Quick answer
Aix-en-Provence is about 120 km and 1h29 by car from Uzès (a route planner). There is no direct bus: by public transport it is a bus to Avignon and then a train, about 2h10 to the TGV station and longer to the centre. It is a long day; start early and do the town on foot.
Good for: a town day with a market, fountains and a café terrace, or a change from villages and ruins.
Not for: a short day or a day with little energy: it is a long drive each way.
Aix-en-Provence is the old capital of Provence, a compact town best seen on foot: the Cours Mirabeau, the lanes of the old town and the market squares are all within easy reach of each other. For a shorter day on the same side of the Rhône, see Avignon or the Luberon day trip; for a city on the other side, see Montpellier.
| What | What to know | Check before you go |
|---|---|---|
| Drive from Uzès | About 120 km and 1h29 by car, by a route planner. By public transport there is no direct bus: a bus to Avignon and a train, about 2h10 to the TGV station and longer to the centre. La Valette is five minutes from Uzès. | A live map on the day; train times on the day of travel. |
| Cours Mirabeau | A plane-tree avenue of about 440 m, the town's promenade, with the Fontaine de la Rotonde (1860) at its western end. The Mazarin quarter, a grid from the 17th century with the Place des Quatre-Dauphins, lies on the far side. | Nothing; wear comfortable shoes. |
| The market | The regional tourism site lists a fruit and vegetable market on the Place Richelme every day. The food markets of the Place de Verdun and the Place des Prêcheurs are on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. | Hours and any change for your day: the tourist office. The market of the Place de la Madeleine: sources disagree on its days. |
| Cézanne's studio | On the edge of town, about a 20-minute walk from the Cours Mirabeau. Visits are guided and the studio holds about twenty people, so guides advise booking. | Days, hours and booking with the tourist office; the sources we found disagree on the hours. We state no price. |
| Cathedral Saint-Sauveur | Nine centuries of building, from a 5th-century baptistery to a 15th-century Gothic nave, in the old town. | Opening hours: we found only an old figure, so check before you go. |
| Fountains and the old town | Aix is known as the city of a thousand fountains. On the Cours, the moss-covered Fontaine d'Eau Chaude is fed by thermal water, at about 18°C. The Romans founded Aquae Sextiae here in 123 BC for its warm springs. The 16th-century clock tower, with an astronomical dial, stands on the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville. | Nothing; a walk through the old town takes a few hours. |
| Museums and gardens | The Musée Granet holds a large Cézanne collection and temporary shows; its 20th-century annex shows the Planque collection, with Picasso, Léger, Klee and Dubuffet. The Hôtel de Caumont, an 18th-century mansion in the Mazarin quarter, stages major exhibitions, and its French garden is free to enter. The Pavillon de Vendôme is a baroque pavilion from the 17th century with a French garden. | Days, hours, current exhibitions and tickets on each museum's site. We state no price. |
| More Cézanne | The Jas de Bouffan is the family estate, reopened after renovation. The Bibémus quarries are visited on a guided walk of about two hours booked through the tourist office; car access to the site is regulated. | Days and booking at the tourist office; listings differ on dates and prices, so we state none. Jas de Bouffan: the Cézanne in Provence site. |
| Sainte-Victoire | The mountain east of Aix, a Grand Site de France. Access is regulated from 1 June to 30 September because of fire risk: on high-risk days the paths close after 11:00 or entirely. A hiking guide says there is no restriction from October to May. There is no drinking water on the massif. | The fire-risk status on the morning you go, at the tourist office. Bring water. |
| A local sweet | The calisson is Aix's sweet: an oval of ground almonds and candied fruit on a wafer base, under royal icing. Its origin is disputed. One source says the new calissons are blessed every first Sunday in September at the Église Saint-Jean-de-Malte. | Where to buy one: any confectioner in the old town; we name none. |
Arriving
Go early, then walk
About an hour and a half each way makes this a long day. Leave early, park once at the edge of the old town and do the rest on foot: a two-day guide notes that the first day plays out within a perimeter of at most fifteen minutes' walk. We found no parking advice, so look at car parks and their rates on the day.
The old town
Market, clock tower, fountains and the Cours
Start at the market while it is open, then walk to the clock tower, the cathedral and the quiet squares, and finish on the Cours Mirabeau with its fountains. The Mazarin quarter just beyond has the Hôtel de Caumont and its free garden.
Cézanne
His studio, the quarries and the mountain
Aix was Cézanne's home town, and a day can follow him: the Musée Granet and the studio in town, the Jas de Bouffan, then the Bibémus quarries or a hike on Sainte-Victoire. The guided visits need booking, so choose one and fit the rest of the day around it.
Plan the day
A long day, or a shorter one
At about 1h29 each way, Aix suits a day with nothing else planned: one museum or one Cézanne visit, the old town, a long lunch. If you would rather drive less, Avignon and the Luberon day trip are closer; Montpellier is a city day in the other direction.
Frequently asked
A day in Aix-en-Provence
About 120 km and 1h29 by car, by a route planner. Without a car it is a bus to Avignon and a train, about 2h10 to the TGV station and longer to the centre.
The regional tourism site lists a fruit and vegetable market on the Place Richelme every day, and food markets on the Place de Verdun and the Place des Prêcheurs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. Check the tourist office for your day.
Yes, with a guided visit. It lies on the edge of town, about a 20-minute walk from the Cours Mirabeau, and holds about twenty people, so guides advise booking. The hours in the sources we found disagree, so confirm days and times with the tourist office.
The market, the old town with its clock tower and cathedral, the fountains and the Cours Mirabeau, the Mazarin quarter, museums such as the Musée Granet and the Hôtel de Caumont, and the Cézanne sites: his studio, the Jas de Bouffan, the Bibémus quarries and the Sainte-Victoire mountain.
Only with care. Access is regulated from 1 June to 30 September because of fire risk, and on high-risk days the paths close after 11:00 or entirely. Check the status on the morning you go, bring water (there is none on the mountain) and start early.
Aix's sweet: an oval of ground almonds and candied fruit on a wafer base, under royal icing. Its origin is disputed; one source says the new calissons are blessed every first Sunday in September at the Église Saint-Jean-de-Malte.
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