Aix-en-Provence

Where it is & how to get there

• Train: TGV to Aix-en-Provence TGV station (about 3 hours from Paris), then a shuttle bus to the centre; regional trains reach Aix-Centre.
• Bus: Frequent buses from Marseille take about 30–40 minutes.
• On foot: The historic centre is compact and best explored on foot.

The story of Aix-en-Provence

The Romans founded Aquae Sextiae here in 122 BC around warm springs, and water has shaped the city ever since. In the 17th century the old walls gave way to the Cours Mirabeau, a grand avenue of plane trees, mossy fountains and mansions of the Provençal nobility.

Aix is the city of the painter Paul Cézanne, born here in 1839. He painted the nearby Montagne Sainte-Victoire again and again, and his last studio, the Atelier de Cézanne, can still be visited. The city is also famous for its calissons, almond-shaped sweets.

Best time to visit

Tips before you go

• Walk the Cours Mirabeau and stop for a drink on a terrace.
• Try calissons from a traditional confectioner.
• Visit the Hôtel de Caumont art centre for a beautiful 18th-century mansion and café.

What's around Aix-en-Provence

• Atelier de CézanneThe painter's last studio, kept as he left it.
• Montagne Sainte-VictoireHiking and views of Cézanne's favourite mountain.
• Hôtel de CaumontArt centre in an elegant mansion.
• Fontaine de la RotondeThe great fountain at the top of the Cours Mirabeau.

Questions travellers ask