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The Aix Guide

The Aix-en-Provence guide, from Place des Prêcheurs

Every day we live to the rhythm of Place des Prêcheurs, its markets and its café terraces. This guide brings together the Aix we love to share, fact-checked against the town hall and the Tourist Office.

Updated 2 min read

The guides

Each guide answers one question. Read them in the order of a walk, or on their own.

  1. Place des Prêcheurs

    From Dominican friars to the Saturday market: the story of the square where La Mado stands.

  2. The markets of Aix

    The weekly calendar of town-centre markets, what to bring home and when to go.

  3. The Cours Mirabeau

    Four fountains, 17th-century mansions and a 150-year-old name: how to explore the grand avenue of Aix.

  4. One day in Aix

    A walking route from the morning market to the fountains of the Mazarin quarter, with walking times.

Aix in a few landmarks

  • A town born from water. Aix was founded in 122 BC as Aquae Sextiae, “the waters of Sextius”, around hot springs. The town still calls itself “the city of a thousand fountains”.
  • A capital of Provence. The Counts of Provence settled here at the end of the 12th century; the law courts now stand on the site of their palace, beside Place des Prêcheurs.
  • A golden age in the 17th century. The era of the Cours Mirabeau, the Mazarin quarter, the grand town houses and many public fountains.
  • Cézanne’s town. The painter was born and died here; his childhood home stands on the Cours Mirabeau and his last studio on the Lauves hill.
  • The Festival d’Aix. Founded in 1948, the opera festival takes place every July.

Finding your way around

The historic centre is entirely walkable. To the north, the Bourg Saint-Sauveur, on the site of the Roman town, runs from the cathedral to the clock tower. Further down, around the former palace of the Counts of Provence — now the law courts — lie the places comtales: Verdun, Prêcheurs and Madeleine. The Cours Mirabeau acts as the hinge with, to the south, the grid-planned Mazarin quarter.

For a first visit, our one-day walking itinerary links these districts in a loop of about three kilometres.

When to come

Aix is pleasant all year round, but each season has its own character. Summer is hot — average highs exceed 30 °C in July and August according to Météo-France — and July is festival month. Spring and autumn suit long walks; the heaviest rain tends to fall between September and November. From mid-November to the end of December, the Christmas market lines the Cours Mirabeau and the santons fair sets up on the Esplanade Cézanne.

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