To Aix, or not, and how?
Dec 12th, 2006, 08:11 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
To Aix, or not, and how?
Hello...my question is: after 10 days in Arles/Avignon, I want to proceed to Cassis for several days in July, 2007. I will not have a car. In your opinion, is Aix worth spending more than a few hours strolling around on the way? Versus staying a night. And how easy is this to do? Because it appears one takes a bus from the TGV station into the heart of the city. Then I would need to take it back again to get on the TGV train for Marseilles and the transfer to Cassis, oui? What about that aspect, how difficult? Many thanks!
Dec 13th, 2006, 02:03 AM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 897
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
SGLASS -
Aix is worth far more than just a few hours strolling around. Stay the night for sure - it is magical in the evening. Also try to time it so you are there for the market (Tues/Thurs and Sat). I believe there are direct trains and/or bus service from Arles and/or Avignon. These should bring you directly into downtown Aix. You can definately take a train direct from downtown Aix to Marseille - can't help with trains to Cassis.
You might want to just send an email to the tourist office in Aix at
http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/
and ask them for more specifics.
-Kevin
Aix is worth far more than just a few hours strolling around. Stay the night for sure - it is magical in the evening. Also try to time it so you are there for the market (Tues/Thurs and Sat). I believe there are direct trains and/or bus service from Arles and/or Avignon. These should bring you directly into downtown Aix. You can definately take a train direct from downtown Aix to Marseille - can't help with trains to Cassis.
You might want to just send an email to the tourist office in Aix at
http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/
and ask them for more specifics.
-Kevin
Dec 13th, 2006, 02:10 AM
#3
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,567
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Aix is absolutely charming and one of the places on my list of Places to Get Back To for at least one overnight. I do wonder about the lenght of time (10 days) Arles/Avignon and having to rush Aix-En-Provence. I would have it the other way around!! 
Dec 13th, 2006, 06:50 AM
#5
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,169
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Gretchen, could you be talking about Aix-les-Bains? No, that is by no means a city!
My Aix, en Provence, is a wonderful, lively place with a very eclectic combination of ordinary people, the legal profession, students, tourists, and cultural types. Great restaurants, beautiful women, handsome men, a fabulous setting, and great people watching.
But I have never been there in July or August. Maybe that's the differenc.
My Aix, en Provence, is a wonderful, lively place with a very eclectic combination of ordinary people, the legal profession, students, tourists, and cultural types. Great restaurants, beautiful women, handsome men, a fabulous setting, and great people watching.
But I have never been there in July or August. Maybe that's the differenc.
Dec 13th, 2006, 08:58 AM
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,858
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I like Aix, although I don't think I'd want to stay there a week or anything, but I've stayed there several days a couple times. Aix is more than the very central area with tourists, although most people don't seem to venture beyond that, so that's the problem. There is a lot of beautiful architecture in Aix, for example.
As for the train -- you wouldn't have to go to the TGV station just to get to Marseille which is only a short trip away, although you can. There is a central train station in Aix for regular trains, and they have a couple a day between Aix Centre and Marseille St Charles station. A brief check shows they seem to have a train at 11:54 and 16:47 on that route, although there are many buses, also, and that is most of the runs.
As for the train -- you wouldn't have to go to the TGV station just to get to Marseille which is only a short trip away, although you can. There is a central train station in Aix for regular trains, and they have a couple a day between Aix Centre and Marseille St Charles station. A brief check shows they seem to have a train at 11:54 and 16:47 on that route, although there are many buses, also, and that is most of the runs.
Dec 13th, 2006, 10:25 AM
#10
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 6,818
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
sglass:
Regrdless of any detractors, Aix-en-Provence is certainly worth a visit of a few days....I've always thought that if Aix had nothing else (but it certainly has!) a visit to Cezanne's atelier would be well worth it.
As Stu D. says above...lounging at any of the Cours Mirabeau cafes is people-watching at its best.
Stu T.
Regrdless of any detractors, Aix-en-Provence is certainly worth a visit of a few days....I've always thought that if Aix had nothing else (but it certainly has!) a visit to Cezanne's atelier would be well worth it.
