A Day in Aix-en-Provence, France

After leaving Barcelona, Spain, we set sail for Marseille, France, which was the first port stop on our Mediterranean cruise aboard the Carnival Sunshine.

Marseille (pronounced mar-say) is the second largest city in France, behind Paris, and home to the largest port in the country. Because of this, Marseille is super industrialized with construction at every turn --  a vast contrast from the surrounding region of Provence. Since my daughter and I explored Marseille the previous year {See: A day in Marseille}, we decided to get out of the city and see a bit more of the area — somewhere a little more Beauty and the Beast-esque...

Before we left for the cruise we decided our day would be spent in Aix (pronounced Ex), just about 30 minutes from Marseille. We opted out of a shore excursion (though looking back, Carnival's excursion to Aix was quite reasonable) and instead split a cab with a few friends sailing with us. The total price round-trip came to 30 Euros ($40.00) per person. Carnival's shuttle into Marseille increased this year to 14€ p/p, making an excursion through the ship or direct transportation by taxi the best bet for getting to Aix.

One of the main draws to Aix is its markets, which vary throughout the week with the largest ones open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings (we were in port on a Saturday for reference). Even though we arrived a little early (before 8:30am), vendors were busy setting up their tables of colorful fruits, vegetables and flowers. The Saturday market is actually separated into different sections, with flowers and edibles in one area, and antiques, clothing and other goods in another. The whole market is quite large.

The foodie market seemed to open first, at around 9:00am. I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the fresh offerings. Next to La Boqueria in Barcelona, this was the best food market that I have been to -- I can only imagine how awesome it would be to shop here for fresh food on weekly basis...

One of the best souvenirs in Provence and the South of France is soap, which is made locally and stamped "Savon de Marseille". I have a feeling the soap we purchased isn't the real deal (Savon de Marseille is normally in a cube shape), but I don't care — I still stocked up at 1€ per bar! For comparison, last year we paid 2.50€ a bar in Marseille. My favorite scents are lavender, olive oil and lemon.

After wandering the market for a few hours we hit Cours Mirabeau -- the main drag in Aix with little shops and cafés. The street is lined with trees, which just makes it even more charming. I've been told that this area of Aix is like a mini Paris.

You can't travel to France and not stop in a bakery -- personally, I think is should be a requirement for every visitor 🙂 The oldest bakery in Aix-en-Provence is Bechard ... and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Bechard is your quintessential pâtisserie with fresh sweets and savories.

Surprisingly, Bechard was very reasonable. My husband and I each had a ham and cheese croissant for 4€, and we purchased a bag of Calissons, a staple in Aix, for under 5€. My daughter opted for mini pastries for 1€ each. Worth every penny, I tell you!

The advantage of taking a taxi to and from Aix and Marseille is that you can leave when you want to. We set up a pickup time with our driver once we arrived in Aix, making sure that we left with plenty of time to make it back to the ship before it set sail. Really, You really don't need more than a few hours to explore Aix -- I'd say 3-4 is plenty to get a feel for the city if you're not sitting down for lunch. I would absolutely return Aix on my next cruise with a stop in Marseille (just for the market); though I might pair it with a visit to Les Baux or Cassis -- there's just so much to see in Provence!