Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is one of France's best-served regions. The TGV links Paris-Marseille in 3h10, Paris-Aix in 3h, Paris-Avignon in 2h40 and Paris-Nice in 5h40. From Marseille, the TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur efficiently links Marseille to Nice (2h30), stopping at Toulon (45 min), Saint-Raphaël (1h35), Cannes (2h), Antibes (2h15) and Monaco (2h45).
The major airports are Nice-Côte d'Azur (NCE, France's 3rd airport with 14 million passengers/year) and Marseille-Provence (MRS, 9 million). Avignon, Toulon-Hyères and Cannes-Mandelieu host limited regular and low-cost flights. Nice and Marseille are served by EasyJet, Ryanair, Vueling, Volotea, Transavia, Air France from across Europe.
A car is essential to explore the hinterland (Luberon, Verdon, Camargue, perched villages). Rental from €30-45/day for a small car. The Luberon roads (D900, D2, D232, D108) and Verdon (D952, D71 for the Gorges) are narrow but magnificent. Parking often paid in tourist villages. Allow time: 30 km in the hinterland easily takes 1 hour of winding road.
For the coast, the train is often preferable to the car: no traffic jams in summer, easy parking at stations, reasonable prices (Nice-Cannes €7, Nice-Monaco €4). The Nice tramway and Marseille metro (2 short lines) cover the city centres. In Marseille, RTM also operates a bus network and the historic Old Port ferry. Monaco is crossable on foot in 30 minutes but has a good bus network for the steep slopes.
The Hyères Islands (Porquerolles, Port-Cros, Le Levant) are accessible from La Tour Fondue (Hyères) by regular ferries (15-30 min, €20-25 return). Porquerolles is limited to 6,000 visitors/day in summer — reservation mandatory in July-August. The Lérins Islands (Sainte-Marguerite, Saint-Honorat) off Cannes are accessible in 15 min from the Old Port (€15 return).
Cycling is a pleasant option on certain sections: ViaRhôna (Lyon-Marseille via Avignon), Méditerranée à Vélo (Toulon-Menton), Luberon en Vélo (Apt-Cavaillon, 236 km). Easy rental in all cities, electric bikes recommended for the hilly Luberon.
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