The road rather than the train or the plane
The road is not always the quickest way. It is often the simplest one when several of you are travelling together, with children or plenty of luggage, or when your starting point or destination lies far from a station and an airport: a country house in the Luberon, an estate among the vineyards, a villa on the Corniche.
No journey to the station, no check-in, no connection: your luggage stays in the boot from departure to arrival. Your departure time is set with you, not by a timetable. The car becomes a private space to work, take calls or rest; the chauffeur, like the Federation, is bound to discretion about your identity and your movements, under our terms and conditions. For a business trip, see also our executive chauffeur service.
- Departure
- From your address, at the agreed time
- Arrival
- At the address in your confirmation voucher
- Breaks
- The chauffeur’s, and your own
- Luggage
- Declared in advance, it decides the vehicle
From Marseille to Nice, Geneva, Paris or Barcelona
A few destinations, with the approximate road distance from Marseille. Where the Federation has a website for the destination city, it presents its services there.
- Avignon, about 100 km (roughly 60 miles): the Palais des Papes, Avignon TGV station, the Vaucluse;
- Montpellier, about 170 km (roughly 105 miles), by way of Arles and Nîmes;
- Cannes, about 180 km (roughly 110 miles), and Nice, about 200 km (roughly 125 miles), on the Côte d’Azur: once there, FFGR Riviera;
- Geneva, about 460 km (roughly 285 miles): FFGR Swiss;
- Barcelona, about 500 km (roughly 310 miles), by way of Montpellier and Perpignan: FFGR España;
- Paris, about 775 km (roughly 480 miles), several hours on the road: FFGR Paris.
Distances are rounded, based on route planners. We do not quote journey times: they depend on your departure time, the traffic, breaks and stops.
The journey works just as well in the other direction, to reach Marseille or Provence. It can also begin at Marseille Provence Airport or Saint-Charles station, at the agreed meeting point: you go from plane or train to road without changing your point of contact.
Breaks and stops: a journey at your own pace
On a long drive, breaks are part of the journey. The French Ministry of the Interior advises taking a break at least every two hours: the chauffeur takes the breaks needed for safe driving, and you can ask for others. On the longest journeys, the departure time is chosen with these breaks in mind.
The journey can also become a day out: lunch in Avignon or Orange on the way up the Rhône valley, a stop in Arles on the way to Montpellier and Barcelona, a meeting in Aix-en-Provence before joining the A8 motorway towards the Côte d’Azur. List each stop and its address in your request, and it will be included in your quote. A stop added on the road, or a longer wait than planned, is subject to availability; anything not included in the quote is covered by an additional quote, under our terms and conditions.
Luggage and passengers: the vehicle follows your request
For a long journey, tell us the number of passengers and bags, including anything bulky: golf bags, skis for Geneva in winter, a pushchair, trunks, musical instruments. Child seats should also be requested in advance. The quote states what is provided.
A saloon usually suits two or three passengers with ordinary luggage; beyond that, a van such as the Mercedes V-Class is often the better choice, and for a group, several vehicles. The vehicles belong to the Federation’s members and are chosen according to your request and their availability: see the vehicles available.
Geneva and Barcelona: crossing the border
For Geneva as for Barcelona, each passenger carries a valid identity card or passport, depending on nationality. Switzerland is outside the European Union’s customs union: any goods you carry fall under Swiss customs, which publishes its rules and allowances on its website. A journey abroad is checked case by case with the member chauffeur; the quote states what has been arranged.
When time is short, flying remains an option: on request, we can look into a helicopter or private jet flight, carried out by the operator chosen for your request, under its own licence and its own responsibility; the journeys on the ground are entrusted to a chauffeur who is a member of the Federation. See jet, helicopter and yacht in Marseille; studying a flight requires a file-opening quote, settled before any search begins, under our terms and conditions. To begin, a short message is enough: write to us with your dates, your departure and arrival addresses and the number of passengers.