Aix-en-Provence - "Ville d'Art" Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Bouches du Rhône (13100) Population: 124,000 Altitude: 175 m Also for Aix: [ main page | Museums | History ] Nearby: [ Arles 76 km | Avignon 82 | Cannes 152 | Nice 176 | Marseilles 31 | Pertuis 20 | Salon-de-Provence 32 | Sisteron 102 ] Photos: The "great fountain" at the Rotonde (23 k) The Cours Mirabeau at Le Grillon café (30 k) The 9-cannons fountain on the Cours Mirabeau (23 k) The moss-covered hot-spring fountain on the Cours Mirabeau (28 k) The Quatre Dauphins fountain (55 k) An old candy mould for the Callisons d'Aix (55 k) Below: [ Dates | Markets | Gastronomy | Thermal Baths | Favorite Sons | Transportation | Hiking | Lodging ] Aix-en-Provence is the city of art, and a city of light and activity. Aix is also a home of art schools and several universities, including some American, attracting a youthful population that sparks the atmosphere. Aix is also ancient: a Celtic-Ligurian capital from the 3rd century BC was pushed aside for the founding of Aix in 122 BC, as Aquae Sextiae [see Aix-History]. The center of Aix is the old town (vieille ville), ringed by a circle of boulevards and squares. It's a small-enough area to explore by foot, but there's way too much to see in one or two days. The medieval Aix was protected by a wall with 39 towers. Today only the 14th century "Tourreluquo" tower remains, at the northwest corner of the town. Cours Mirabeau is the center of the center, and the heart of Aix. The Cours Mirabeau is a beautiful tree-lined avenue, with one side lined with wonderful terrace cafés and bookshops. If you sit at only one French sidewalk café outside of Paris, it should be here, where the air is warm, the light sublime and the sidewalk alive. Large plane trees overhang the length of the avenue, giving day-long shade on hot summer days. Some of the more famous cafés are: Le Grillon [this photo], Les Deux Garçons, La Belle Epoque and Le Café du Cours.       For breakfast in Aix, we buy spinach quiches and mushroom quiches at a shop low on the Cours Mirabeau, across from the cafés, and have them with our "grandes crèmes" at Les Deux Garcons. City of Fountains. Aix-en-Provence is full of fountains. Everywhere, throughout the town, fountains big and small bubble and spray and splash. The Cours Mirabeau has some of the finest: The great fountain (1860) at La Rotonde [top photo], in the Place Général de Gaulle at the bottom end of the "cours", spraying up into the sunlight. The Fountain of 9 Cannons (1691), half way up, bubbles away in the shade [this photo]. Another block up the "cours" is the moss-covered hot-water fountain dating back to 1734, although the 35°C (93°F) spring has been enjoyed for its healing properties for 2000 years [photo, 28 k]. King René's Fountain, at the top of the "cours" was built in the 19th century; the statue is of Roi René holding a bunch of Muscat grapes, which the good king introduced into Provence. The lovely Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins at the Place des Quatre Dauphins, in the Mazarin district, was built in 1667 by Jean-Claude Rambot. Vieille Ville. The old town of Aix is packed with shops, markets, museums, religious and architectural sites and historical sites. The terrace cafés on the Place des Précheurs (by the flower market) attract many of the younger locals, with lower prices than those on the Cours Mirabeau. Mazarin District. The Quartier Mazarin is the area south of the Cours Mirabeau. This area of 17th-century town houses ("hôtels particuliers") was built in 1646-51 by the Archbishop Mazarin. The Granet Museum, Paul Arbaud Museum and the 13th-century Eglise St-Jean-de-Malte are in the Quartier Mazarin. What's happening in Aix this week? The "Semaine des Spectacles" is a weekly guide available from newsstands. It comes out every Wednesday (5F), and contains everything that's going on in the towns of Provence and the Côte d'Azur (including Aix, Cannes, Nice). It lists restaurants, nightclubs, movies (many in "Version Originale"), museums, and other diversions. "La