Marseille

Mongolian citizens need a Schengen short-stay (C) visa, up to 90 days in any 180. If France is your main destination, fill in the form on france-visas.gouv.fr and book a slot on consulat.gouv.fr; go in person to the embassy (15 Peace Avenue) on Monday, Wednesday or Friday 9:00–11:30 to give fingerprints. Fee €90 (ages 6–11 €45), cash in tögrög only. Apply from 6 months and at least 10 days before travel; the passport comes back in 2–3 weeks.

Tip: Slots get scarce before the summer and winter holidays — book as soon as you know your dates.

Medical insurance of at least €30,000 for the whole Schengen stay, bank statements, an employer's letter, hotel bookings for every night and a return-ticket booking. Since 10 April 2026 the EES has been live at Schengen external borders: your face and fingerprints are recorded instead of a stamp. ETIAS does not apply to Mongolian citizens.

From 1 June to 30 September, access to the Bouches-du-Rhône forests and hills is set daily by wildfire risk and published around 18:00 for the next day — red means entry is banned. In 2026 a free advance reservation is required for the Calanque de Sugiton on 20–21 June, 27 June–30 August and 5–6 and 12–13 September; booking opens at 9:00 three days ahead.

Tip: Plan your Calanques day mid-trip rather than at the start, so you can move it if it falls on a closure day.

The direct shuttle bus (line A1/91) runs by motorway from the airport to Saint-Charles railway station: €10 one way, €10.90 including an RTM ticket. 30–50 minutes depending on traffic, every 10 minutes at peak times. Buy online, at the ticket office or from the driver.

Tip: Keep your suitcase in sight at Saint-Charles — pickpockets work the station.

Taxis wait outside Terminal 1 around the clock: about €70–80 to the centre by day, €90–100 at night. Alternatively, a shuttle bus takes ~5 minutes to Vitrolles Aéroport Marseille Provence station, then a TER reaches Saint-Charles in ~20 minutes.

If your phone supports eSIM, buy a Europe plan from Orange Travel, Airalo or Ubigi before flying: Orange Travel Europe 14 days 20 GB is about $30. One plan works across the EU/Schengen — handy on a Frankfurt or Paris connection too. Turkey is not in the EU, so it may not work in Istanbul.

Orange, SFR, Free and Bouygues Telecom shops in the centre (La Canebière, Rue Saint-Ferréol, Les Terrasses du Port and Centre Bourse malls) sell tourist SIMs; a passport is required. Signal is weak deep in the Calanques coves, so download your maps for offline use.

Tip: Roaming on a Mongolian SIM is very expensive — switch data off before you fly.

A 'Solo' single ticket costs €1.70 and allows transfers within 60 minutes (€2 if bought from the driver). A 24-hour pass is €6.70. The CityPass Marseille 24 h (€36) covers public transport, city museums, the boat to If/Frioul and the tourist train to Notre-Dame de la Garde. Bus 60 runs from the Old Port to Notre-Dame de la Garde.

For Sugiton take bus B1 to the Luminy campus; for Sormiou buses 22 or 23; for Morgiou bus 22 — then walk 45–60 minutes; the roads to these villages are closed to cars in the warm season. TER trains to Cassis run many times a day, the fastest in ~16 minutes, from about €7; Cassis station is outside town, so take bus M01 to the centre.

Carry an international driving permit together with your Mongolian licence. You won't need a car in the centre — parking is scarce and traffic heavy. The Route des Crêtes (Cassis–La Ciotat) is steep and narrow and closes in strong wind and on fire-risk days. France punishes drink-driving severely.

Euros. Cards (Visa, Mastercard, phone payments) work almost everywhere; keep a little cash for the Noailles market, small stalls and Calanques snack bars. Use bank ATMs and avoid private ones like Euronet and airport exchange desks. If an ATM offers to charge 'in your currency', choose euros.

Non-EU residents spending over €100 in one shop on one day can reclaim VAT: ask the shop for a tax-free form with your passport and scan it at a PABLO kiosk when leaving the Schengen area.

Permanent collections at the city's museums (Fine Arts, History and others) are free, and temporary exhibitions are free on the first Sunday of the month. The MuCEM costs €11, reduced €7.50, family €18.

Bouillabaisse is a rockfish, saffron and olive-oil stew; the broth comes first with rouille (garlic sauce) and toasted bread, then the fish separately. The real thing is expensive: €65–90 per person at Chez Fonfon in the Vallon des Auffes, €80 at Le Miramar on the Old Port, ordered 24 hours ahead for at least two. Cheap 'bouillabaisse' boards are usually not the real dish.

A meal in a cheap restaurant is about €17 per person; a three-course dinner for two in a mid-range restaurant about €65. Service is included, so tipping is optional. You can ask for free tap water (carafe d'eau).

Tip: Panisse (fried chickpea-flour sticks), navette biscuits and North African food in Noailles are cheap and delicious.

Pick up picnic food at the Old Port's morning fish market or the Noailles market (spices, fruit, Maghrebi food) before heading to the Calanques — there are almost no shops there. Monoprix, Carrefour City and Casino Shop are all over the centre.

European emergency number 112, police 17, ambulance (SAMU) 15, fire 18 — free, 24 hours, even with no credit on the SIM. If you're injured in the Calanques, call 112 and give your location.

Around the Old Port, Saint-Charles station, on the metro, in Noailles, on La Canebière and at the beach, keep your phone and bag in front of you; don't leave your phone on a café table. Some housing estates in the northern districts see violence linked to drug trafficking — there are no sights there and no reason to go at night. Under the Vigipirate plan, bags are checked at many sites.

Tip: Keep a copy of your passport on your phone and leave the original in the hotel safe.

Bring plenty of water, a hat and sturdy shoes — there is no shade or water on the trails and the way back is a steep climb. Check the daily fire-risk map and don't enter when it is red; smoking and fires are strictly banned. On mistral days keep away from cliff edges and the sea.

Say 'Bonjour, madame/monsieur' when you enter a shop, café or bus, and 'Merci, au revoir' when you leave. Jumping straight to a question without a greeting is considered rude. Marseillais are blunt and loud but friendly.

OM is the city's pride. Match days bring big crowds around the Vélodrome; it's wise not to wander the city in a rival team's shirt (especially PSG).

In Notre-Dame de la Garde and La Major cover your shoulders and keep quiet during services. In the Calanques National Park take your rubbish home, don't pick plants, keep dogs on a lead and don't fly drones. Don't walk around town in swimwear away from the beach.

RTM — metro, tram and bus tickets and routes. SNCF Connect — TGV and TER to Cassis. Uber, Bolt and G7 taxis also work.

The MesCalanques app and the Bouches-du-Rhône map show whether the Calanques are open that day; book Sugiton on the park's website. Download trail maps for offline use.

Google Translate's camera mode translates menus and signs on the spot. Buy Château d'If, MuCEM, Cité Radieuse guided-tour and OM match tickets on the official sites.

The shuttle from the Saint-Charles bus station costs €10 and takes 30–50 minutes depending on traffic — allow extra time at rush hour. Plan to be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight — EES registration and security.

Scan your tax-free forms at a PABLO kiosk before passport control (green screen = approved); carry the goods in your hand luggage. Returning via Frankfurt or Paris, your Schengen exit check happens there. EES records your exit — don't overstay the 90-day limit.