In 2018, I spent a semester in France, and lived in the city of Aix-en-Provence. (“Aix” by the way is pronounced just by saying the letter “X.”) While I loved traveling around France and other parts of Europe during that trip, Aix was my hometown, and I got to know it pretty well in my time there. This post has been in the works for quite a while, and I wrote most of it a few years ago but never managed to write the last little bit until now. I personally had a nice time rereading what I’d written about Aix and reflecting on my time in France. Although it has been a few years now since I was in Aix, I still wanted to share these highlights that I never got around to posting!
Brief History of Aix-en-Provence
While the larger city of Marseille is partly famous for being founded by the ancient Greeks, the nearby Aix started out as a Roman settlement. Originally called “Aquae Sextiae” (The Waters of Sextus), Aix takes its name from the Roman consul Sextus Calvinus. One very abbreviated version of this ancient history that I heard while in Aix suggests that the Greeks in Marseille were having difficulty dealing with the local tribes (the Cimbri and Teutones) and asked the Romans for help. Once the Romans, under the leadership of Sextus Calvinus, came and won the battle, they decided to stay – and conquer Marseille while they were at it.
Today, the Roman legacy is still visible in Aix with some places – like the plaza in front of the Cathédral Saint Sauveur – dating back to the Roman period. Aix became known for the thermal hot springs in the area, which made the town a bit of a spa destination for the Romans. To this day, spas are an attraction in Aix, and even if you aren’t going to the spa, you’ll come across the famous Waters of Sextus in Aix’s 138 fountains.
Aix has been many things in the years since the Romans. In the 12th century, it was home to the Counts of Provence who ruled the Provence region before it was part of France, and a some of the city’s most famous architecture comes from this time, including the Cathedral and the Palace of the Counts. The more urbanized Cours Mirabeau dates to the urbanization perdiod in the 17th and 18th centuries when the city expanded.
Possibly the most famous person from Aix (at least to art lovers) is the artist Paul Cézanne who was born there in 1839 and became well-known for his paintings of Mont Sainte-Victoire, which is just outside the city. Other cultural icons like Émile Zola and Ernest Hemingway were some of the most famous patrons of the historic brasserie Les Deux Garçons. Sadly, this establishment was largely destroyed by a fire in 2019 and has not yet re-opened.
How and When to Visit Aix
Aix, like much of the rest of Provence, is a major tourist destination in the summer, particularly because it is a popular day-trip for cruise ships docked in Marseille. During my time in Aix, the crowds of tourists at the end of the summer were exhausting and irritating as they seemed to take over the city every weekend. Although Provence is, of course, beautiful in the summer, I personally think you would have a more enjoyable trip visiting in the late spring or early fall when the weather is still nice, but there are fewer crowds.
Although many people visit Aix on a daytrip, I really loved having this as my home in France and think it would make a great jumping off point for exploring the region while also getting to know such a wonderful little city. Aix is much smaller than Marseille, and, I think, less overwhelming, while still being convenient to much of the Provence region and the Marseille airport. You could easily spend a few days just sightseeing in Aix as I explore below, but it’s also a great town to come back to at the end of the day when you need a break after exploring other busy places.
A bus to Marseille only takes about half an hour, which means it’s easy to travel there for part of a day or even just to grab dinner. You can take similar day trips to other popular Provence towns like Avignon or Nice and could join a tour group or rent a car to visit some of the gorgeous national parks in the area. I wrote all about Day Trips in Provence here for some more ideas, but my main point is that you should consider making Aix your home base rather than just another quick stop on the itinerary.
What to See and Do
When you’re living there for a few months, Aix can seem like a bit of a sleepy little town compared to all the exciting places you may be visiting on quick trips. And while part of that is a blessing that helped me to immerse myself in the culture and day-to-day life in France without being distracted by trying to visit every possible thing, it’s also not entirely true. Although Aix is not Paris, it still some incredible things to offer.
Cezanne’s Workshop & Mont Sainte-Victoire
As I mentioned above, the artist Paul Cezanne is one of the most famous people from Aix. You can actually tour his workshop/studio called the Atelier de Cezanne. This is fairly inexpensive as museums go, so it can be a nice stop. However, for free, you can hike up to the spot where Cezanne painted some of his famous views of Mont Sainte-Victoire. This is located at the park Terrain des Peintres, which is located at 49 Av. Paul Cézanne. I spent an evening here early in my trip, and although it was a hike up to the park, it was a peaceful spot with stunning views of the mountian.
