Aix en Provence

Part chic, part pugnacious, Aix en Provence (just X if you want to fit in) fuses fashionista and fun-loving students in one mashup of the baroque and the modern. Set between the sun-splashed hills of central Provence, the town has year-round appeal; its shiny, perfectly pruned interior streets of palaces, medieval towers, Renaissance domes, Roman colonnades and fin de siècle cafes attracting money from Paris, tanned Marseillais from the coast and artsy types alike. Universities flourish here and the town is hailed as one of the cleverest in the country for its formidable line-up of past patrons – after all Cézanne, Zola and Hemingway all wandered the Old Town cobbles! In the summertime, Aix en Provence tour guides flit between a seemingly inexhaustible array of enthralling sights, from the leafy plane trees of Cours Mirabeau to the classical Hôtel de Ville. Along side, operatic buffas and baritones echo during the famous Festival International that takes place each year, setting the city aflame with the passions of Rossini and Prokofiev and more. Yes sir, this one is really not to be missed!