Aix-en-Provence in 4 days

A 400-metre avenue laid out in 1649, shaded by plane trees, with four fountains including the moss-covered one fed by the hot spring.

A grid of straight streets laid out in 1646, lined with mansions, carriage doors and wrought-iron balconies, and quiet once you leave Cours Mirabeau.

A food market behind the town hall, held every morning of the year, with Rove fresh cheese, Ventoux goat cheeses, olives and Durance vegetables.

Head upstairs for the Cézanne canvases the town long refused, but stop for the pre-Roman heads and warriors from Entremont on the way.

The 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.

Built to his plans in 1902 and kept as he left it at his death in 1906, down to the skulls and jugs he painted.

Sixteen hexagonal cells holding monumental works Victor Vasarely designed for the site in the 1970s; neglected for years, restored since 2013, still dizzying.

Cézanne rented a hut in this old quarry of golden stone and painted blocks that foreshadow cubism; visits are booked through the tourist office.