Aix-en-Provence Travel Tips
Keep in Mind...
- It’s Cezanne territory You can see this Post-Impressionist artist’s studio, the mountain that inspired many of his famed works and a handful of his paintings at the Musée Granet all in Aix.
- Aix is pronounced "Ex" You’ll mark yourself as a tourist if you pronounce this city’s name like the wood-chopping implement “ax” -- it’s “ex.”
- It’s a university town Three universities call Aix their home, and quite a few exchange students from American universities are here year-round.
At its core, Aix-en-Provence is a small Provinçal town brimming with lazy cafés and vibrant markets. But its university students -- tens of thousands of them -- keep this South-of-France city young, exciting and cosmopolitan. There may be 18th-century homes flanking the streets, but the French boulevards are filled with chic Paris transplants. The still-popular Aquae Sextiae thermal baths may have been discovered in Roman times, but they’re accompanied by the latest in spa treatments.
You visit Aix for all of these reasons, but also for the local wine, French-Mediterranean cooking, little boutiques, Cézanne and the city’s overall easygoing and sunny disposition. An added perk is its proximity to the lavender fields, vineyards and mountains of Provence, as well as the Cote d’Azur. Daytrip, anyone?
