For a while I have been wanting to explore the South of France. Rent an apartment, leisurely enjoy the town or city we choose and discover its nearby corners. After reading about different places, comparing vacation rental prices and looking at pictures, I told Patrick that there was one specific destination that had caught my attention: Aix-en-Provence, the city of Cézanne. Would I fall in love with it?
We arrived in Aix-en-Provence in the middle of summer and probably during the hottest days. For that same reason, it was essential to get an apartment with air conditioning, since many of those we saw in the vacation rental search engines did not have any or were very expensive. Finally we found a tiny studio, in a building that was somewhat claustrophobic when entering (although not the apartment), but with an excellent location.
Another crucial thing we needed was a good Internet connection, because we were traveling for business, to explore new places to offer at our travel agency. As we were mostly working during the day… (or at night), we had to find some in between time to get to know Aix-en-Provence and its surroundings.
Although we were able to dedicate ten days to it and do everything at our own pace, the city is small and you can easily explore it in two days. What is there to see in Aix-en-Provence?
Historical Center
To start with, the historic center is beautiful, with its cobbled streets, fountains, historical buildings and many restaurants and bars. Here, you can admire the Saint-Sauveur Cathedral built between the XII-XVI centuries, with its small cloister; as well as the Town Hall with the Clock Tower where there is a very nice little square with restaurants and bars (as in the whole city).
Above all, you can not stop walking through its squares that are wonderful, especially the Place des Cardeurs which is huge, surrounded by restaurants and bars that in summer mount their terraces on the square, and Place Richelme, smaller than the previous one but very picturesque, especially on market days.
Cours Mirabeau
The most famous street in Aix-en-Provence, 440 meters long and full of trees, fountains, restaurants and beautiful buildings with typical architecture from Southern France with that Roman influence. On Sundays, they set up an antiques market along the avenue where you can find everything.
Aix-en-Provence markets
Speaking of markets, they set up some beautiful ones in their squares, such as the one with flowers on Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, the one in front of Fountaine de la Rotonde and the one on Place Richelme, which seemed the most beautiful to me, as you could find artisan soaps, products with lavender, flowers, cold meats, fruits, vegetables, honey from Provence and lots of local products. Of course, do not expect to find cheaper products than in the stores, everything was quite expensive.
Atelier de Cézanne
You are in the city of one of the most important painters of post-impressionism and it is enough to walk through the historic center to be reminded of it, with plaques on the floor for you to follow, or to see the historical buildings like the house where he died. In fact, the Tourist Office has designed a specific route for Cézanne lovers to follow and discover their city.
The atelier is a must-see if you visit Aix-en-Provence. The studio is located in the house that the painter bought with his mother’s inheritance. We took the audio guide that lasts about 35 minutes and is quite interesting. Although the studio is basically just one little room, it is very charming.
It is definitely recommended to either rent the audio guide or take the guided tour, to listen to all the anecdotes and see the painter’s personal objects. By the way, I suggest going by bus because it drops you off right in front and the house is located on a hill. You will also need the bus to go to the next point.
Terrain des Peintres
This is the highest point of the Chemin de la Marguerite, from where you can see the Sainte-Victoire Mountain, which Cézanne captured in 44 oils and 43 watercolors. The view is wonderful and since it is located in a quiet residential area, you can sit there as long as you want to rest and contemplate the landscape.
Pavillon Vendôme
A beautiful mansion that seems to be a serene place in the countryside, but in reality you are right in the heart of the city and very close to the historic center. The building was built in the second half of the XVII century so that the Duke of Vendôme could meet his lover. Today it houses modern art collections.
We saw an interesting exhibition called Villers/Picasso – Coup de soleil, which was about the collaboration between the Malaga painter and the photographer André Villers between 1954-1962. Picasso was 72 years old, Villers 22 and they managed to merge their works in a unique way.
Musée Granet
This museum, located in the Mazarin neighborhood, has a collection of 12,000 works of art, including works by Cézanne and François-Marius Granet himself. A museum to calmly appreciate great works of art, without the crowds of tourists you find in other museums in France. Also -as a lover of Picasso-, I was very lucky to see another temporary exhibition: Picasso-Picabia. The museum has an extension called Granet XXe in the former Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs, so you can imagine the beauty of the place combined with the works of art.
I fell in love with Aix-en-Provence, its warm colors, its flowers, how you can easily spend the afternoon sitting on a terrace while drinking a delicious wine from Provence. This is how I imagined enjoying the South of France.
If you want to travel to France and would like us to design and organize your trip 100% customized through our travel agency Tripdreaming, please contact me at silvia.lucero@tripdreaming.com.
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