How to Spend One Day in Aix-en-Provence

A little visit to Provence can work wonders: balmy Mediterranean air, the smell of lavender, and all is right with the world again. Here I show you my personal tips for Aix-en-Provence!

Tip: Hotels in Aix-en-Provence at a reasonable price*

Aix-en-Provence: The romantic small town in the south of France

I guess I’m what’s generally called a Francophile. While others complain that the French would always refuse to speak even one word of another foreign language, I am happy. It’s good to get the school French out again. Admittedly, this is rusty, but it’s certainly enough for a short snack. French is a beautiful language, and honestly, I can understand the pride of the French in their culture and language.

Whereby some things have changed in the last few years. I can still remember how, in my first years of flying, there was hardly a Frenchman on French flights who spoke a bit of English. There the communication without knowledge of French was quite funny. Doesn’t even happen nowadays, almost everyone speaks a few bits of English, and if not, then no French is expected from the counterpart. The French have become quite modern. And I always look forward to our now rare overnight stays in France – such as in Aix-en-Provence.

Aix-en-Provence: Tips for an afternoon

I feel like I’ve been to Aix-en-Provence a hundred times, in real life probably about fifty. Quite often. It always shocks me myself what comes together over the now 18 years of flying. And yet I keep getting lost in the pretty old town center of Aix-en-Provence, which admittedly isn’t even that big. My sense of direction is really subterranean. But that doesn’t matter, there is always something new to discover – and old to enjoy.

Aix is one of the most expensive cities in France, but also one with the highest quality of life. Understandable. The city is manageable, small, tranquil – and a student city, and thus not at all snoozy, as one might think with the many historic buildings and the great history. Time and again, the city reinvents itself without losing even a bit of its old charm.

And in the alleys you can find all kinds of nice little stores, cafes and restaurants. No wonder I’m always happy to while away an afternoon there. A few tips:

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Food & Drink in Aix-en-Provence

Pâtisserie Weibel – A pastry classic in Aix! A bit pricey, but you get mega tartlets, macarons, éclaires, and just about everything French pastry piggy you can imagine. And since the last renovation, the attached café is also visually an absolute pastel sugar dream!

Burger Bar – Open around the clock, which is quite handy in my case when I’m on early duty! Otherwise, in classic French fashion, most restaurants in Aix don’t open until dinner time at 7 p.m., and by then I’m usually already throwing on my pajamas.

Shopping in Aix-en-Provence

Even though Aix is a small town, there is still plenty of shopping, and conveniently in a small space. There’s even an Apple Store at the end of Cours Mirabeau! Next door, in the new small shopping street, you will also find the larger chain stores, such as Zara, Zara Home, Sephora and fnac, which are not represented in the old town core. And there’s a branch of Maisons du Monde, my decorating favorite. With luck, there is also a farmers’ market on Place Richelme. Or on the weekend flea market on the Cours Mirabeau with beautiful antiques – with a real Provence feeling!

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More articles about France:

• How to see Paris in just one day: The best tips for an unforgettable city trip! (+ map)
• How to Spend One Day in Aix-en-Provence
• Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Côte d’Azur: Day Trip from Nice