Maps — fine for general trip planning, with RTM’s live data built in.
When it runs
Metro M1 and M2 run Thursday to Sunday from about 4:50am to 12:30am. Monday to Wednesday, the metro itself closes earlier — last trains leave the termini around 9:30pm — and relief buses (BM1A, BM1B, BM2) cover the same routes every 10 minutes until 12:30am.
Trams T1, T2, and T3 run every day, about 5:10am to 1am.
Several evening bus lines keep running until roughly 1am, seven days a week, year-round. Two Noctambus night lines (N1, N2) run only three nights a week — Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights — with a departure from the Vieux-Port every hour at 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30am.
Accessibility
RTM publishes which stops are wheelchair accessible and tracks metro elevator and escalator status in real time. Mobimétropole is the door-to-door paratransit service for riders with an official disability rating of 80% or more — it requires advance reservation and a registered account, and runs 6am to 1am every day except May 1st across 15 communes. Bus+ à la demande covers additional on-demand accessible trips in some neighborhoods.
Etiquette & local quirks
- Validate every time, even on a transfer — your 1-hour window only counts if you “bipe” (tap) at each boarding.
- One bank-card tap covers up to 5 people traveling together, so there’s no need for everyone in your group to carry their own card.
- “lanavette” is a fun way to see the coast: a seasonal boat shuttle from the Vieux-Port out to L’Estaque, Pointe Rouge, and the calanques at Les Goudes, for €7–€10 a crossing. It stops running for winter.
- The metro’s gates mean you can’t just walk through like on the honor-system buses and trams — hold onto your ticket or card until you’re through.
Good to know
- The fare system changed on November 1, 2026. RTM moved to income- and age-based pricing; the figures in this guide are the new ones.
- Fare enforcement is real. Riding without a valid, validated ticket risks a €50 fine (€70 total if you settle within 14 days, more after).