Hi, all,
My husband and I will be staying in Aix-en-Provence at the Quality Hotel %26amp; Suites Les Floridianes for 2 nights. We will have a car. Any comments about the hotel will be appreciated. Also, advice about good places to visit and to eat. This is our first visit to the area. Many thanks.
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Aix-en-Provence is a beautiful town that acts bigger than it is. It is the only town in France that has signs pointing not only to tourist attractions, but to boutiques as well! When I was in Aix, I studied abroad and lived with a host family, so I didn%26#39;t have to worry about hotels. However, I can give you some tips about the area itself.
1. Shopping - so many shops, so little time/money! Window shopping alone works for me :-)
2. Exploring - explore the city on foot. Everyone walks everywhere in this town. It%26#39;s marvelous. Explore the winding streets of Old Aix (Vieux Aix). Appreciate the 18th and 19th century apartment buildings. Wander into the bookshops, anglophone and francophone alike. For francophone books, check out the Librairie de Provence on the Cours Mirabeau. For English books, visit Book in a Bar in the Mazarin district (south of the city). They have a little café and give you cookies with every order :)
3. Cathédrale Saint Sauveur - this cathedral was built over several centuries; its architecture reflects the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. The cloister (le cloître) is beautiful. Getting in is tricky. If you spot a tour group gathering around the door, follow them in! It%26#39;s a great church with a gorgeous sounding organ. If you see a guide, ask him/her to show you the magnificent wooden doors. They are intricately carved. Because of their fragile nature, they remain covered most of the time.
Location: Rue Gaston de Saporta.
4. Fountains - they%26#39;re everywhere in Aix! The most famous is La Rotunde, in Place Charles de Gaulle at the end of the Cours Mirabeau.
5. Cours Mirabeau - rated the second most beautiful street in France, right after the Champs-Elysées. One side has ATMs, the other has cafés, including Les Deux Garçons, frequented by literary giants. Appreciate the beautiful trees that line the Cours. At the end of the street, say hi to Le Bon Roi René, the last king of Provence before it became a part of France.
6. Aixois Dining
A. Crêpes. At. Every. Corner. Yum. Who makes the best crêpes? That%26#39;s a fierce debate. I recommend Crêpes a Go-Go in the underground passage near La Rotunde or a VitamFruit stand. The stand in Place des Prêcheurs serves good crêpes, too. The vendor gives candy with them.
B. French meals. Can get rather pricey. As a general rule, the closer to the Cours Mirabeau, the higher the prices will be. I would poke around Forum des Cardeurs, right around Place de l%26#39;Hotel de Ville. It%26#39;s this almost hidden %26quot;street%26quot; filled with cafés. Chez Laurette has excellent lasagna.
C. Sandwiches. Plenty of sandwich shops around Place des Prêcheurs. Great food for lunch at a nominal price.
D. Ethnic Food. I can%26#39;t remember the street name, but there is a hidden alleyway somewhere off of Rue Maréchal Foch with a dizzying array of ethnic food. There is an excellent Chinese-Vietnamese place....I can%26#39;t remember the name of that, either...Anh Dao, I think? Anyway, this alley has Chinese food, Vietnamese food, Indian food, Thai food....everything.
E. Pizza Capri - the best pizza I%26#39;ve ever had.
Location: off of Cours Mirabeau or in Place Richelme.
7. Parks.
A. Pavillon de Vendome - a mini-Versailles of sorts. Meticulous flower gardens, petit chateau. Make sure you use the rest room BEFORE you visit, lest you prefer taking care of your business in a hole in the floor...
Location: Off of Rue Van Loo off the Cours Sextius.
B. Parc de la Torse - giant recreational park. Great for jogging and biking. It%26#39;s a bit of a walk from the city center, but it%26#39;s worth it.
8. Tourist Attractions. Aix-en-Provence has a great tourist office right by la Rotunde. They can give you maps, information on tours, excursions to nearby places, upcoming events...they are a wealth of information.
This is just a taste of the city. If you add your interests, I can give you more suggestions as to what to visit.
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Hi, france-maniac,
Thank you so much for your very helpful suggestions. I am so looking forward to Aix and will definitely eat some crepes. I was a History teacher and so will appreciate the old buildings you have suggested. I also love beautiful gardens and I will be looking at these, too. As for shopping, I love buying reasonably priced, easy to carry things for my two adult daughters and a five year old grandson. Are there any markets on Friday or Saturday? Do people bargain at these markets?
Thanks for your help.
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I can%26#39;t believe I forgot the markets!
On Saturday, the artisan market takes over the Cours Mirabeau. I bought a cute necklace there. I got a discount for speaking French!
In fact, the entire town is a market on Saturdays. It is based around Place des Precheurs, but it expands into the neighboring streets, selling clothes, shoes, CDs, whatever! I think you can haggle at these markets...I%26#39;ve never tried myself, but I%26#39;ve never been discouraged from trying, either.
Each major Place has a market. There are flower markets and food markets every weekday (Place Richelme, Place de l%26#39;Hotel de Ville, Place des Precheurs).
If you are seriously interested in market shopping, take a day trip on a Sunday to L%26#39;Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. This tiny town has the biggest markets outside of Paris.
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Also, you can also do the Cézanne walking tour. This famous painter was born in Aix, worked in Aix for most of his life, and died in Aix. He has near-deity status. Just follow the golden %26quot;Cs%26quot; on the ground around the city to visit each place that played a role in his life. You can even visit his studio (it%26#39;s on a steep hill; bring stamina!) on Avenue Paul Cézanne north of Vieux Aix.
If you are into art, I would suggest visiting the Musée Granet. The Fondation Vaserely, outside of town, has Vaserely%26#39;s works of optical illusion. Unfortunately, the museum itself is falling apart, but maybe the cracks in the ceiling are part of the illusion?
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Thanks, france-maniac. You are a gem, with all your information. I am looking forward to Aix and the markets. I hope I can learn a little French before I get there next year. Anyone in Australia know where I can buy a tape to enable me to learn conversational French?
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Hello,
First I want to congratulate france-Maniac about how good was her / his description / tips about Aix. I live in Aix and ouahhh I impressed !
I confirm everything she / he describes is just like my town is, no mistake so I want to thank you to be such a good ambassador of Aix !!
Second I think the BBC language lesson are really good so I give you here the adress I am sure this can help you, QueenslandOzzie :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/
2 nights will be short to visit everything but I quite sure you will come back !!
Seolane
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Hi, Seolane,
Thanks for the tip about bbc for the French lessons. Since you live there, it would be nice to meet you in person. Perhaps we could meet for a cup of coffee and share experiences. We live on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Perhaps you might like to visit sometime and we can show you around. If interested, let me know.
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Hi QueenslandOzzie,
Take a coffe on le Cours Mirabeau why not, that can be a nice experience
When are you coming in Aix ?
seolane
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Seolane, thank you for the compliments :-) I enjoyed my time in your beautiful city. I just want everyone else to like it as much as I do.
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Really helpful info, thanks.
Can anyone tell me when the Aix Christmas fair will start? We will be there from 28 November till 3 December; is that too early by far?
Jo
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