Marché Provençal d'Aix-en-Provence
Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning, the broad cours Mirabeau and the tangle of streets around Place Richelme in Aix-en-Provence fill with one of southern France's finest open-air markets — a riot of saffron-yellow melons, violet lavender sachets, tapenade in terracotta pots and fishmongers shouting the morning catch. This is Provence at its most edible and photogenic.
What to Buy and Eat
The permanent food market on Place Richelme runs every morning and is the locals' daily grocery run — stalls piled with Cavaillon melons, Banon goat's cheese wrapped in chestnut leaves, and thick slabs of socca flatbread grilled on iron pans. Arrive before 9 am to shop alongside Aixois residents rather than tourists.
The Tuesday and Saturday markets expand onto Place des Prêcheurs and surrounding streets, adding clothing, Provençal fabric (the distinctive souleiado prints in ochre and cobalt), soaps scented with lavender and thyme, and handmade santons figurines — the small painted clay figures used in Provençal nativity scenes.
Beyond the Stalls
After shopping, take a table at one of the café terraces on Cours Mirabeau and order a grand crème and a navette biscuit from the nearby Boulangerie Weibel — the oval orange-blossom cookies are a local speciality dating to the 18th century.
Aix is also the hometown of Paul Cézanne; his studio, the Atelier Cézanne on Avenue Paul Cézanne, is a short uphill walk from the market and preserves his actual still-life objects — the same apples and skulls that appear in his paintings.
More of France
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore France →