As Stu D. says above...lounging at any of the Cours Mirabeau cafes is people-watching at its best.
Stu T.
Dec 13th, 2006, 06:04 PM
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you to everyone who took the time to offer your opinions about Aix(-en-Provence). I actually have still another 10 days to wander, eventually ending up in Nice to fly back to the US, so could stay in Aix for several days before moving on to Cassis and beyond. I am a fanatical Van Gogh devotee but Cezanne not-so-much, which again shows us all how personal travel and what to see can be! The help I really appreciated concerned the transportation options to Marseilles for the transfer to Cassis, because it was looking to me like I had to backtrack to the TGV station, and you have all confirmed that's not necessary. I, too, had read that a highlight was just to hang out and people watch- although I will feel like a total slob after a month on the go and seeing all the gorgeous Aix-eans stroll by! Many thanks for the input!
Dec 14th, 2006, 02:02 AM
#13
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,862
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you are a Van Gogh devotee, I assume you know that Arles and St. Remy are the places with connections to that artist. I'd be certain to see the Monastery St. Paul outside of St. Remy, as much for the beautiful cloister and the stark beauty of the Alpilles as for the fact that Van Gogh convalesced there.
Dec 14th, 2006, 02:05 AM
#14
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,862
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BTW, don't overlook Uzes as a possible stopping place. I've never been but am planning a trip there in June. It gets raves from many Fodorites and I'm very excited about it. There's what is, by all accounts, a terrific Saturday market there.
Dec 14th, 2006, 06:20 AM
#15
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,598
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"I do wonder about the lenght of time (10 days) Arles/Avignon and having to rush Aix-En-Provence. I would have it the other way around!!"
Not me! I've spent one week in each city and much prefer Arles, but as the OP wrote, travel is personal, so the best way is to go yourself and discover how you feel. I do recommend more than a few hours in Aix -- spend at least one night and perhaps you'll become one of the Aix fans. I think it's a pretty city, but I found people watching, not to mention the sunsets over the Mediterranean from a waterfront cafe in Marseille, far more interesting, and I think that will be true in Cassis as well.
St Remy, another pretty city, is a must for Van Gogh devotees but a visit to Cezanne's atelier in Aix is definitely worthwhile.
Try to get to the Camargue when you're staying in Arles. I also hope you'll spend some time around the old port in Marseille, and perhaps hop on a boat and visit Chateau d'If.
Several days in Cassis--sounds like a great trip.
Not me! I've spent one week in each city and much prefer Arles, but as the OP wrote, travel is personal, so the best way is to go yourself and discover how you feel. I do recommend more than a few hours in Aix -- spend at least one night and perhaps you'll become one of the Aix fans. I think it's a pretty city, but I found people watching, not to mention the sunsets over the Mediterranean from a waterfront cafe in Marseille, far more interesting, and I think that will be true in Cassis as well.
St Remy, another pretty city, is a must for Van Gogh devotees but a visit to Cezanne's atelier in Aix is definitely worthwhile.
Try to get to the Camargue when you're staying in Arles. I also hope you'll spend some time around the old port in Marseille, and perhaps hop on a boat and visit Chateau d'If.
Several days in Cassis--sounds like a great trip.
Dec 14th, 2006, 06:51 AM
#16
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We spent 2 nights in Aix at the end of July this year.
We absolutley loved it. It was a great experience to wake up early and stroll through town on the market day, watching vendors setup their stalls for the day.
I would highly recommend spending more than one day there.
We also spent 3 nights in Cassis before going to Aix. It is a wonderful town. Very warm at that time of the year.
We absolutley loved it. It was a great experience to wake up early and stroll through town on the market day, watching vendors setup their stalls for the day.
I would highly recommend spending more than one day there.
We also spent 3 nights in Cassis before going to Aix. It is a wonderful town. Very warm at that time of the year.
Dec 14th, 2006, 07:13 AM
#17
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,149
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think one night in Aix is a must. The TGV quite a distance from Aix(30-40 minutes by car to my memory). I'd opt for the central station as others have suggested.
I cannot imagine not spending at least a few hours at the Deux Garcons sipping champagne and watching the world go by.
