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Travel guide
Aix-en-Provence
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, and September to October
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Welcome
Aix-en-Provence, in a few days
Aix sits on warm springs that drew the Romans in 122 BC, and around a hundred fountains still run in its streets, some fed by water at 34°C. It is also Cézanne's town: his studio, the quarry he painted and his family home are all a few kilometres apart.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Cours Mirabeau and its fountains free · about 1 hA 400-metre avenue laid out in 1649, shaded by plane trees, with four fountains including the moss-covered one fed by the hot spring.
- Afternoon · The Mazarin Quarter and the Four Dolphins Fountain free · about 1 hA grid of straight streets laid out in 1646, lined with mansions, carriage doors and wrought-iron balconies, and quiet once you leave Cours Mirabeau.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Cardinal€120 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Musée Granet · about 2 hHead upstairs for the Cézanne canvases the town long refused, but stop for the pre-Roman heads and warriors from Entremont on the way.
- Afternoon · Place Richelme market free · about 1 hA food market behind the town hall, held every morning of the year, with Rove fresh cheese, Ventoux goat cheeses, olives and Durance vegetables.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel des Augustins€150 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Thermes Sextius · 2 to 3 hThe town's founding spring still flows here at 34°C, in a modern spa over Roman remains, with hammams, saunas and a heated outdoor pool.
- Afternoon · Cézanne's studio · about 1 h 30Built to his plans in 1902 and kept as he left it at his death in 1906, down to the skulls and jugs he painted.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Rotonde€160 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Fondation Vasarely · about 1 hSixteen hexagonal cells holding monumental works Victor Vasarely designed for the site in the 1970s; neglected for years, restored since 2013, still dizzying.
- Afternoon · The Bibémus quarries · about 2 hCézanne rented a hut in this old quarry of golden stone and painted blocks that foreshadow cubism; visits are booked through the tourist office.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Escale Oceania€120 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €125 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/aix-en-provence
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.