Aix, France

Aix-en-Provence

Aix was once a Roman spa and then the capital of the region of Provence. Today, this  city located about 20 mi/30 km north of Marseille is known for romantic streets, stately  houses and Art with a capital A. Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne was born there,  and artists still fall in love with the place and never leave. It is also a university town,  and this combination gives Aix a young, upbeat, energetic feel. With its tree-lined  cobblestoned streets, Aix is also one of the most charming towns you can visit. Stroll  through the Quartier Mazarin, the Cours Mirabeau and the Bourg St. Sauveur to see  vestiges of Roman and medieval architecture, as well as wonderful 16th- and 17th century fountains and facades. One of the highlights of Aix is a "Cezanne Walk," which  takes you by the painter's atelier (it has been renovated to look the way it did when he  was alive), and the Hotel de Maurel de Ponteves, where he grew up. Other sights  include the town hall and its 17th-century balcony, the cathedral and the Tapestry  Museum (housing some Beauvais tapestries). The Vasarely Foundation exhibits works  by Victor Vasarely and contemporary artists.