It really is a beautiful city.
I cannot imagine not spending at least a few hours at the Deux Garcons sipping champagne and watching the world go by.
It really is a beautiful city.
Dec 14th, 2006, 07:20 AM
#18
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi,
I am another fan of Aix, having gone to a French school there a few years ago and now return almost every year. Last year was the anniversary of Cezanne's death with many major exhibitions and tours. Even though the show is over you can still visit his studio and home and sites where he painted, especially the one with views of Mont Ste. Victoire. The tourist office in Aix is incredibly well organized and helpful and has daily tours to interesting sites in the area. We didn't have a car so used the bus system to get to other towns.
We went to Cassis by bus, just for the day, and it was scenic and charming, if totally overun with tourists (it was Saturday so perhaps that was why). The beach is very nice and there are boat tours too. We passed the time on a heavenly terrace drinking wine and people watching and considered it an afternoon well spent. The drive to Cassis is very scenic with vineyards all around
Have stayed at two hotels in Aix that I found very comfortable and convenient , the Ste. Christophe and the Hotel de France.
The Hotel de France is quite inexpensive and very well located just off the Cours Mirabeau, the main drag in town. I was very happy in both place, but now rent a flat.
I am another fan of Aix, having gone to a French school there a few years ago and now return almost every year. Last year was the anniversary of Cezanne's death with many major exhibitions and tours. Even though the show is over you can still visit his studio and home and sites where he painted, especially the one with views of Mont Ste. Victoire. The tourist office in Aix is incredibly well organized and helpful and has daily tours to interesting sites in the area. We didn't have a car so used the bus system to get to other towns.
We went to Cassis by bus, just for the day, and it was scenic and charming, if totally overun with tourists (it was Saturday so perhaps that was why). The beach is very nice and there are boat tours too. We passed the time on a heavenly terrace drinking wine and people watching and considered it an afternoon well spent. The drive to Cassis is very scenic with vineyards all around
Have stayed at two hotels in Aix that I found very comfortable and convenient , the Ste. Christophe and the Hotel de France.
The Hotel de France is quite inexpensive and very well located just off the Cours Mirabeau, the main drag in town. I was very happy in both place, but now rent a flat.
Dec 14th, 2006, 10:58 AM
#19
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,598
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From today's Fodors:
"Favored hangout of the French café-squatting, people-watching, and boutique-shopping yuppie, elegant Aix-en-Provence has museums, fountains, and the gracious Cours Mirabeau boulevard. Charming and laid-back Arles and crowded Avignon (get off the main streets to see Avignonnais leading their daily lives) have bewitched Roman legionnaires, popes, and Vincent van Gogh. The tarnished, exotic, and newly chic port of Marseille continues to intrigue sailors and travelers with its hint of mystery (note: you should have some big-city smarts to cope with its colorful, almost defiant spirit).
"Favored hangout of the French café-squatting, people-watching, and boutique-shopping yuppie, elegant Aix-en-Provence has museums, fountains, and the gracious Cours Mirabeau boulevard. Charming and laid-back Arles and crowded Avignon (get off the main streets to see Avignonnais leading their daily lives) have bewitched Roman legionnaires, popes, and Vincent van Gogh. The tarnished, exotic, and newly chic port of Marseille continues to intrigue sailors and travelers with its hint of mystery (note: you should have some big-city smarts to cope with its colorful, almost defiant spirit).
Dec 14th, 2006, 03:18 PM
#20
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
To add to Cimbrone's recommendations, on Van Gogh there may still be a Saturday evening tour out of the St. Remy tourist bureau. Some years a pretty, knowlegeable French student lead a tour to the aforementioned asylum.
She had an art book and pointed out places near the asylum where Vincent painted. Among others were the Cypresses; a scene form St. Remy, etc.
Regrettably there is not one actual Van Gogh painting near Arles, St. Remy, etc.
Best wishes.
Anthony
She had an art book and pointed out places near the asylum where Vincent painted. Among others were the Cypresses; a scene form St. Remy, etc.
Regrettably there is not one actual Van Gogh painting near Arles, St. Remy, etc.
Best wishes.
Anthony
