Welcome to Aix-en-Provence, a luminous city founded by the Romans as Aquae Sextiae and forever associated with painter Paul Cézanne and its baroque mansions, graceful squares, and murmuring fountains. With hundreds of fountains and weekly markets perfuming the air with lavender and ripe melons, Aix is a gentle base for exploring Provence without rushing.

This 7-day itinerary keeps the vibe relaxing and restorative. You’ll browse open-air markets, linger over long lunches, sip rosé beneath plane trees, and take unhurried day trips to ocher-tinted Luberon villages, lavender landscapes, and the Mediterranean’s oldest port city, Marseille. Art lovers get their fill at Musée Granet and the Caumont Centre d’Art; foodies meet their match in boulangeries, bistros, and a guided tasting tour.

Practical notes: summer brings heat and the mistral wind—pack sunscreen, a hat, and a refillable bottle (tap water is potable). Market days peak on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. Dinner reservations are wise in high season; tipping is modest (round up or add 5–10% for standout service). Trains and buses are easy for day trips, so there’s no need to rent a car unless you want maximum flexibility.

Aix-en-Provence

Aix is walkable and elegant: Cours Mirabeau’s plane trees shade cafés, while narrow lanes conceal 17th-century hôtels particuliers, patisseries famed for calissons (almond-candied treats), and intimate wine bars. Cézanne sketched Montagne Sainte-Victoire from hills on the city’s edge; you can, too, at the Terrain des Peintres lookout.

Top sights include Musée Granet (Old Masters to Giacometti), Granet XXe (modern art), the Caumont Centre d’Art (rotating exhibitions in an 18th-century mansion), Atelier de Cézanne (his studio preserved as he left it), and Pavillon de Vendôme’s formal gardens. For food lovers: Place Richelme’s daily market and the larger Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday markets are irresistible.

Where to stay (mid-range and restful):

• Hôtel Le Mozart (great value near the old town): Check rates
• Hotel Le Concorde (reliable, well-located, good for walkers): Check rates
• Aquabella Hôtel & Spa (on-site spa and pool; ideal for a relaxing vibe): Check rates or alternate listing
• Villa Gallici Hotel & Spa (romantic splurge in lush gardens): Check rates or alternate listing

Prefer an apartment? Browse stays on VRBO Aix-en-Provence or more hotels on Hotels.com Aix-en-Provence.

Getting to Aix: Fly into Marseille Provence (MRS). For flights within/to Europe, compare on Omio (flights). If you’re coming from outside Europe, search fares on Trip.com or Kiwi.com. From MRS, the L040 coach runs to Aix bus station in about 30–35 minutes (~€10). High-speed TGV from Paris to Aix-en-Provence TGV takes ~3 hours; see Omio (trains). Regional buses between Provençal towns: Omio (buses).

Day 1: Arrival, First Stroll, and Provençal Plates

Afternoon: Arrive and settle in. Take a gentle loop along Cours Mirabeau and Vieil Aix: peek into Place d’Albertas, note mossy fountains, and browse the daily market at Place Richelme for apricots, goat cheeses, and olives. For a sweet welcome, stop at Pâtisserie Béchard (try a calisson) or Pâtisserie Weibel for an almond-citrus tart.

Evening: Casual dinner on Place des Cardeurs. Try Le Poivre d’Âne (seasonal Provençal dishes; bookable and friendly), or La Fromagerie du Passage (cheese boards, tartines, and a glass of Coteaux d’Aix rosé). For a nightcap, slip into a local wine bar like Le Vieux Tonneau for Côtes de Provence reds.

Day 2: Markets, Museums, and Cézanne

Morning: Coffee at Mana Espresso (specialty roasts, excellent pastries), then linger at the big market (Tue/Thu/Sat) around Place des Prêcheurs and Place de Verdun—linen, soaps, and mountains of fruit. Shop picnic fixings: tapenade, saucisson, tomatoes, fougasse.

Afternoon: Explore Musée Granet and Granet XXe (modern wing). Walk 10–15 minutes to Atelier de Cézanne; the sunlit studio preserves his hat, easel, and still-life props. Climb to the Terrain des Peintres for Cézanne’s favorite view of Montagne Sainte-Victoire.

Evening: Dine at Le Formal (contemporary Provençal tasting menus in a stone-vaulted room) or Aquabella’s Le Comptoir du Clos (garden seating, wood-fired flavors). For dessert, try L’Atelier du Glacier near the Hôtel de Ville.

Day 3: Ocher Villages of the Luberon (Guided Day Trip)

Let someone else do the driving today. This small-group excursion sweeps you through postcard villages—Gordes’ dry-stone houses, Roussillon’s red cliffs, and Lourmarin’s chateau—leaving time for cafés and photos. Expect 8–9 hours, with pick-up near central Aix.