Semaine" is a weekly guide for Aix, available free from the Office de Tourisme. In addition to the movies, theaters and concerts for Aix, it has a calendar of expositions for most of the Beyond region. Dates, Numbers Office de Tourisme Tel: (33) 442 16 11 61; Fax: (33) 442 16 11 62 Open: Mon-Sat 8h30-19h; Sun, holidays 10h-13h, 14h-18h La Rotonde (Place du Général de Gaulle) Information, books, teeshirts and umbrellas, excursions Automobile Club Tel: (33) 442 23 33 73 Markets Main Market - Mon, Tue, Thur, Sat. The main market by the Palais de Justice is a big affair of fresh produce and food, bric-à-brac and flea-market. The flower market is on the Place de Verdun and Place des Prêcheurs, by the Ste-Madeleine church. The clothing market that used to be around the old prison is now along the "other side" of the Cours Mirabeau. The old prison, smack in the center of town, is being rebuilt as an administrative building [1996-97]. Food Market. A daily market with food and fresh produce is held in the Place Richelme, between the post office and the old grain market. Flower Market. During the three market days, a colorful flower market is held at the Place de l'Hotel de Ville. Gastronomy Aix-en-Provence has every kind of restaurant imaginable, from fast-foods to the highest of haute-cuisine (two Michelin 3-stars). Calissons d'Aix, in the shape of a small boat, have been made and sold in Aix-en-Provence since the 17th century. Another little boat pastry made in honor of the Saints and their little boat is the navette. Wine Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence is an aoc wine from in the Côte de Provence region. Sextius Baths The "Thermes Sextius" in the northwest corner of the town, along the Bvd Jean Jaurès, are 18th-century hot-water baths set in a large tree-shaded park (closed for extensive renovation, 1996-97). This is near the site of original Roman baths, which were large enough to attract visitors to Aquae Sextiae 2000 years ago. Favorite Sons Cezanne was born in Aix in 1838. One of his favorite subjects was Mont Sainte Victoire. Transportation Air. The nearest airport is Marseille's Marignane. Available by bus or train, the airport is about 20 km southwest of Aix, and 20 km northwest of Marseille. Bus. Bus information is available at the Office de Tourisme, at La Rotonde (Place du Général de Gaulle), where most of the buses stop. Nice-Aix. The Cars Phocéens bus company provides bus service between Nice and Aix-en-Provence. There are three buses a day; two go via the Route Nationale and stop at Antibes; the other is an express that goes via the autoroute. The RN bus (2 a day in each direction) stops at Dros de Cagnes, Antibes, Golfe Juan, St. Raphael, Fréjus, Le Muy, Vidauban, Le Luc, Flassans, Brignoles, Tourves, St Maximin. The express and RN buses all stop at Nice Airport, Cannes, Mandelieu, Aix, Marseille. Train. The railway station is at the far end of Ave Victor Hugo from the Rotonde. Train service is provided between Aix and Marseille, where the main Paris-Lyon-Avignon-Nice line runs. [Rail Map] Excursions. Excursions to other Provence sites are available at the Office de Tourisme. The guided excursions are by minibus, in French and English, to places such as Les Baux-de-Provence (Bouches du Rhône), Roussillon (Vaucluse) and Trigance (Var). Golfing Hiking Maps: Michelin "green" #114 (1/100,000) - "French Riviera - Var" IGN (1:25,000) 3244 Ouest "Aix-en-Provence" Didier Richard (1:50,000) #14 "Luberon" Excellent hiking is available directly northeast and east of Aix, with a couple of the trails about a 30-minute walk from the center. The GR9 (Grande Randonnée) trail traverses the length of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire. From the "croix", on the peak nearest Aix, the trail goes down through the forest to Vauvenargues, then on north through forests and hills, past Jouques and across the Durance. East from the "croix", the trail follows the length of the ridge, then down to Puyloubier and south to Trets and on to the Massif de la Sainte Baume. Lodging Listing available