Aix-en-Provence is a city and commune in Southern France, about 30 km (19 mi) north of Marseille.
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur |
| Department | Bouches-du-Rhône |
| Intercommunality | Aix-Marseille-Provence |
| Government | |
| Mayor (2020–2026) | Maryse Joissains-Masini |
| Area | 186.08 km2 (71.85 sq mi) |
| Population (2017-01-01) | 142,482 |
| Density | 770/km2 (2,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Geography and climate
Aix-en-Provence is situated in the south of France, in a plain overlooking the Arc river, about a mile from the right bank of the river. The city slopes gently from north to south and the Montagne Sainte-Victoire can easily be seen to the east. Aix’s position in the south of France gives it a warm climate.
Sights
The Cours Mirabeau is a wide thoroughfare, planted with double rows of plane trees, bordered by fine houses and decorated by fountains. It follows the line of the old city wall, and divides the town into two sections. Situated on this avenue, which is lined on one side with banks and on the other with cafés, is the Deux Garçons, the most famous brasserie in Aix.
The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour (Aix Cathedral) is situated to the north in the medieval part of Aix.
The archbishop’s palace (Palais de l’Archêveché) and a Romanesque cloister adjoin the cathedral on its south side. The Archbishopric of Aix is now shared with Arles.
Among its other public institutions, Aix also has the second most important Appeal Court (Palais de Justice) outside of Paris, located near the site of the former Palace of the Counts (Palais des Comtes) of Provence.
South of the Cours Mirabeau is the Quartier Mazarin. Next to it is the Musée Granet, devoted to European painting and sculpture.
Aix is often referred to as the city of a thousand fountains. Among the most notable are the 17th-century Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins (Fountain of the Four Dolphins) in the Quartier Mazarin, and three of the fountains down the central Cours Mirabeau: At the top, a 19th-century fountain depicts the “good king” René holding the Muscat grapes that he introduced to Provence in the 15th century; halfway down is a natural hot water fountain (34 °C), covered in moss, dating back to the Romans; and at the bottom at la Rotonde, the hub of modern Aix, stands a monumental fountain from 1860 beneath three giant statues representing art, justice and agriculture. In the older part of Aix, there are also fountains of note in the Place d’Albertas and the Place des Trois-Ormeaux.
Education
Today Aix-en-Provence remains an important educational centre, with many teaching and research institutes:
- Arts et Métiers ParisTech
- Aix-Marseille University
- Institut d’études politiques d’Aix-en-Provence (IEP), an Institute of Political Studies
- Institut de l’Aménagement Régional, an institute in the Université Paul Cézanne for town and country planning.
- IAU College, a not-for-profit study abroad institute for American students with programs in art, art history, business, communication, French language and culture, international relations, psychology and many others. Offers internships and homestays.
Aix also has several training collèges, lycées, and a college of art and design. It has also become a centre for many international study programmes. Several lycées offer CPGE.
Culture
Music
Aix holds two significant musical events each year. These are:
- Festival international d’Art Lyrique, founded in 1948, now ranks with those in Bayreuth, Salzburg and Glyndebourne. The festival takes place in late June and July each year. The main venues in Aix itself are the outdoor Théâtre de l’Archévêché and the newly built Grand Théâtre de Provence.
- Musique dans la Rue, takes place each year in June to coincide with the national ‘Fête de la Musique.’ There is a week of classical, jazz and popular concerts held in different street venues and courtyards in the city.
Museums and libraries
Aix has several museums and galleries:
- Le Musée du Vieil Aix (Museum of Old Aix)
- Le Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle (Natural History Museum).
- Le Musée de Tapisseries (Tapestry Museum)
- Le Musée Paul Arbaud (Faïence/Pottery).
- Le Musée Granet
- Le Pavillon de Vendôme
- The Fondation Vasarely
- L’atelier Cézanne
- Jas de Bouffan
Prior to 1989 Aix had several libraries, for example in the Parc Jourdan and the Town Hall. In 1989, many of these were moved to the Méjanes, an old match factory.
In 1993, the “Cité du Livre” was opened around the library. This has media spaces for dance, cinema and music, and a training facility for librarians. Adjacent to the Cité du Livre are the Grand Théâtre de Provence and the Pavillon Noir (see above).
Sport
- Rugby union club Provence Rugby is based in the city. As of 2018, they play in Rugby Pro D2, the second-tier French league.
- The city hosts a professional tennis tournament on the ATP Challenger Tour. It is held every May at the Country Club Aixois.
- Former world number one squash player Grégory Gaultier lives in Aix-en-Provence.
- The city hosted Ukraine’s football base camp during Euro 2016.
Economy
Industries formerly included flour-milling, the manufacture of confectionery, iron-ware, hats, matches and the extraction of olive oil.
Current economic activities include:
- Tourism.
- Entertainment, particularly opera and dance.
- Education and research. In Aix the University of Aix-Marseille specializes in the humanities, law and economics.
- The computer software industry.
- The manufacture of santons, traditional hand-crafted figurines, often associated with provencal Christmas creches.
- The manufacture of olive oil.
- The manufacture of calissons, a lozenge-shaped confection made from almonds, orange peel, sugar, and crystallized melon.
- Viticulture: the local Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée is Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence AOC, with many vineyards between Aix and the River Durance to the north.
- Chocolate: the well known Chocolaterie de Puyricard is situated in the hills to the north of Aix.
Transport
A set of ancient roads radiate out from Aix to the surrounding countryside, the Pays d’Aix. There are also a large number of modern autoroutes connecting Aix to nearby towns.
At Aix, the line from Paris branches to Marseille and Nice; it takes about 3 hours to get from Paris to Aix by TGV. Aix also has a railway station near the centre, Gare d’Aix-en-Provence, with connections to Marseille, Pertuis and Briançon in the French Alps. A frequent and rapid shuttle bus service for commuters operates between the bus station in Aix and Marseille.
The city also offers a “city pass” available in 24, 48, and 72-hour packages for visiting tourists. The “pass tourisitque” is offered at the Aix-en-Provence Tourist Office, the Atelier de Cézanne, and the official Aix tourism website.
In the town itself, there is an inexpensive municipal bus service, including a dial-a-bus service (“proxibus”), a park-and-ride service and tiny electrified buses for those with mobility problems. There are large underground and overground parking structures. Access to the old town is by a series of often narrow one-way streets that can be confusing to navigate for the uninitiated.
As in many other French cities, a short-term bicycle hire scheme nicknamed V’Hello.