Book: Luberon Market & Villages Day Trip from Aix-en-Provence

Tip: Bring comfy shoes and a light scarf—the hilltop breezes can surprise you even on warm days. Lunch spots often include simple bistros with goat cheese salads, honey, and local rosé.

Day 4: Côtes de Provence Wine Tasting and Spa Time

Morning–Afternoon: Explore the Sainte-Victoire foothills with tastings at two family-run estates. You’ll sample crisp rosés, mineral-driven whites, and grenache-led reds while learning about the terroir around Cézanne’s mountain. Typical duration is 3.5–4.5 hours; many tours run late morning to mid-afternoon.

Book: Côtes de Provence Wine Tour from Aix-en-Provence

Evening: Unwind back in Aix. If you’re staying at Aquabella, reserve spa access and the outdoor pool. For dinner, keep it easy with a Provençal burger and salad at Maison Nosh or a rotisserie chicken and ratatouille from a traiteur eaten al fresco on your terrace.

Day 5: Marseille by Day—Old Port, Seafront Culture, and a Food Tour

Morning: Travel light to Marseille. From Aix bus station, the L50 bus to Vieux-Port/Canebière takes ~30–40 minutes (about €6 each way). Trains from Aix-Ville to Marseille Saint-Charles take ~35–45 minutes (€7–€12); compare on Omio (trains) or Omio (buses). Start at the Old Port: watch fishmongers set out morning catch, then wander to Le Panier’s steep lanes and artisan shops. If museums call, MuCEM’s waterfront architecture and Mediterranean exhibits are superb.

Afternoon–Evening: Eat your way through the city with a guided tasting walk around the Vieux Port—expect navettes (orange-blossom biscuits), panisses (chickpea fries), Provençal socca, and more, with plenty of local stories.

Book: Marseille Food Tour – Full Meal of Local Tastes

Return to Aix after sunset for a quiet glass of Bandol at a wine bar near Place de l’Hôtel de Ville.

Day 6: Lavender Season Dream (or Verdon Green Escape)

If traveling late June–July (sometimes into early August): dedicate the day to lavender fields and hill towns. You’ll visit farms and viewpoints around Valensole or Sault, with time to photograph purple rows, stone borie huts, and village squares.

Book: Provence Lavender Fields Tour from Aix-en-Provence

Out of season: make it a slow spa-and-park morning in Aix, then a countryside jaunt to Château La Coste for art-and-architecture walks among vines (reserve lunch at the terrace café). Prefer a guided nature day? Consider a Verdon Canyon and lake picnic outing for emerald waters and boat time.

Alternate: Gorges du Verdon – Lavenders, Canyon Boat Picnic & Villages

Day 7: Café Life, Last Tastes, and Departure

Morning: Easy breakfast at Café Caumont’s garden (if you didn’t visit its exhibitions earlier) or a final espresso at Mana. Pick up edible souvenirs: calissons at Léonard Parli, herbes de Provence, lavender honey, and olive oil from the market.

Afternoon: One last stroll under the plane trees before your transfer. The MRS airport coach takes ~30–35 minutes; trains toward Paris or Lyon depart from Aix TGV (about 15 minutes by shuttle from the center). Check schedules on Omio (trains) and buses on Omio (buses). For Europe flights, compare on Omio (flights); for intercontinental, use Trip.com.

Evening (if you have time): A farewell dinner at Les Deux Garçons (historic brasserie on Cours Mirabeau, recently restored) or under the trees at La Table du Pigonnet. Toast with a final glass of pale rosé to a restful week well spent.

Food and drink picks to pepper your week:

• Breakfast/coffee: Mana Espresso (single-origin pours), Pâtisserie Béchard (butter croissants, calissons), Weibel (tarts and brioche).
• Lunch: La Fromagerie du Passage (cheese-centric plates), Poivre d’Âne (Provençal staples), simple market picnics on the Cours.
• Dinner: Le Formal (creative set menus), Le Comptoir du Clos (relaxed, garden), Villa Gallici (special-occasion terrace).
• Wine bars: Le Vieux Tonneau (by-the-glass selections across the Rhône and Provence), small cavistes around Place de l’Hôtel de Ville.

Budget tips (50/100 comfort): Choose a central mid-range hotel to walk everywhere; plan two guided day trips (Luberon + wine/lavender) and DIY Marseille by bus/train; alternate splurge dinners with market picnics; book tastings and museum tickets ahead in peak months to avoid surge pricing.

In one week, you’ll have experienced the best of Provence at a human pace: art and history in Aix-en-Provence, ocher and lavender landscapes in the Luberon, and Mediterranean flavors in Marseille. Expect to leave with a camera full of sunlit façades, a suitcase fragrant with herbs, and a new appreciation for slow, delicious travel.