Marseille - (Fall 2024) - Day 4
Aix-en-Provence Day Trip
Very easy train ride to Aix from Marseille
There are several great day trips to make from Marseille. We decided to go to Aix-en-Provence on their market day to explore a classic French town. Towns like these in the south had the benefit of not being destroyed in WWII despite being occupied so there is more classic architecture to be found. There is a plaque on the city hall that commemorates the day that the US troops liberated the city.
Aix-en-Provence
Columbus Cafe (Aix-en-Provence)
We got to town early so not many stores were open yet except for coffee shops like this one. Seemed like a very popular place and was fairly busy with a nice pastry selection.
Charly’s (Aix-en-Provence)
This bar is situated in one of the several squares in town which are bustling with activity on a market day. This square was filled with produce vendors and the bar was a great location to people watch. Had some rosés - I think it was past noon at this point in time.
Chez Nous (Aix-en-Provence)
We chose this place for a snack sized lunch versus a heavier traditional lunch. Just some mix of paté and cheeses and garlic bread washed down with more wine.
Book In Bar - Librairie et café (Aix-en-Provence)
In search of a post-lunch coffee, this place was a great find. It is actually an English bookstore with a small cafe and some tables in the back. A great little place to take a break.
La Belle Epoque (Aix-en-Provence)
This is an upscale place with fancy foods and fancy cocktails with a great location. The street markets had cleared by this time of the day so you get an unobstructed view of the main avenue in town at the sidewalk tables.
Paloma Cocktail
Back in Marseille, we decided to head back to the hipster neighborhood of La Plaine for drinks. Paloma has a bit of a Miami feel with creative drinks adorned with little plastic toys. A lot of tequila based cocktails as you would expect with a name like Paloma.
Labo n heure
Great cocktail place in La Plaine. Very busy place and all of the tables outside were full. They were nice enough to clear away a table and wall seats inside for us to have a drink. Creative and tasty cocktails. These smoke bubble drinks that pop seem popular in French bars right now.
Durum Kebab
My favorite post-drinking snack after drinking in Europe is the kebab. We passed this place on the way to La Plaine so decided to stop in on the way back. Very affordable and delicious.