The Aix Guide We Give Our Own Guests
Most city guides are written by someone who spent four days here. This one comes from a family that never left — five generations in Aix and Marseille, and 50-odd pages of what we actually tell people.
History, restaurants, the corners nobody photographs, and the characters who made the place what it is. Yours, free.
One email. The guide arrives straight away. Unsubscribe whenever you like.
We start with the dinosaurs
Not a joke
Montagne Sainte-Victoire holds one of the richest dinosaur egg sites on earth, and that is roughly where the guide opens — because you cannot explain Aix without explaining the ground it sits on.
From there it runs forward: the Romans who came for the hot springs and named the place after them, the counts, the plague wall, the fountains that still run warm in January, and the painter who could not leave the mountain alone.
By the time you land, you will know why the streets bend the way they do. That is the difference between visiting a city and understanding one.
What's Inside the free travel guide?
The history of Provence | From the dinosaur eggs of Sainte-Victoire through Rome, the counts, the plague and the painters — the long version, told the way we tell it on the walk. |
Where we actually eat | The bistros, bakeries, market stalls and one or two proper blowouts. Not a best-of list scraped from reviews — the places we go on our own evenings. |
Not-to-miss places | What is worth your morning, what is worth a detour, and what you can walk past guilt-free. |
The characters of Aix | Zola and Cézanne falling out. The Good King René. The people whose names are on the streets and what they actually did. |
Our ratatouille recipe | The real one. It takes longer than you want it to, and that is the point. |
And plenty more | Markets by day of the week, how to pronounce the place without wincing, day trips worth the drive, and the small stuff nobody tells you. |
What Our people Say when they read it
Reviews
“WOW! That is VERY thorough!”
“Love the history… all the way back to the dinosaurs.”
“The restaurants. I’ve lived in Aix almost a year now and you’ve got quite a few I’ve never been to.”
“Nice graphics!”
Who is it for
And about the author
It’s for you if:
- You are planning a trip and want to arrive knowing something
- You have three days in Aix and do not want to waste one of them
- You would rather eat where locals eat than where the queue is
- You like knowing why a place is the way it is, not just what to photograph
It’s probably not for you if:
- You want a two-page checklist of the top five sights
- You have already booked every meal
I’m Benjamin. My family has been in this corner of Provence for five generations, and I have spent the last few years walking visitors around it — which is a good way to find out which stories land and which ones people politely nod through.
The guide is those stories, written down. It started as the notes I emailed guests after their tours, because people kept asking. It got long. Then it got illustrated. Now it is 50-odd pages and I am giving it away, because the people who read it tend to be the people I most enjoy showing around.
AIX TOURS won the TripAdvisor and Bókun Launchpad competition in 2026, which was a nice surprise. The guide is free either way.
À bientôt — Benjamin
Frequently Asked Questions
What people ask us
Is it really free?
Yes. No card, no trial. You give an email address, the guide arrives.
What will you send me afterwards?
Occasional notes on Provence — what is in season, what is worth seeing this month, the odd new tour. A few a month at most, and one click unsubscribes.
Do I have to book a tour?
No. Plenty of people take the guide and plan the whole trip themselves. That is fine — we would rather you had a good time in Aix than no time in Aix.
What format is it?
A PDF. It reads well on a phone, and it prints if you are the printing sort.
When was it last updated?
September, 2026.
Discover the best Aix has offer!
50+ pages. Five generations. One email address.
50+ juicy pages of Aix-pert information, including:
– The History of Provence
– Favourite spots to eat
– Not to miss places to visit
– The Characters of Aix
– Free Ratatouille Recipe
– and so much more!
What people have been saying:
“WOW! That is VERY thorough!”
“Love the history…all the way back to the dinosaurs.”
“The restaurants. I’ve lived in Aix almost a year now and you’ve got quite a few I’ve never been to.”
“Nice graphics!”