You can also actually go hiking on Mont Sainte-Victoire itself or, more generally, in the Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Victoire. I personally did not do this hike while I was there as I was still intimidated by the bus system early in my visit, and it was too cold to go later on; however, it would be near the top of my list on a return trip!
Pavillon Vendôme
The Pavillon Vendôme is a historic home with beautiful gardens that’s an easy walk from downtown Aix. On one of my first days in Aix, I spent the better part of an afternoon visiting the house and exploring the gardens. It’s another beautiful, peaceful site that also has some historic significance and a small museum with some temporary art exhibits.
Musée Granet & Hôtel de Caumont
Aix has a number of art museums and galleries, but the Musée Granet and Hôtel de Caumont are the two I most enjoyed visiting on my trip. Both have impressive collections and temporary exhibits, but neither is a massive, overwhelming museum. You can spend a relaxed part of a day exploring and learning about the art without feeling rushed. I visited a Chagall exhibition at the Hôtel de Caumont in November and was also able to spend over an hour sipping on hot chocolate while I enjoyed their gardens. It remains one of my favorite memories of Aix!
Other Things to Do in Aix
One of my favorite ways to explore Aix was simply by walking. There are so many historic buildings and churches, and you can take tours of several if you are so inclined. It’s really impressive though to just walk around and see what’s happening and how people are living in Aix today. If you are inclined to shop, the Cours Mirabeau is the place to be, but again, you can also just go for a people-watching walk.
Aix also, of course, has its markets. One large farmers market happened in the plaza right outside of my apartment, and even if I didn’t need to shop, I loved just walking among the vendors and seeing what was in-season. This is also where I bought the majority of my food during my time in Aix. As Christmas approaches, there is also the Christmas Market. While it may not be an international destination like the one in Strasbourg, I truly loved having this little Christmas Market that was meant for the locals more than the tourists. At the end of the semester, it became a popular activity to just hang out at the Christmas Market and drink hot chocolate or mulled wine while talking with other students. Whether a seasonal thing like the Christmas Market or a regular occurrence like the farmer’s market, shopping at a market while chatting with friends is such a part of the culture here and something you have to experience while in Provence.
The Food
Food is one of my favorite parts of traveling! However, while I was in Aix, I was on a pretty tight budget, so I admittedly did not eat at a ton of restaurants. Although I will discuss a few restaurants, my top recommendations for food and drink in France is to sign up for a cooking class and/or wine tasting class. These classes were a couple of my other favorite experiences in Aix that also taught me more about French culture. The cooking class I took is also where I learned to make the salmon pictured above, which was phenomenal! I unfortunately do not remember the name of where I took the cooking class or did the wine tasting, but Aix undoubtedly has several options! And if you’re fortunate to visit here as part of a study abroad program, you may find that all those logistical details are taken care of for you, so you just have to show up!
The two restaurants in Aix that I ate at the most were Boulangerie Paul – located on the first floor of my apartment building – and Le Mékong, a cheap Vietnamese place where I would sometimes stop for takeout on my way back from class in the evenings. While I personally enjoyed both of these for both their food and their prices, I know it’s not really the food that tourists come to France for. For that, I would suggest Chez Nous (30 Pl. Forum des Cardeurs) – the only fancy French Restaurant that I visited in Aix.
Final Notes
While I may not be able to offer a full detailed guide suggesting different hotels, spas, and five-star restaurants in Aix, this is my guide as a student who lived there for a few months. It’s a beautiful but generally quiet little town that lends itself to taking time to slow down and live life like the French. When I first arrived in Aix, it felt very foreign to me, but by the time I left four months later, it felt like a little bit of home. All of the exploring and learning I did while studying abroad would not have been possible without Aix as a home-base, and I came to feel like I was, in a small way, part of the life of this city. I hope to return one day, but I know that nothing else will be quite like that experience. And for now, if you’re planning a trip to the south of France, I think you should put Aix on your list of places to visit.
Wonderlust Wanderings 