A "Village-City": A Blend of Life and Beauty
We are often asked: "Why choose Aix over another city in the South?" For us, the answer is simple: it is one of the few places where you can fully reconcile a busy professional life with an exceptional quality of life. People move here for the sun, but they stay for the balance. Choosing Aix means treating yourself to both urban excitement and countryside serenity.
Aix-en-Provence is a city to be admired as much as it is to be lived. You fall in love with its Provençal-colored facades, its sculpted fountains, and its unique light. What we love most is this "village life" on a city scale: whether you live in the center or in one of the neighboring villages, Aix remains your favorite meeting point.
It’s the pleasure of strolling through the market at Place Richelme, finding treasures in designer boutiques, choosing from hundreds of terrace restaurants, or enjoying a drink at sunset on Place des Cardeurs. Here, everything is within reach. It is this safe and culturally rich environment that appeals to families as much as retirees who wish to maintain a vibrant social life and do everything on foot—from art-house cinemas to walks at the foot of the Sainte-Victoire mountain.
A Land of Welcome and Excellence
This is a major asset of the region: the Pays d'Aix is home to a large expat community, which greatly facilitates integration and meeting new people. This open-mindedness is directly reflected in the educational offer: the area boasts a rare concentration of international schools, both public and private, providing an ideal environment for your children to grow up in a bilingual and stimulating setting.
But Aix's academic excellence doesn't stop at high school. The city is one of France's largest university hubs, where students from all over the world come to study at prestigious institutions. The city center pulses to the rhythm of its famous Faculty of Law, Sciences Po Aix, and the IAE for management and economics. Whether for Humanities, Arts, or Sciences, settling here means offering your family a complete, high-level educational journey, from their first schoolbag to elite graduate schools, all within a secure living environment.
A Strategic Location: The Privilege of Connectivity
This is often the decisive argument for staying at the heart of global exchanges while living in a haven of peace:
Paris in 3 hours: With the TGV station just 15 minutes away, you stay connected to your loved ones or your business while enjoying quiet evenings at home.
Quiet Dynamism: You benefit from the region's economic power (Iter, Cadarache, Airbus) while living in preserved villages like Éguilles, Le Tholonet, or Venelles.
The Mediterranean at Your Doorstep: The Côte Bleue and Marseille are only 30 minutes away. You can enjoy the coastline whenever the mood strikes.
The "Douceur de Vivre," 365 Days a Year
What we love here is that the sweetness of life doesn't end when summer does. Of course, you have to adapt to the climate: summers are generous and temperatures rise high, sometimes reaching 40°C, which naturally invites you to adopt a more Mediterranean pace.
But what a joy it is when autumn arrives to find such incredible mildness! Winters remain very pleasant, with an average around 10°C and only a few colder weeks. For us, this makes all the difference: the Pays d’Aix remains lively and welcoming 365 days a year. Here, you don't stay shut indoors. You enjoy sunny terraces even in the middle of January and savor that unique light, no matter the season.
Savoring Every Bit of Aix
For us, living in Aix is also (and above all!) a gourmet story. We’ve lost count of the restaurants, but what we love is that there is something for every craving: from the small neighborhood bistro to the trendy eatery, you’ll always find a good table, regardless of your budget.
We have our rituals that we never tire of: stopping by Béchard for the smell of brioches fresh out of the oven, or indulging in a few Calissons—having a coffee at Le Grillon on the Cours Mirabeau, or picking up our bread at Farinoman Fou. And then, there is our local cuisine, the kind that smells of the south: an anchoïade for an aperitif, a true Aïoli on Fridays, or the famous pieds et paquets for those who love tradition. Here, eating well is an everyday art form.