Aix-en-Provence: top attractions & road trip guide
Aix-en-Provence is an elegant university town and the historic capital of Provence, laid out around tree-lined boulevards, fountains, and stately Baroque townhouses. It is best known as the birthplace and lifelong home of painter Paul Cézanne, whose studio and favorite motifs can still be visited around the city.
On a road trip, Aix sits a short drive inland from Marseille, making it easy to pair with the coast. Its outdoor markets, shaded squares, and the nearby Montagne Sainte-Victoire, the limestone ridge Cézanne painted dozens of times, give the town a slower, café-centered rhythm.
Top attractions
Cours Mirabeau
A grand plane-tree-lined boulevard through the heart of town, dotted with fountains and lined with cafes and Baroque mansions.
Atelier Cézanne
The preserved studio where Paul Cézanne worked in his final years, still holding the objects that appear in his still lifes.
Aix Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur)
A cathedral blending Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque elements built up over roughly a thousand years, with a cloister and notable artworks.
Musée Granet
A fine-arts museum holding works by Cézanne alongside old masters and modern art, set in a former priory near the cathedral.
Montagne Sainte-Victoire
A striking limestone ridge just east of the city, painted by Cézanne more than any other subject and popular for hiking today.
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