Aix-en-Provence
Cézanne’s hometown, a city of fountains and morning markets, 2 hours 54 from Paris by TGV.
The short version
- The fastest TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon reaches Aix-en-Provence TGV in 2 hours 54 minutes. That station is 15 kilometers from the center, and the A2 shuttle bus takes about 20 minutes, every half hour, for €9.
- Our Legendary Art and Provence stays three nights in the center of Aix, with the Hôtel de Caumont and a day on the canals of Martigues, then two nights in Arles for Van Gogh. It meets you at Marseille airport or Avignon TGV, six days from $2,950 per person. Our Five Days in Provence spends a private day in Aix and the Luberon with a wine tasting.
- Cézanne’s studio, the Atelier des Lauves, and his family house, the Bastide du Jas de Bouffan, close for restoration from November 1, 2026. The city expects a summer season in 2027 but has not set the dates. The Jardin des Peintres, where you see Mont Sainte-Victoire as he painted it, is free.
- The Musée Granet costs €14 with its exhibition and closes on Monday; from November 3, 2026 it opens 12:00 to 18:00. Its show of Paul McCartney’s photographs from 1963 and 1964 runs to January 3, 2027.
- The Hôtel de Caumont, an 18th-century mansion turned art center, shows Henri Cartier-Bresson from November 5, 2026 to March 21, 2027, open daily 10:00 to 18:00. Timed tickets bought online cost less than at the door.
What to see
Start on the Cours Mirabeau, the 17th-century avenue of plane trees, 440 meters long, with mansions on one side and café terraces on the other. The Fontaine Moussue halfway along runs with warm spring water at 18°C and is covered in moss. The Rotonde, the big fountain of 1860, closes the avenue at its western end.
North of the Cours is the old town. Place Richelme holds the produce market every morning, the flower market fills the square under the clock tower of the Hôtel de Ville on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and the bigger food markets spread across Place des Prêcheurs and Place de la Madeleine on the same days, from 8:00 to 13:00.
The Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur is free and open daily from 8:40 to 18:30. See the baptistery under its octagonal dome on ancient columns, and the Burning Bush triptych that Nicolas Froment painted for King René around 1476, shown only at set times of year. Volunteers lead free visits of the 12th-century cloister.
South of the Cours, the Quartier Mazarin is a 17th-century grid of quiet streets around the Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins of 1667. The Musée Granet sits beside the church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte, and the Hôtel de Caumont is two streets away.
Cézanne was born in Aix in 1839 and died here in 1906. He built the Atelier des Lauves on the hill north of town in 1902 and walked up from his apartment to paint there every morning. The Jardin des Peintres, 15 minutes further up on foot or by bus 5, looks out at Mont Sainte-Victoire and has nine enamel reproductions of his paintings of it.
Buy calissons, the almond paste and candied melon sweets of Aix on a thin wafer under white icing. On the first Sunday of September the town blesses them after a mass that keeps a vow made after the plague of 1629.
Getting there and around
TGVs from Paris Gare de Lyon stop at Aix-en-Provence TGV, out in the countryside 15 kilometers from the center. The A2 shuttle runs to the town bus station in about 20 minutes, every 30 minutes and every 15 at peak times, for €9 one way.
From Marseille Saint-Charles, regional trains reach the Aix-en-Provence town station in about 40 minutes, with 30 trains a day. For Avignon, the Zou! 63 express bus takes about 1 hour 15 from the Aix bus station, and the TGV from Aix TGV to Avignon TGV takes about 25 minutes.
The old town is mostly pedestrian, and you walk everywhere inside it. By car, Lourmarin in the Luberon is about 40 kilometers north and Gordes about an hour away.
Our Five Days in Provence sends a private guide for a full day in Aix and the Luberon villages, with a wine tasting at an estate and an optional truffle lunch in season. Legendary Art and Provence stays three nights in Aix and adds Martigues, the canal town painters came to after Ziem in 1860, with a boat trip through the canals.
When to go
April to June and September to October are the best months to walk the town. July and August are hot, and the old town fills in the late afternoon and evening.
The Festival d’Aix, the opera festival, runs from July 1 to 20, 2027, in the courtyard of the Archbishop’s Palace and the theaters around town. Book tickets and hotels early.
The Cézanne sites open only for a summer season: in 2026 the studio and the family house ran from July 4 to October 31 before closing for restoration. In winter, plan on the Musée Granet, the Hôtel de Caumont and the markets, which run all year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cézanne’s studio open?
Not from November 1, 2026. The Atelier des Lauves and the Bastide du Jas de Bouffan close for restoration, and the city expects to reopen them for a summer season in 2027 without a date yet. The Jardin des Peintres with its view of Mont Sainte-Victoire is free, and the Musée Granet opens an exhibition on Cézanne’s legacy on December 8, 2026.
How do I get from Aix TGV station to the center?
Take the A2 shuttle bus, about 20 minutes and €9, every half hour. A taxi takes about 20 minutes too.
Should I stay in Aix or Avignon?
Aix for the town itself, Cézanne and the markets; Avignon for the villages, the Pont du Gard, Les Baux and the Châteauneuf-du-Pape cellars. Most of our Provence trips stay in Avignon, and our art trip stays in Aix and Arles.
Can I see the Luberon from Aix on my own?
With a car, yes: Lourmarin is about 40 kilometers north, and Gordes about an hour. The buses into the Luberon are few, with two to four runs a day on the village lines. Our Five Days in Provence does Aix and the Luberon in one private day with a wine tasting.
Is there a tour from Paris?
Yes. Legendary Art and Provence, six days from $2,950, stays three nights in Aix and two in Arles, with private transfers from Marseille airport or Avignon TGV. The Five Days in Provence, $1,850, is based in Avignon and spends a private day in Aix and the Luberon. We can book your train once your dates are set.
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