🇫🇷France · Places to discover
What to see in Aix-en-Provence?
17 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Aix-en-Provence is built around water and stone. The fountains along the Cours Mirabeau punctuate a prosperous university city, heir to the Provençal parliament, where lingering over coffee in a café is as much part of the programme as visiting museums. Cézanne grew up and worked here, and the Montagne Sainte-Victoire that he painted a hundred times is still visible from the heights of the city.
Spring and autumn offer the best conditions: summer crushes the city under heat and tourists. Two days are enough to explore old Aix on foot, without ever needing a car in the centre. Avoid the Cours Mirabeau markets in the morning during peak season-they're overrun by nine o'clock. The market at Place des Prêcheurs is more authentic and far less crowded.
Landmarks & heritage
7 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0Landmark
Aix-en-Provence Town Hall
Fine example of 17th-century Provençal Baroque architecture, with an adjoining clock tower. The Town Hall square and its flower market form the living heart of the old town.
2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0Landmark
Pavillon de Vendôme
Seventeenth-century Baroque folly nestled in a discreet garden, minutes from the bustle of the centre. Its monumental atlantes on the façade are among Provence's finest.
3Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Hôtel de Caumont – Art Centre
Carefully restored 18th-century mansion hosting high-level temporary exhibitions. The French garden and café-restaurant are among the city's finest.
4Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Cours Mirabeau
The majestic artery of Aix, lined with hundred-year-old plane trees and 17th-century mansions. The moss-covered fountains fed by thermal waters create a unique atmosphere.
5Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Fontaine de la Rotonde
The grand neoclassical fountain marking the entrance to Cours Mirabeau, a visual symbol of Aix. Its three sculptured groups represent Justice, Agriculture and the Fine Arts.
6Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Mazarin Quarter
17th-century Baroque district laid out in a grid pattern south of the Cours Mirabeau, featuring elegant townhouses and discreet fountains. A stroll through its quiet streets reveals an aristocratic Aix far from the crowds.
- 7
Landmark
Landmark
Cézanne's Studio
The studio where Paul Cézanne painted his final major works, including The Large Bathers. Preserved in its original state, with his personal objects and still lifes awaiting the painter.
Museums
1 place
- 8
Museum
Museum
Granet Museum
The fine art museum of Aix, housed in a former Priory of Malta. Remarkable collection spanning from antiquity to contemporary art, with a gallery dedicated to Cézanne's watercolours.
Religious sites
2 places
9Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Religious site
Saint-Sauveur Cathedral, Aix-en-Provence
Thousand-year-old edifice blending Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque along a single axis. The fifth-century Paleochristian baptistry and Nicolas Froment's Burning Bush triptych are absolutely worth seeing.
10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Religious site
Church of the Madeleine
An 18th-century Baroque church on the Place des Prêcheurs, housing the central panel of the Annunciation altarpiece attributed to Barthélemy d'Eyck. A late Gothic masterpiece often overlooked by hurried visitors.
Castles & fortresses
1 place
- 11
Castle
Castle
Justice Palace Square Book Market
Second-hand booksellers set up at weekends under the arcades of the palace, a genuine treasure hunt for lovers of rare books and Provençal engravings. A Saturday morning ritual for cultured Aix residents.
Parks & gardens
2 places
12Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Park
Jas de Bouffan Park
Cézanne's former family estate where he painted his first major compositions. The park and bastide are steeped in Impressionist history, away from the crowds of the town centre.
- 13
Park
Park
Trévaresse Natural Park
A quiet wooded massif north of Aix, ideal for walking or mountain biking away from tourists. In April, the cherry blossom on the slopes creates a living tableau.
Activities
4 places
14Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Activity
Cardeurs Quarter Market
The daily food market of Aix residents, a lively square surrounded by cafés with terraces. Less touristy than Place Richelme, this is where locals do their shopping each morning.
15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Activity
Vasarely Foundation
A spectacular black and white building designed by Victor Vasarely himself, a complete work of art. The large monumental optical compositions inside are a vertiginous visual experience.
16Wikimedia CommonsActivity
International Lyric Arts Festival of Aix-en-Provence – Grand Théâtre de Provence
Contemporary performance venue and home to France's most prestigious opera festival each summer. Outside festival season, the year-round lyric and symphonic programming is of exceptional calibre.
- 17
Activity
Activity
Thermes Sextius
Spa thermal on the site of the Roman hot springs discovered by Sextius in 122 BC. Bathing in 34°C water surrounded by Roman remains is a truly unique experience.
Also 🇫🇷 in France
