Vieil Aix

Aix-en-Provence


One of Aix' great charms is its historical centre: ramble through it, drinking in divine streetscapes as you choose which historical, cultural or culinary highlight to sample next. North of the graceful cours Mirabeau, the city's main artery, is the oldest part of town; to the south, the 17th-century Quartier Mazarin is home to some of Aix’ finest buildings and streets (including the Place des Quatre Dauphins, ennobled by a baroque fountain of the same name).

It's all delightfully compact, and rewarding of a day's sun-blessed strolling.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Aix-en-Provence attractions

1. Cours Mirabeau

0.09 MILES

No streetscape better epitomises Provence’s most graceful city than this 440m-long, fountain-studded street, sprinkled with Renaissance hôtels…

2. Fontaine d’Eau Chaude

0.13 MILES

Dating to 1667, this small fountain, the first along the Cours Mirabeau, is fed by 18ºC spring water that encourages the diversity of greenery with which…

3. Caumont Centre d’Art

0.14 MILES

The Caumont is a stellar art space housed inside the Mazarin quarter’s grandest 18th-century hôtel particulier (mansion). While there are three quality…

4. Fontaine de la Rotonde

0.16 MILES

Built in 1860 as the centrepiece to the place de la Rotonde, the roundabout at the western edge of Cours Mireabeau, this magnificent fountain is adorned…

5. Fontaine du Roi René

0.17 MILES

In the centre of cours Mirabeau is this lovely sculpted fountain from 1823, depicting the 15th-century king holding muscat grapes (which he reputedly…

6. Place des Quatre Dauphins

0.22 MILES

This especially charming square in the Quartier Mazarin has a baroque fountain (1667) with water-spouting dolphins.

7. Église de la Madeleine

0.22 MILES

Across from the Palace of Justice, this 17th-century church only received its monumental facade in the 19th century, and has an imposing obelisk out the…