Planning a Trip

Getting There -- Twenty-seven trains arrive daily from Marseille; the trip takes 45 minutes and costs 7€ one-way. Twenty-five trains arrive from Nice; the trip takes 3 to 4 hours and costs 36€ one-way. From Cannes, 25 trains make the trip a day (3 1/2 hr.), costing 35€ one-way. High-speed TGV trains arrive at Vitroll, 5.5km (3 1/2 miles) west of Aix. For more information, call tel. 36-35, or visit www.voyages-sncf.com. Buses from Marseille arrive every 10 minutes; from Avignon, five times a day; and twice a day from Nice. For more information, call tel. 08-91-02-40-25. If you're driving from Avignon or other points north, take A7 south to RN7 and follow it into town. From Marseille and points south, take A51 north into town.

To explore the region by bike, head for La Rotondo, 2 av. Des Belges (tel. 04-42-26-78-92), a short walk northeast of the cours Mirabeau. Here you can rent 10-speed racing bikes or more durable mountain bikes for 20€ per day. You must leave a deposit -- your passport or driver's license, or cash or monetary objects worth the value of the bike, usually 300€.

Visitor Information -- The Office de Tourisme is at 2 place du Général-de-Gaulle (tel. 04-42-16-11-61; fax 04-42-16-11-62; www.aixenprovencetourism.com).

Special Events -- Aix celebrates the performing arts, more than any other city in southwestern France. At least four summer festivals showcase music, opera, and dance, including the Aix en Musique (tel. 04-42-21-69-69; www.aixenmusique.fr), all summer long, which focuses on symphonic and chamber music, and Festival International d'Art Lyrique & de Musique (tel. 04-42-17-34-34; www.festival-aix.com) in late July, which attracts musicians from all over the world.