Aix-en-Provence, France + Add a trip

Automobiles

A car is only necessary if you want to explore the countryside. Inter-city transport is good and town centres are often pedestrianised.

Planes

There are regular flights to Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Nice, Montpellier and Nîmes; obviously the airport you choose will depend on which part of Provence you're staying in and which entry point is most accessible from your local airport.

Trains

The TGV from Paris to Avignon and Nîmes takes three hours.

Dialing

Country code for France: 33. Provence: (0)4.

Reads

The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles by Martin Gayford; Caesar's Vast Ghost: Aspects of Provence by Lawrence Durrell.

Do go / Don't Go

Spring and autumn are perfect: the weather is warm and there are fewer crowds. May is a riot of flowers, and September sees the grape harvest.

Cuisine

Provence's cuisine du soleil is bursting with sun-ripened fruit and vegetables. Local specialities include bouillabaisse and red-wine stews known as daubes. There are excellent tapas in Spanish-influenced Nîmes. Seek out the refreshing rosé wines of Provence.

Taxis

Use a taxi rank or have your hotel order a cab. Prices are cheaper than on the Côte d'Azur, but there may be a charge for luggage.

Tipping

A 15 per cent service charge is included in French restaurant and café bills by law; it's usual to round up the bill or leave a few euros, as well.

Currency

Euro (€).

Packing

Take cobble-friendly sandals rather than stilettos, and pack binoculars and mosquito repellent for the Camargue.

Arts

The 20,000-seat Roman amphitheatre in Nîmes doubles as a bullring and theatre venue. Nîmes' beautiful Maison Carrée temple occupies the site of the old Roman forum. Arles has an equally impressive amphitheatre, also used for hosting cultural events. Just outside Les Baux-de-Provence, Cathédrale d'Images is a huge cave in which famous artworks related to the area are projected onto its walls (www.cathedrale-images.com).

And...

Shopping

Uzès, north of Nîmes, has a Saturday market selling home-making goodies, from honey to linen quilts. Rue de la Madeleine in Nîmes is great for window-shopping. Buy slabs of nougat, almond-paste callisons and pastries from Maison Villaret and costume jewellery from Météorite. Aix-en-Provence has a wide range of design boutiques on Rue Fabrot, and a fantastic food market every day on Place Richelme.

Viewpoint

There's a wonderful view towards the Camargue from the battlements of the fortress in Les Baux-de-Provence. In summer, go early in the morning to avoid the crowds.

Something

Vincent Van Gogh painted almost 200 paintings during the year or so he spent in Arles. Many of the spots where he worked are marked by a series of panels dotted around the city.

Mid-May Feria de Pentecôte celebrations in Nîmes include bullfights in the amphitheatre. 24-26 May Gypsies from all over Europe gather in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to pay their respects to St Sarah, the Black Madonna. July The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence is an opera festival that attracts world-class performers (www.festival-aix.com). Early September With paella, sangria and bull-running, the Rice Festival in Arles feels decidedly Spanish.