Aix-en-Provence is located 25 km north of Marseille, and to the south of the villages of the Luberon in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of Provence.

This historical town is also found to the north of Cours Mirabeau. There are various sights to enjoy, but it is the overall setting that is most interesting. There are a great number of attractive streets, with grey shuttered, pastel coloured houses - many now converted at ground level into shops, cafes and boutiques. There are also a large number of shady open squares, filled with cafes.
 
It is a vibrant, lively town with a university founded during the golden era 600 years ago, and has all you would expect in a sunny Provencal town - sunny squares filled with cafes, broad avenues lined with plane trees, and a substantial historical centre lined with boutiques and attractive houses...and more cafes.  There is a fantastic weekly market in Aix -en- Provence.

Your visit will start along the main thoroughfare - the Cours Mirabeau. This broad street runs east to west through central Aix-en-Provence, and is lined on both sides with grand houses built during the 17th-18th centuries, a time of great prosperity for the town.