Fodor's Expert Review L'Estaque

At this famous village north of Marseille, Cézanne led an influx of artists eager to capture its cliff-top views over the harbor. Braque, Derain, and Renoir all put its red rooftops, rugged cliffs, and factory smokestacks on canvas. Pick up the English-language itinerary "L'Estaque and the Painters" from the Marseille tourist office, and hunt down the sites and views they immortalized. The town is a little seedy these days, but there are cafés and a few fish shops that make the most of the nearby Criée (fishermen's auction), which moved here from Marseille's Quai de Rive Neuve. A novel way to see Cézanne's famous scenery is to take a standard SNCF train trip from the Gare St-Charles to Martigues; it follows the L'Estaque waterfront and (apart from a few tunnels) offers magnificent views.