Hello fellow travelers,
We will have 2 and a half days on our own in Aix before joining a 6 day Provence biking tour (that will take us to Arles, Avignon, Les Baux, St-Remy, Chateauneuf-du-Pape). We're looking for suggestions for our first afternoon there while we are jet-lagged, as well as the best use of the next 2 days. We want to spend time just wondering around, visiting the markets, etc.. Does anyone have experience with walking tours (there are some offered by the Tourist Office)? We are also considering a visit to the WWII Camp des Milles. And an outing to the Luberon hilltop villages (where the bike tour will not take us). Is this doable without a car?
Thanks for your suggestions.
Posted by
Paris
7258 posts
Hi!
In the first afternoon, just walk around Aix. The center is beautiful and walkable. Markets are more of a morning thing, though.
Aix has good museums, you can check what's on at the Hotel de Caumont in particular - it is a beautiful space. I have no experience with the Camp des Milles.
As for the Luberon: Lourmarin can be accessed by bus from Mon to Sat, Zou line 909. The bus schedule should leave you with about 5-6 hours there which is way more than you need. Bonnieux is also accessible but it has less to do IMO.
Posted by
Denver, CO
783 posts
I was in Aix a few months ago and can highly recommend going to the Terrain des Peintres (Field of Painters). It's a gorgeous public space where Cezanne would go to and paint. I went in the morning and the light was magnificent. I walked it and it took about 35 minutes from the center of Aix. I believe you can also take Bus 5. I literally felt like I was standing in one of Cezanne's paintings.
I also enjoyed the Musee Granet and the Musee Granet XXe (one ticket gets you into both museums)
You can also take a day trip to Marseilles and take a boat tour of the Calanques. I used the tour company recommended in Rick's Provence guidebook - Croisières Marseille Calanques. The cost was around €25 and was a really fun 2.5 hours out on the water.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
480 posts
Two summers ago when we spent a month in France we had great tours with "Ted". Here is his website. https://tedaixtours.fr/ We did his market tour, his treasure hunt tour, and we even did the petanque lessons! We had a great time. He even went out of his way when our friend had a small medical issue to help book her an appointment and he followed up later to make sure she was ok. I would highly recommend him.
Posted by
251 posts
I was there in March 2024 and just FYI the market is on Saturday. I had allotted about 2 hours to the market but extended it till they closed down. It was wonderful.
DIABLINE
The Diablines are nippy little electric-powered vehicles, similar to Avignon's Baladines. A sort of cross between buses, taxis and milk delivery carts, they scurry around the narrow streets of Aix where the big buses can't squeeze through.
They follow three fixed circuits in the city centre: see the Diabline website for a map. But, instead of picking up and dropping passengers only at bus-stops, they can be hailed down like taxis. These were like mini tours. There are about 3 fixed routes and I took them all. There was one street we were on that was so narrow that a bicyclist could not fit with his bike as the handlebars stuck out too much the street was so narrow with the Diabline. Fun.
Posted by
20 posts
You might not want a bike ride before your bike ride, however renting a bike in Aix and riding the Route de Cezanne to Le Tholonet for lunch or an afternoon snack or beer is a very pleasant activity that can be accomplished in a couple of hours. The countryside once outside of Aix is lovely with Mont Sainte-Victoire ahead of you.
The large daily market in Place Richelme is a feast for the senses, with plenty of prepared foods to eat right on the spot.
The Book in Bar bookshop is well worth your patronage as well, and is close to Fontaine des Quatre-Dauphins and the Granet Museum. The quartier where these three are located is lovely to stroll in.