Famed for its many fountains, quaint cafes and local markets, Aix-en-Provence (not to be confused with Aix-les-Bains) is a beautiful French town with a lot to offer, in character and in practicalities. Whether you are planning a stay here or just passing through, you will not find yourself bored.
In our experience, it provides the perfect place to stop for lunch and a wander on your way down south (particularly if you need to kill some time before your Airbnb/hotel room becomes available).
In April, we headed down to the south of France for a few days break, and our jaunt in Aix was a stop that we would happily repeat.
Importantly for us, there was easy parking in the centre (that you can pay for using the BipNGo which makes it seem practically free… dangerous!), a huge array of shops perfect for finding items of clothing that you have been missing from your holiday wardrobe, and a choice of cafes, market stalls and restaurants for all your food and drink requirements.
From our French friends we were with, we gather that the macaron shops are to be particularly recommended, but as we were not able to find an open one, this is a claim that we can’t confirm.
We enjoyed a leisurely lunch that included a mix of pizza, pasta and seafood with some surprisingly good house wine. All of this came at a very reasonable price, although our perception of this could be skewed, because we were coming out of the mountains where everything is so expensive!
While we were only here for a couple of hours, it left a lasting impression and hopefully we will manage to return for a longer trip to explore more next time.
Boondock Puffins 
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