Getting here
By train it takes twenty-three minutes and it is far nicer. By car, you park once — and never touch the wheel again.
By train — the better way
Niolon station is 400 metres from the studio. The Côte Bleue line (Marseille Saint-Charles – Miramas) takes about twenty-three minutes from Saint-Charles, running along the sea.
It is one of the most beautiful railway lines in France: viaducts, tunnels, and coves that open suddenly on your right. Check times on the SNCF app — the line can be temperamental — but when it runs, there is no nicer way to arrive.
From Niolon the same train reaches L’Estaque in five minutes (for panisses and chichis, the local specialities) and Carry-le-Rouet for its market.
By car, and where to park
Niolon is a dead end. You do not drive through it, you drive down into it — and there is not room for everyone. The village is small, residents live and work here, and spaces have become scarce.
In practice: motorway A55, exit towards “Le Rove”. Drop your luggage near the station, where there is a turning area, then drive back up and park in the free visitor car park at the entrance of Niolon, on the right as you come down. From there it is about 200 metres on foot to the studio.
Do not attempt to drive into the centre: the lanes are narrow dead ends and you will end up reversing a long way. Resident parking spaces are not available to holiday rentals.
And that is good news. Those 200 metres are exactly why Niolon has not become a car park with a sea view. No car crosses the village. You park once, on the first day; after that, everything is on foot.
In summer, traffic is filtered
On weekends and public holidays in high season, car access into the cove is regulated at the village entrance. We send each guest the current instructions before arrival — they change from year to year.
Accessibility: the honest answer
Access to the studio, and to the cove of Niolon in general, is extremely difficult for guests with disabilities or reduced mobility: steps up to the studio, more steps down to the water, a narrow lane, and no direct car access.
We would rather say so clearly than let you travel here for nothing. If walking is difficult, other villages on the Côte Bleue — Carry-le-Rouet, Sausset-les-Pins — are far more accessible, and we will gladly say so.
A question about the journey?
Write to us. Every guest receives an illustrated arrival guide in French and English before they travel.