Aix-en-Provence is to Provence what the Left Bank is to Paris: a pocket of bohemian chic crawling with students. It's hard to believe that 'Aix' (pronounced ex) is just 25km from chaotic, exotic Marseille. The city has been a cultural centre since the Middle Ages (two of the town's most famous sons are painter Paul Cézanne and novelist Émile Zola), but for all its polish, it's still a laid-back Provençal town at heart.
A stroller’s paradise, Aix's highlight is the mostly pedestrian old city,Vieil Aix. South of cours Mirabeau, the Quartier Mazarin was laid out in the 17th century, and is home to some of Aix’s finest buildings.
Atelier CézanneMUSEUM
Cézanne’s last studio, 1.5km north of the tourist office on a hilltop, was painstakingly preserved (and recreated: not all the tools and still-life models strewn around the room were his) as it was at the time of his death. Though the studio is inspiring, none of his works hang there. Take bus 1 or 20 to the Atelier Cézanne stop or walk the 1.5km from town.
Cours MirabeauHISTORIC QUARTER
No avenue better epitomises Provence’s most graceful city than Cours Mirabeau, a fountain-studded street sprinkled with Renaissance hôtels particuliers and crowned with a summertime roof of leafy plane trees. Named after the revolutionary hero Comte de Mirabeau, it was laid out in the 1640s. Cézanne and Zola hung out at Les Deux Garçons, one of a clutch of busy pavement cafes.
Musée GranetMUSEUM
Housed in a 17th-century priory of the Knights of Malta, this exceptional museum is named after the Provençal painter François Marius Granet (1775–1849), who donated a large number of works. Its collections include 16th- to 20th-century Italian, Flemish and French works. Modern art reads like a who's who: Picasso, Léger, Matisse, Monet, Klee, Van Gogh and Giacometti, among others. Nine works by Cézanne are the museum's pride and joy. Excellent temporary exhibitions.
BUS
From Aix's bus station , a 10-minute walk southwest from La Rotonde, routes include Marseille (€5.70, 25 minutes) and Avignon (€17.40, 1¼ hours).
TRAIN
The only useful train from Aix's tiny city centre train station is to/from Marseille (€8.20, 45 minutes). Aix TGV station, 15km away and accessible by shuttle bus from the bus station (€3.70), serves most of France; Marseille (€6.20) is a mere 12 minutes away.
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